What amp should one go for?

[uhtijs]

Hello,

If one has two JBL PRX412M speakers and a Q Acoustics 2070Si subwoofer (or a JBL PRX418S - which costs more), what amp would be best to power them? This setup would be playing music and movies mostly.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Audio_Freek]

Uhtijs,

JBL should work best with NAD,ARCAM and Marantz.So tell us about your room Size,Source of Sound and the Budget for the Amplifier.
It would be easy to filter down.

 

[uhtijs]

Thanks for your reply.

The room size is 11 ft by 16 ft. The sound source would be HDTV (S/PDIF or 3.5mm jack) or a PC (TOSLINK or 3.5mm jack). Budget upto 30k. I'm not looking for 5.1 surround, just a simple stereo setup.

 

[uhtijs]

Any advice on the below amps?

Yamaha AS500
Marantz PM 6004
Pioneer Elite A20

Also, is there any audible differences between a receiver and an integrated amp?

 

[Audio_Freek]

Jbl's pair with Marantz better compared to Yamaha\Pioneer.

Receiver and Integrated doesnt have different if you compare a decent Integrated Stereo amp and a Hi end Receiver

Always Stereo are best for Music.

 

[Mayank Shah]

If your preference is mainly stereo setup, go for an amp as amps are designed for one purpose only. AVR's in their own right are good but they serve a different purpose and thus are designed differently. There can never be a real comparison between amps and AVR's.

If your choice is mainly or only stereo, go in for the best amp your budget will allow.

 

[uhtijs]

Thank you both for your replies.

Ok, so, Marantz is best for JBL. PM6004 doesn't have a digital IN, so I suppose, I'll need a DAC for that? Any suggestions?

Looking through the specs, 6004 has an output of 45wpc (at 8 ohm) / 60wpc (at 4 ohm) and the jbl speakers take in 300W at 8 ohm. So, I believe, I'll need a good power amp as well, such as a Crown?

Sorry if I'm sounding rustic. as you may have guessed, i'm pretty much a newbie at hifi.

 

[Audio_Freek]

In case you are fine with Pre-Owned route,Something is available in forum today

http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/60357-marantz-pm-6003-integrated-amplifier.html

I would suggest not to go with DAC initially(spending),In case you are not satisfied with current(new )Setpup then have DAC in chain for improvement.

As recommended by all the Amp should be double the watts of your amp.In your case you need 600 W Amp.

If you planned to play the speakers Loud, Best is proffessional Audio-perfect match to the speakers .If not then Pair the speakers with decent amp and run them with Nominal volume.

 

[uhtijs]

I'm a bit confused. Back to my original question, I wanted to connect two speakers AND a subwoofer to the amp. How do I do that on a Marantz? It doesn't have a sub out. Moreover, the speakers have a higher power requirement that what a pm6003/4 can provide on its own (correct me if i'm wrong). Following what i've read on the web on the subject of matching amps and speakers, if i run those speakers, either the volume would be too low or i'll burn out the amp if i turn up the volume (again, correct me if i'm wrong).

So, suppose I have a Marantz pm 6003 (thank you for pointing me to the ad but i want to understand the theory before spending on the setup) AND a power amp which can output 600W, then I can connect the JBL speakers. Correct? In this setup, where and how do i connect the subwoofer? to the marantz or the power amp?

 

[afj]

the jbl you are talking about is a professional speaker. the set of speakers itself will be an overkill for your room size. leave the sub out of it. the speakers should have more than enough of bass in it.

as for an amp, a 45w home amp will not drive those speakers. perhaps you should look for a professional amp. though i must advise that though professional setups do have big sounds, they suffer when it comes to musicality and a lot is lost. also they are meant for long ranges of music throw and listening to it at close distances is not ideal. but then again if you have it already and want to use it, look out for a professional amp

 

[uhtijs]

Ok, got it. Thank you, all!!