2. amps-preamps
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Where do I start-amp or speakers ?

While in the midst of downsizing I sold all my gear: Krell monos, Thiel CS6’s, Thiel 2.4’s, EAD Powermaster 2000, Thiel MCS1, etc.
I am now left with a headphone system based on the entry level Schitt headphone amp, Freya preamp,& a very nice Vinyl NIrvana Thorens 125 turntable,
So how’s that working out for you, you ask? Not so well. I need speakers & amp!
 I went from 2900 sq ft. To 1600 sq ft; a 25x24 room to an 18 x 16 room (high 20-24 ft cathedral ceiling, though, at least.)
I’m now on the way to build a new system , one component at a time; Ceiling is 4K per unit. Every time I see a nice amp, then I see a fine pair of speakers. Back and forth. Do I start with an amp or with speakers? Input, input........
michaeljbrown

Showing 4 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
Amplifier speaker integration is only hard if your speakers have a hard to drive impedance curve, and if your amplifier has a high output impedance.
Of course this statement is not 100% true, which is why equipment matching is important.

An example of an exception is the Quad or Sound Lab ESL, which does not sound right if the output impedance of the amp is low. There are other examples of course (the Acoustic Research AR-1, the world's first acoustic suspension loudspeaker, is probably the best-known example as it is so famous; it was designed for an amp with a 7 ohm output impedance).
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
You'll tie your hands behind your back if you buy the amp first.
Well, if you get a big Sound Lab, there really aren't a lot of amps that drive that speaker all that well. But it is at the same time one of the most transparent and full range speakers made. If you happen to hear a set that is correctly set up and buy them as a result, to best serve that purchase you have to deal with the limited number of amps that play it right.

Its 30 ohms in the bass; for a solid state amp to keep up with a 200 watt tube amp you need about 800 watts. And it will be too bright...

So in this case, is the speaker the first thing to get or not? It might be if transparency and realism is at the top of your list, and you don't care what it takes to get there!

So its probable that the correct answer isn't something boiled down to black and white!
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
If you start with the amp, you may have to work with speakers you don't like.
A quick look at the industry shows that there are at any time at least ten times as many manufacturers of speakers as there are amps, so its likely that the above statement isn't completely true.

IOW if you know what sort of amp you like, the chances are much higher that you can find a speaker you like to go with it than the other way  'round.

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,633 posts
 
The first thing you have to sort out is what kind of amp you like- generally, tube or solid state.

From there you make you speaker choice- not the other way around! Many speakers don't play nice with tubes and some speakers don't do so well with solid state. If you start with the speaker, you may be forced to work with an amp you don't like.

If you've not heard a good tube amp, and so were only considering solid state, you might give a tube amp an audition, just to see what you think. This potentially can save you a lot of $$$ down the road.
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