Will power improve sound?

[JNorth1178]

Re: Selling my Rotels. It depends on what I end up buying. A. If I go intgegrated then I willl want to sell both the pre and the amp. B. If I go toupgraded amp then I will keep my preamp and sell my Rotel amp. JNorth1178

[JNorth1178]

For bvetter or worse I ordered an Anthem MCA 2. It should be here by the end of the week. I hopoe I made the right choice. Want to thank all of you for your valuable input. JNorth 1178

[JNorth1178]

A mention was made of "Amp Range" of the speakers. What is that? and where do I look to find it? JNorth1178

[Rock789]

A mention was made of "Amp Range" of the speakers. What is that? and where do I look to find it? JNorth1178

I believe the amp's frequency response is what was being discussed...
the Anthem MCA 20 is: 20 Hz - 20 kHz (-0.15 db); 5 Hz - 100 kHz (-2 db)
http://www.anthemav.com/NewSitev2.0/...riesSpecs.html
... not too bad ;o)
I am not sure the frequency response of the MCA 2, but it is probably about the same...
some amps will not handle some frequencies, and may be rated 20Hz -20kHz +- 3db... these would be your much cheaper amps, and if the -3 db part of the amp matches a similar frequency drop in the speakers, there will be large holes in frequency range produced...

[JNorth1178]

Thanks for the info. I am flying blind but hope the gods are with me and I haven't goofed with the purchase of the Anthem. From your experience and knowlege of the Anthem does the frequency range match up? Thanks again. JNorth1178

[Rock789]

well, if the range is the same... 20 Hz - 20 kHz (-0.15 db)... you don't have to worry about the amp, you will have to worry mostly about placement of the speakers with the acoustics of the room...

[JNorth1178]

I received my Anthem MCA 20 which I ordered after spending several houra on th forum gleaning ideas from you knowledgable guys on the posted subject. You all were right in saying power makes a difference in the quality of the sound. The Rotel did a respectable job but the Anthem is far crisper, clearer and cleaner sound. The soundstage is far broader too. Needless to say I am glad I made the leap. Just want to thank all of you who had input into my final decision. Happy listening. JNorth1178

[Rock789]

glad it worked for ya ;o)

[hermanv]

I received my Anthem MCA 20 which I ordered after spending several houra on th forum gleaning ideas from you knowledgable guys on the posted subject. You all were right in saying power makes a difference in the quality of the sound. The Rotel did a respectable job but the Anthem is far crisper, clearer and cleaner sound. The soundstage is far broader too. Needless to say I am glad I made the leap. Just want to thank all of you who had input into my final decision. Happy listening. JNorth1178

Another happy customer, please make checks payable to hermanv.............

Seriously, Ii'm delighed you are happy with your purchase. I learned the hard (expensive) way that each and every component is an important step in acheiving quality sound. Many are expensive enough to warrant some real effort in learning about them and thier competition.

There is no fixed relationship between price and and sound quality, so it's unfortunate that you can buy expensive stuff that doesn't reward in proportion to cost. Also unfortunate is that very few brands of inexpensive equipment delivers the goods like the big boys.

If you've chosen well, this is one of the few hobbies where joy of ownership doesn't decrease over time. As the choices for quality entertainment on television continues to decline my wife and I spend more and more time just listening to music. Unlike DVDs, at least uptil now, CDs are commercial free.

May you enjoy your purchase for many years.

[Bingo]

If you can, before you buy any amp, move your speakers at least 3 ft. from the back wall and keep them as far apart as you can without getting too close to the side walls and listen to them that way for a week or so....its worth a try and its free. Since you listen to classical music I think you will find that your sound stage will broaden and deepen. If it does not, then you can pursue other solutions. I too am 'new' at this, but I do know that speakers must not be too close to the back and side walls to get optimum results. I am technically disadvantaged, but have had experience with this kind of speaker placement. Bingo.

[dd24skater]

I have B&W 604's, they were powered by a Acurus 200 x 3. I just bought a Rotel 1090....Wow! Everything just snapped to life! I'm a more power guy, but I would highly recomend it.

[SAEA501]

I have 3 Bryston power amps in my system and drive them with a Krell processor. the Bryston power amps sound much stronger than their power ratings suggest. I use 2 3BSSTs to drive the front mains, which is what I use when I listen to music. My speakers are pretty inefficient, about 87db, and the sound is really stunning. The amps sound best when worked a bit. They are one of the few amplifiers that are designed as two mono amps in a single chassis, which is one of the reasons they sound much stronger than their ratings, using two independent power supplies.

You should give them a try. I am fairly sure you'll be very surprised.

[JNorth1178]

Bingo: I appreciate your suggestion re: speaker placement. The topography of my room limits me severely limited. My system is located in my Den or Study which is ovestuffed with book shelves and a wraparound desk on two walls. My speakers (B&Ws) are placed midway on two wide walls and about 18" from the wall. I could extend them another 6" without becoming a hazard. As is they are about 8' apart and about 6' each from the chair which I do most of my listening in. Any thoughts from t his inadequate description? JNorth 1178

[hermanv]

On the Cardas Audio site is a simple equation for speaker to wall distance. It is an excellent starting point. There is also a link to a .pdf file for speakers along the long wall or for square rooms. Notes about dipoles etc.

http://www.cardas.com/content.php?ar...ing=Room+Setup

Speaker placement, simply stated:

The distance from the center of the woofer face to the side walls is:
Room Width times .276 (RW x .276)

The distance from the center of the woofer face to the wall behind the speaker is:
Room Width times .447 (RW x .447)

This is all you need to know to place speakers in a symmetrical, rectangular room!

George Cardas has some of the best and consistent verbiage about some of the mysteries of high end audio. Personally, I find both his explanations and his products exemplary.

[AmpItUP]

Dusty Chalk is right, it all depends on the the speakers.

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