The right amp for my system


I have a Pioneer Elite w/130wpc and two Martin Logan Clarity at 200w w/ Acoustic Zen cables and a M/L Vignette for a center. The system lacks clarity and punch. I was thinking of adding Marantz MA-500 monoblocks. Is my thinking correct to improve the quality of sound? Should I hold out for more watts than what is in the MA-500's? $'s is a factor. Thanks, Married w/Children.
nross

Showing 2 responses by warnerwh

On the clarity Bigby is right. Poor acoustics will cause the clarity problems as well as many others. Stats like yours won't have the same punch as cones in the same price class. I'm not sure what you listen to or what volumes so I'm guessing. A good subwoofer may help also. A sub is not a good place to cheap out either. If you have woodworking skills designing and building your own will save a lot of money.

Room treatments are super important and will have more affect on the sound than anything else maybe even speakers. If you look at the frequency response of a room not treated it will have peaks and dips as much as 20db. That's a lot and enough to mess up the sound.
Forgot to add that every time you double the power of the amplifier the loudness goes up 3db. 3db is a little more than noticeable. So a 200 watt amp will play 3db louder than a 100 watt amp.
It could be your speakers want a better amp with more current capability but I don't know what their impedence curve looks like. Stats can be hard to drive though.