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Can't drive Proac Studio 110 with low budget amps

Hi from Russia

I have problems driving my Proac Studio 110 with mid power amps. I tried Marantz 6003 and Rotel 972, both produce bass-less sound, that is they play around 25% of what should be played below 100 Hz. Phasing is correct, I tried different cables, sources.

I don't think the amps I have tried are good match for the Proacs but I assume they must play bass (of whatever quality, at the moment I don't care). Naim nait 5i is less powerful than the Rotel but it is said to be a good match for the Proacs. Arcam budget amps owners reported they were able to drive Proacs well.

Are my speakers misfunctioning?
dimedrol

Showing 2 responses by jmcgrogan2

jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
First I'd try moving the speakers closer to walls and reflecting surfaces, which may re-inforce bass. Secondly, these speakers deserve better amplification than some mid-fi receiver. Try a seperate power amp. You should be able to get by with at least 100 wpc. Remember, a 100 wpc amp will sound very different than a 100 wpc 7X100 AV receiver. My 100 wpc amp weighs in at 85 pounds, it has a much stiffer power supply than any receiver, and does not run out of steam when pushed.
200 wpc may do even better for the ProAcs.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
The difference between a 50 wpc amp and a 100 wpc amp is 3 db. Since the ProAc's are not really efficient speakers, I'd recommend going with at least 100 wpc. 50 wpc may cut it in a small room though. The bigger the room, the more amp power is required.
If you say the woofer is barely moving when it should be rocking, I'm led to wonder whether your AV receiver has some low frequency crossover filter that is rolling off the lows for a subwoofer. A real preamp/amp setup should eliminate that issue. Hopefully there is no damage to the drivers themselves.
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