2. amps-preamps
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High end high quality int. amp for low level listening

Hello to all Audigon members.  I'm quite in a dilemma weather I should upgrade my amplifier. Currently I own Pathos classic one MK3 driving Sonus Faber Sonetto's speakers, and I must say I'm very happy with sound filling my 35 square meters room. However, it's known that the speakers are power hungry as they rated at 86db sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance and I think they will surely benefit from a bigger power supply. With all that being said I'm not sure if I will hear any improvement mostly because 90% of the time I listen at ~60dBs SPL. My budget is around 5k $ and these are the amplifiers I've been considering:  Hegel H390, Anthem STR, Cambridge Audio Edge A, McIntosh MA5300/MA252, Accuphase e280, Rotel Michi x3 or used Pass Labs INT 25, Mark Levinson 5805.

What do you think guys, will any of the amplifiers make ay difference at 60dB SPL ? 
celestial__sound

Showing 4 responses by dcevans

dcevans
178 posts
 
+1  @ditusa 

The Pathos is a great integrated amp... but it is a poor pairing with high impedance low efficiency speakers, as the OP stated in the original post.  You have a choice — keep it and get 8 ohm or greater speakers with a sensitivity of ideally 92 dB/1 m or greater (having subs in the mix will lessen the load on the amp and allow lesser sensitivity) —- or get a high wattage solid state integrated amp to go with the Sonus Fabers.  Hegel would be a good choice  

dcevans
178 posts
 
There aren’t too many integrated amps that double their power wattage into 4 ohms. The Levinson 5805 does (125 watts into 8 ohms, 250 into 4 ohms).  If you decide to keep your speakers, I would lean towards it or one of the Hegel integrateds myself. 
dcevans
178 posts
 
IMHO, keep the Pathos and get high efficiency speakers or one with a benign impedance curve (e.g., Fritz Carrera Be, ProAc Response D2, used Joseph Audio Pulsar). I think high efficiency speakers sound better at low volumes than low to medium efficiency speakers, but just my opinion — based on tube Coincident Dynamo 8 wpc amp driving Klipsch Heresy IIIs (99 dB/1 m) versus 125 wpc solid state Belles Aria Signature integrated driving Vandersteen VRL CT (86 dB/1 m). 
dcevans
178 posts
 
@holmzI think ditusa above answered this better than I can. I’m not an electrical engineer, but it has to do I think with the quality of the first watt. Yes 60 decibels is the same volume in two different setups, but the amount of distortion and  resolution heard at that level can be vastly different.  I think you want dynamic headroom listening even at 60 dB. 
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