Living room system: class A or AB amps?


Would class A be suitable for a living room system? Apart from hi-fi listening sessions, it's also used a lot for watching TV.

Would it make more sense to get good class AB amplifiers, which can be switched on permanently without drawing huge amounts of power? I wouldn't want to warm-up an amp first before getting good sound.

For this system, I have so far only purchased the speakers: Focal Stella Utopia Evo. Room is big: 1,200 square feet with openings to hallways.

I'd consider to pair them with Gryphon Mephisto and Pandora. But that's class A...

Opinions and amp suggestions are welcome!

robert1976

Showing 1 response by axpert

In moving to a Class A amplifier, the main thing to consider is heat dissipation. If you have very efficient loudspeakers that will provide the level of sound you prefer in your living room, using a Class A amp should not be too much of an issue. You would most likely be able to get by with a relatively low power rated amplifier, either tube or solid state, and not worry about locating the amp inside a cabinet, for appearance purposes, provided the location has some reasonable ventilation as well as sufficient surrounding space inside the cabinet. I'm not sure what factor is prompting your question. 
Personally speaking, there are many fine sounding Class A/B or even Class D amps that may satisfy your audible enjoyment. I find that the majority of quality built Class A amps on the market tend to be a bit more pricey than A/B or D class amps. I'd take a serious look at the rest of your system. If the dollar investment doesn't exceed, say $10K, you may not reap enough sonic benefit to justify "CLASS A" expense, to say nothing of whatever appearance factor you may be trying to achieve.