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Need help choosing my first amp for my first speakers

Hi, I am completely new to this world of hi-fi audio and I would like some help from the collective intelligence. Please bear with me even if I sound like someone who has no idea because I am.

I have just purchased my first set of speakers. I bought a used Boenicke W5 SE+. And I am looking for an amp to go with it. The speakers were a good deal but still not cheap and Im already mostly hitting my budget limit. 

I don't have any gear right now (I really mean 0), so my initial thought was to buy a Wiim amp to start off and then start changing to a more serious amp later on. (I like that it has everything including a streamer for me to get going right away)

So my questions are 
1. will the Wiim amp be able to power Boenicke W5 SE+?

2. What do you think of the plan to start with all integrated cheap amp and then changing later?

2. Any other amp suggestions for the speakers in a similar price range?($500 ish)

3. Can I just get Audio cables from Amazon?

4. How do you calculate wattage for the speakers from the speaker specs below?

5. Any other tips for a complete beginner would be appreciated.
 

Specs for Wiim Amp
https://wiimhome.com/wiimamp/specs
Specs for Boenicke W5 SE+

-

Sensitivity: 83-86 dB / watt / m depending on frequency

Nom. impedance: 4 ohms

Weight: 3.5 kg / piece (speaker only)

Standard Version

  • 5″ long throw (X-max = 9,25mm) bass driver, tuned to 50 Hz, no crossover
  • 3″ widebander made to spec, 1st order high pass filter, unique electromechanical 8-cm parallel spiral resonator installed
  • Internal wiring orientation-optimised silk-wrapped high-frequency stranded litz
  • WBT NextGen binding posts
  • Rear ambient tweeter
  • Harmonisation included

 

SE+ Version

  • 2-cm copper / 2-cm copper gold straight resonator combination installed at both widebander and bass driver in series, in addition to the parallel device
  • Mundorf Silver-Gold-Oil capacitor for widebander, added Duelund Tinned Copper Foil 0.01 uF bypass capacitor
  • Harmonix RF-5700 tuning bases at widebander’s magnet
  • Added proprietary acoustic phase linearisation network
  • Harmonisation included

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

jcjcjcjcjcjcjcjcjcjcjcjc

Showing 2 responses by vthokie83

vthokie83
659 posts
 

jc,

For your educational purpose only here, I cannot give you any recommendations for really inexpensive amplifiers.

Watts are not the only thing that need to be taken into consideration with amplifiers in general. Amps being delivered is also very important, as it allows for drops in impedance and "head room" for how music is actually delivered.....reserve power if you will. In some cases I would also say that amps are more important than watts, but most manufacturers don't post maximum current delivery.

Amplifiers with high current capability will usually be rated at 8 ohms (say 100 watts), and into 4 ohms (say 200 watts), and sometimes into 2 ohms (say 400 watts)......usually double, or nearly double the previous spec.

Amplifiers that cannot do that, usually are incapable of delivering high current. All watts are not created equally, or "watts are not just watts"; current delivery is also very important. 

Also note that higher current delivery, can generally be associated with more expensive gear (though no always). And please know, these are just generalities....there are always exceptions to the rule.

vthokie83
659 posts
 

jc,

Also choice of speakers, and their sensitivity also has a direct correlation (again a generalization) to the type of amplifier and power from an amplifier is required.

A pair of Kllipsch Forte IVs are 99 db sensitive, and would have no problem driving them LOUD with a sub 25 WPC amplifier. Your Beonicke W5 SEs are 83/86 db, and would require 100 WPC (or more) to be driven sufficiently loud and still have steam for transients. That is not to knock your Beonicke speakers, by all accounts they seem to be excellent speakers (I've never heard them).....but understanding the amplifier and speaker relationship is important as you grow your system.

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