I say New Speakers - My Boyfriend Says New Amps, Whos Right?

Terra S

I have always liked guys that are into audio because I'm into it, too. Show me your big (audio) rig and I'm turned on.

So I've been going out with this guy for a while and he tells me he wants to upgrade his system. He seen the current Emotiva Holiday sale and wants to buy two of those XPA-1 monster amps. The main reason he wants to upgrade is because his integrated tube amp doesn't power his speakers with "enough authority" (love when he talks like that!)

So I suggested some new speakers because the tube amp looks cool, imho (love those glowing tubes). I did some reading and it seems tube amps perform better with higher sensitivity speakers, or should I say higher sensitivity speakers work well with tube amps.

He currently has Polk Monitor 7B speakers which I think look kind of, well... old. With the amount of money he wants to spend on those amps he could get some better speakers, that's my argument. But he says no, all those Polks need is more power and they'll sing. :rolleyes:

So who's right? I'm not really advanced with this stuff but it seems to me that spending over $1600 on amps, to power speakers he bought for $70 (he spent another $100 he said redoing some parts inside), doesn't make sense. And those amps seem like overkill to me as well.

Oh yeah, and one more reason he wants those amps - he also has a nice preamp made by Parasound (I think) and an Emo sub that he hasn't been using and he said now he'd be able to incorporate those into his system. Again it all sounds like overkill to me. Get some nicer speakers that are higher sensitivity to replace those old Monitor 7 speakers and that tube amp will be just fine is what I say.

What would make the most sense? I mean all things being equal (and I know they're not exactly equal) would it be better to spend on amps or new speakers in this situation?

bopicasso

If I were him I would definately upgrade the speakers. But if he is set on a amp, for 1600, I would not be buying a emotiva. There are many other better quality amps that can be purchased for that amount especially used on audiogon.
I have owned a emotiva and for music it was lackluster at best. Every other amp I have tried was a upgrade. Especially krell.

EndersShadow

Personally the speakers might need an upgrade, but by getting that kinda power amp now, when he does need to upgrade his speakers he has a very wide range of choices since he will not lack for power and his speaker will sing. Like you said however he can get some really nice speakers for 1600...

This is a personal opinion, but I would start with a good base of power and then he shouldnt have to worry if/when he wants to upgrade as to if his gear will be able to handle the new speakers. It will power the speakers he has no with no problems at all and give him flexibility later on....

I would also look to the used market as for 1600 you can get a whole lotta amp. There are lots of amps in the Flea Market that are still up for grabs as well as audiogon.

But thats just my .02

tonyb

Speakers....end of story.

Terra S

I think those speakers he has are the least attractive part of his system, and they don't really sound good when he turns up the volume. But that's why I told him higher sensitivity speakers would work well because he wouldn't need to turn up the volume on the amp as much to play loud.

By the way, he said kind of the same thing about Emo amps. But he said that those XPA-1 amps are the only ones he's considering because they're much better quality than the other models.

I still think its overkill. They're huge (not that that's a bad thing, lol) and he needs two of them (because only one speaker gets connected to each amp). But yeah, they're extremely powerful from what he tells me. 500 watts! :eek:

newrival

tonyb wrote: »

Speakers....end of story.

what he said

Toolfan66

Overkill to say the least with 500 watts of crap IMO!!!

$1600 can get a much better AMP and PRE-AMP!!

tonyb

Unfortunately your boyfriend is looking at watt rateings and equating that to quality. Huge mistake. Tell him to get his read on. You are absolutely correct in your asumptions. You can only squeeze so much out of those 7's,everything has it's limitations,so Clint Eastwood says anyway.:biggrin:

treitz3

Hands down, for me if I were in his position, speakers.

Since I'm not in his position and I have the knowledge and experience I do? I would take the 1,600 and get a hefty tube amp that would power pretty much whatever down the road and enjoy until I could afford better speakers. $1,600 on the used market can buy one hell of a tube amp.

F1nut

What tube integrated amp (brand/model) does he have now?

It seems from what you've said here that he's looking for a bigger sound. That isn't going to happen with the Monitor 7's no matter what amp is hooked up to them. To get big sound, you need big speakers.

A nice combo heard by many here, a Manley Stringray (40wpc ultra linear) with Polk SDA 1C's. Plenty loud and a great sound.

Terra S

I cant remember the model of the amp, I know its about 20 watts and it uses EL-34 tubes (i think). its really nice looking and I remember him saying its made in Italy.

Well upgrading the speakers seem to be the consensus, like I thought. But the Emo amps are getting no love here. (I aint crazy about them either, but then I'm looking at their appearance).

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

Overkill to say the least with 500 watts of crap IMO!!!

$1600 can get a much better AMP and PRE-AMP!!

Well you guys really seem to dislike the Emo amps a lot. I'd love to make some suggestions to him that are based on opinions of experienced audio gurus (that's why I came here to ask ). So please feel free to suggest some amps that would be much better than the Emo amps he's considering for around $1600.

Lasareath wrote: »

I think he needs a pair of SDA's. SDA 1C's or SRS 2's.

And he can easily buy an amp like this for $425 http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVER-TFM-35X-Power-Amplifier-/160510359168?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255f29b680

And a pair of SDA 1C's will run $450 to $550. SRS 2's run around $500

Then he'll have money left over to buy you something

Where are you located?

Lasareath

I'm in the SE Michigan area, not far from Detroit.

If he were to keep using the tube amp, are those speakers you're suggesting good with tubes? See, that's why I think he needs new speakers is because the ones he has now don't seem to be good match with that amp. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the amp, its just not a super powerhouse like those Emo amps are. But correct me if I'm wrong, you don't need mega watt amps with high sensitivity speakers.

By the way, i really appreciate all your constructive criticism, I cant wait to have a talk with him and point him to this thread. Keep up with the suggestions guys, its very helpful

treitz3

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?ampstube&1296624511

There's more.....just hang loose for more suggestions from other folks.

Polkersince85

Tell him to turn the volume down so that he can hear what you are saying. He's not going to get rock concert levels with the 7's. The 7's just don't have the capacity to move the air. If set up properly with a 20w tuber, they should sound very good with a reasonable volume.

I presume he has them set up in an equlateral triangle between the speakers and listening area. They should also be off the floor a bit at a slight tilt backwards to align the tweeters with the mid driver.

If that setup doesn't do it, then look at different speakers and an amp. The Emo will not make the 7's into something they are not. Like previously said, the bigger SDA's or LSI's will fit the bill: however he will need something better than the EMO to drive them. For $1600 you have a lot of used options which would include speakers and the amp.

AudioGenics

don't mess with a boy and his toys...

now a way to his heart in this case is not thru his stomach
but the ears so
gift him a new toy and you WIN !

F1nut

Terra S wrote: »

I cant remember the model of the amp, I know its about 20 watts and it uses EL-34 tubes (i think). its really nice looking and I remember him saying its made in Italy.

That's not much power from an EL 34 based amp. I'm curious as to what integrated amp it is.

I'll put this out there too. If he is use to the tube sound, going to an Emo or Carver isn't going to be a sound he will like.

F1nut

AudioGenics wrote: »

don't mess with a boy and his toys...

now a way to his heart in this case is not thru his stomach
but the ears so
gift him a new toy and you WIN !

The name change didn't help as you're doing it again.

tonyb

F1nut wrote: »

That's not much power from an EL 34 based amp. I'm curious as to what integrated amp it is.

I'll put this out there too. If he is use to the tube sound, going to an Emo or Carver isn't going to be a sound he will like.

Ditto.....Bigger speakers plus an additional new tube amp may be needed. Need current,not watts, lots of good tube amps out there.

Terra S

F1nut wrote: »

That's not much power from an EL 34 based amp. I'm curious as to what integrated amp it is.

I'll put this out there too. If he is use to the tube sound, going to an Emo or Carver isn't going to be a sound he will like.

OK, I called him at work. The amp is made by Master Sound, and I was right, it uses those EL 34 tubes. He wanted to know who I was talking to about it. I just said there's some old hippies I'm chatting with that like to know about this stuff.

You guys are really great, I haven't been on line here in a while and y'all have offered up a lot of great suggestions. And the best part, you've concured on what i thought about those Monitor 7 speakers. They aint terrible or anything, but they could certainly be replaced with something a lot better.

As far as the Emo amps, I cant wait to show him how wrong he is about those monsters. :cool:

halo71

I'd upgrade the speakers for sure!

And I gotta say....how hot is that, a gal thats into audio?:cool:

dorokusai

How hot is it that Terra S is actually a fat, balding dude wearing a monocle, with his hand down the newly purchased Spiderman footie underwear he bought with a MOM gift card from Target'? Good luck with your speaker choices dude.

AudioGenics

My Apologies..... Terra S
sorry about my previous comment.

I would suggest an upgrade where both the Speakers and Components
are Matched and Auditioned completely using various source materials
that you both are familiar with.

Good Luck on you choice whatever it ultimately is

halo71

dorokusai wrote: »

How hot is it that Terra S is actually a fat, balding dude wearing a monocle, with his hand down the newly purchased Spiderman footie underwear he bought with a MOM gift card from Target'? Good luck with your speaker choices dude.

Bully! :frown:

vmaxer

dorokusai wrote: »

How hot is it that Terra S is actually a fat, balding dude wearing a monocle, with his hand down the newly purchased Spiderman footie underwear he bought with a MOM gift card from Target'? Good luck with your speaker choices dude.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

F1nut

Found the amp,

Mastersound - Due Venti
- 2 x 20 watts in pure class A
- parallel single ended with zero negative feedback
- 4 x EL34 / 2 x ECC82
- 5 line inputs
- automatic tube bias
- load impedance: 4 - 8 Ohms
- proprietary Mastersound output transformers
- made by hand in Italy
- 50 pounds
- optional remote $450

Parallel single ended with zero negative feedback is why it's rated at 20wpc. Should sound pretty good, but better suited to horns I would think.

Terra S

dorokusai wrote: »

How hot is it that Terra S is actually a fat, balding dude wearing a monocle, with his hand down the newly purchased Spiderman footie underwear he bought with a MOM gift card from Target'? Good luck with your speaker choices dude.

Well ya never know when online, who is who. But I'm not here to provide gender evidence so think what ya want. I really don't care, dude.

Polkersince85

Got to admit, Doro's got a way with the ladies.

Terra S

F1nut wrote: »

Found the amp,

Parallel single ended with zero negative feedback is why it's rated at 20wpc. Should sound pretty good, but better suited to horns I would think.

Horns? Like what are "horns" ? I used to play the clarinet in high school... Totally lost - horns?

SolidSqual

dorokusai wrote: »

How hot is it that Terra S is actually a fat, balding dude wearing a monocle, with his hand down the newly purchased Spiderman footie underwear he bought with a MOM gift card from Target'? Good luck with your speaker choices dude.

Oh damn, you beat me to it. I was thinking the same damn thing.

F1nut

Compression horn speakers like Avantgarde, Edgarhorn and Klipsch. Get your Google on.

Terra S

dorokusai wrote: »

How hot is it that Terra S is actually a fat, balding dude wearing a monocle, with his hand down the newly purchased Spiderman footie underwear he bought with a MOM gift card from Target'? Good luck with your speaker choices dude.

SolidSqual wrote: »

Oh damn, you beat me to it. I was thinking the same damn thing.

Tough crowd. To those of you that actually offered some useful info, thanks for all the help. Much appreciated. I'm outa here before I get called a transsexual, a transvestite or something even worse.

Knucklehead

If the shoe fits......