You could get another amp just like the one you have and bridge them. |
You could get another amp just like the one you have and bridge them. Not a good idea. Minimum impedance for the amp in bridged mode is 8 ohms, and the speaker is 6 ohms. This will definitely make it run too hot. What's your budget for an amp? New or used? |
Poor little amp. Not quite designed to drive those hard. Totems aren't terribly efficient.
Also, if you are cranking like that you might overdrive the amp and end up blowing your speakers... |
If you like the sound, Parasound makes many higher power amps at many price points |
Yes of course its going to run hot. You need a more substantial amp, or else sell the Totems. |
Or use a class d amp which will run pretty much cold even into low impedances, such as Crown XLS 1500/2000/2500. Ugly but cheap and sound good.
http://www.crownaudio.com/en-US/product_families/xls-drivecore |
Thanks for the feedback! I think my budget would be maximum $700-900 used. I have heard that the Totems are harder to drive. With that said, what is a more efficient, 8 ohm speaker that the Parasound I have would not struggle driving? Or is there another "audiophile" quality amp people would recommend for my existing setup?
Thank you, please opine. |
Tha Parasound A23 sells used for $500-$600 and has lots more power - and is a much better sounding amp. |
The Totems are well regarded, so keeping them is probably the way to go, but they may not be suitable for the Zamp. I've got the big brother to the A23, the A21, and its a great series. |
Never buy an amp not rated stable to 2 Ohms. |
Schubert, how do I know if an amp is stable to 2 Ohms? Any you can recommend used under $1000? Thanks |
2 ohm stable amps are very expensive for the most part and are not needed for most speakers, including yours. My Paradigm Signature S6 speakers present a difficult load dipping down to 2.8 ohms at some frequencies and some old Infinity speakers go down to 1 ohm but most speakers don't get near that.
Totem says the Arro is rated at 4 ohms, but that represents the minimum impedance, so you'd be fine with any of the amp brands. The problem with the Zamp v3 is it really a mini amp. It's 7 lbs and you've obviously reached its limits if it's going into protect mode. Part of the issue is your speakers aren't very efficient at about 86db. They sound great by all means, but take more power to get really loud.
Audioadvisor.com presently has a Parasound 2125 on sale. That would be a good option too, it's got the same 125 watts per channel as the A23 and is in a higher line than the Z amp. They are the only Parasound internet dealer that I'm aware of, I have no affiliation with them aside from being a satisfied customer.
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1PAC2125V2
It's either that or find a local dealer but the price will be higher. |
I ran the Arro with an Odyssey Khartago Plus, which used are in your price range, and is a great match. |
PS, one more thing. Regafan, in your first post you said the Z amp puts out 60 amps to the speakers, and that is wrong. It only does 12 amps. |
Manufacturer says so in specs. Odyssey is probably best bet at that price. 6 Ohms nominal speakers often drop below 4 ohms with some piece at some volume.
I have a pair of Totem model 1 signatures , Totems in general are not easy to drive. |
Thank you all once again. And, as a correction, I meant that the amp is 60 watts, and the speakers are 4 Ohms, my bad. I will definitely look into the recommendations. |
