2. amps-preamps
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Help picking an amp to work with my system

I recently obtained some Martin Logan ESL X speakers and absolutely love them.  That said, they are part of my surround sound system, so I use them for both, listening to music, and then when I want to do movies, they become the left and right channel of my surround sound.

I’m currently Bi-Amping them off of my Denon 4520ci receiver, but have had issues with them starting to distort if played at around 95db on a heavy bass song, within halfway through the song.  I posted about it in another group, but my post was deleted.  I believe the receiver I’m using just doesn’t have the capabilities RMS to keep up with that draw (Astronauts in the Ocean by Masked Wolf is a perfect example of a song that will sound crisp in the beginning and halfway through, start to distort).

I still need my receiver for surround functionalities, but for these two speakers, I was considering getting a dedicated 2channel amp and use the receiver as the pre-amp for them.  Does anyone have any recommendations on an Amp that’s affordable and clean?  I was thinking a Peachtree Nova 300, hopefully I can find one open boxed/used.  Would this unit fit my needs, or would it be pushing it with these speakers even using that amp?

maverick3n1

Showing 4 responses by russ69

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

Parasound A21 will do the job. Also make sure you pull the ESLXs out from where your screen is. A couple of feet will do it, 3 feet is better. 

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

I have ESLs and they are not that hard to drive. They are 91db same as the ESLX. I have driven mine with a 25 tube amp. However they do go down to 1.6 ohms at high frequencies. The Nova300 might not like that, I'm not sure. I am a little concerned about playing those at high levels. You don't want to start arcing the panels by pushing too hard. IMHO, you'll need a really robust amp that doubles down and is comfortable with low impedances (expensive). 

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

so is 95db really that high of a volume considering the break in requirement?

If you are clipping your amp, you are already playing way too loud for your equipment. Adding a robust 200wpc amp will help with that but I’m still concerned about your volume levels. Why so loud? Big room? One more thought, have you boosted the bass on your AVR?

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

That said, I don’t have to have it that loud

In that case get a good A/B or Class D amp with some serious power and low ohm capability (200wpc is enough) and maybe think about a sub to take on some of the load. If you like the Nova give them a call and ask if it will handle the low impedance load of 1.6 ohms.

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