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Is a Power Amp the Answer?

Hi Everyone…

I want to adjust my stereo system to sound extremely clear, virtually distortion-free, strong across all frequencies and loud, without having to turn the volume on my integrated receiver to 70. (More than that, distortion starts becoming apparent.) Plus, I’d like it to be louder, but I loose audiophile sound quality at louder levels with my current line-up.

I’m thinking that adding a power amp and hooking it up to my integrated amp might be the answer. I’ve never done this, don’t know how, and need your guys’ and gals’ input, please.

My current equipment:

Rotel RA-1570 integrated amp. 120/watts/channel; 80 db S/N ratio, phono stage, 100 db S/N ratio, Digital and LL.  http://www.rotel.com/product/ra-1570  

GoldenEar Triton Five loudspeakers.  90 db efficiency, 8 ohms, recommended amplification, 15-400 wpc. https://www.goldenear.com/products/triton-series?gktab=3

(Also, for the record, Oppo BDP-105, Pioneer PL-550 turntable with Denon DL-110 cartridge, and V-LPS phono stage.)

Three questions, please:

  1. Are my Rotel integrated amp and GoldenEar Triton Fives properly matched, in the sense of this: am I maximizing the features of both products, given their respective specifications. (I don’t know; I don’t understand this part of putting together a system whose synergies are maximized.)

  2. I think I can use the Rotel as a preamp and match a 300-watt power amp to it to sound extremely clear, virtually distortion-free, strong across all frequencies and loud, without having to turn the volume on my integrated receiver to 70.

  3. If the answer to question 2 is “yes,” what 300-watt power amp would any of you suggest up to $2,000.  (I looked at the reviews of the Emotiva XPA Gen3, but my it was priced at only $800. Of course, as an American, I’m thinking something must be wrong, since all the other power amps in that wattage class are significantly more expensive. Am I right, or is the Emotiva audiophile class?) https://emotiva.com/products/amplifiers/xpa-gen3

Thank you, everyone. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. So happy to be a part of this group.

Mark

 

 


 

 

tritonmark

Showing 2 responses by auxinput

auxinput
2,921 posts
 

Just putting my thoughts in at the last minute. I know you were looking at Emotiva stuff. I’m actually a pretty good fan of Emotiva amps. I started with an XPA-1 and now am running all XPR-1 and XPA-1L (for surrounds). Emotiva is a different model where there is no middle-man markup. There are better amps out there, but for what you are spending, Emotiva delivers a LOT and it is very difficult to find something equal without having to spend a whole lot more. Keep in mind that the Gen 3 is a different beast (it uses the XPR amp boards, but it also has a switching power supply). I have not heard the Gen 3 amps. You might try stretching your budget to get a couple XPA-1 monoblocks. They are on sale now for $1019 each. You do have a 30 day return policy on these. I get the feeling you like playing music very loud. On the XPA-1, you can also run them in Class A mode (which will help with midrange body and help reduce any brightness/harshness).

Getting a 600watt monoblock doesn’t mean you use all 600 watts. It means you have a huge power supply to ensure there is no drop in current or distortion in the signal. It also helps with strong bass response. The Rotel should sound clean because it will have more power supply current available since it’s not using the internal amplifier at all. I’m not sure that the Parasound Halo integrated would help much with your volumes levels, since the power supply is not really any larger. The Parasound will sound much better than the Rotel at lower volumes, but would not really be what you need for the louder volumes. In my system, I can get my B&W 805 bookshelves to really pound with my massive XPR-1 amps - they are only one 6.5" woofer in each speaker. The amp does make a difference.

A sub could also help, but there are challenges with using a sub as well.

auxinput
2,921 posts
 

If you are considering an amplifier, one thing to look for is amplifier gain. Amplifiers have a signal gain in the 26-32db range. The Emotiva XPA-1 gain is 29 db, which is decently in the middle. I know some of the Wyred 4 Sound amps have a gain as much as 30.7db. If you get an amp with a high gain, the Rotel preamp does not have to work as hard to push a higher voltage signal - this can help keep the signal distortion lower.

If you consider a sub, the important thing to make sure is that you strip out all the low frequencies from your main GoldenEar speakers. If you’re just adding a sub to help with bass and not removing the bass signals from the main speakers, it will do nothing to help your high volume distortion because the amp is still pushing a full-range signal.

You can either apply a passive crossover on the GoldenEar speaker wire (which is not really the best solution), or you can use some sort of active crossover to ensure the Rotel amp is not driving a full-range signal. You can use the "pre-out/main-in" processor loop connections on the lower part of your Rotel. The "main-in" inputs go straight to the internal amp. If you can’t find a good active crossover or you don’t want to run long lengths of RCA cable back and forth from your subwoofer, you can try using a pro-audio crossover, like a Rane AC22 or AC22B (lot’s of pro audio crossovers on ebay for less than $400 -- Rane, dbx, etc.). You’ll have to get some RCA-to-XLR or RCA-to-TRS cables to use this option.

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