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

Fongolio

cfrizz wrote: »

Unless you know these people in question, what right do you have questioning who they say they are?

When are some of you going to learn that if you can't be helpful, and polite, then just STFU!

If the op is asking legitimate questions and truly seeking helpful answers then I apologize for my comments about possible trolling.

Cathy, I will always have the right to question anything I see or read on the internet. Where I err is in perhaps posting those questions on a public forum. Her posts raised some alarms for me that made me go to the **** test (if it looks like a ****......etc.). I agree with you now that I should have kept these comments to my self and STFU as you say. I absolutely don't care if the poster is male or female (or male pretending to be female). I do care if they are making inflamatory statements just to get reactions. And that is how the first several posts struck me. I will keep these feelings to myself in the future or at least longer until making any kind of remark.

Kelvin

thsmith

Sometimes the best rule of thumb is if you don't have anything good to say don't say anything at all.

I hope the OP does not let a few jerks chase her away from what is normally a very knowledgeable and helpful place.

Jim Shearer

Terra/Cathy,

Horns come in several varieties. First there is the front loaded horn (horn in front of the driver) which can be like some tweeters you may have seen, but there are others for larger mid-range drivers and may be made of metal, plastic, fiber-glass, or wood.

Back loaded horns take the rear firing wave and use an expanding line to achieve more efficient coupling to the room for bass frequencies. Sometimes this is done with single full range drivers. Many of these are quite expensive (and can be VERY large). But there are some more modest BLHs, like:
http://www.thehornshoppe.com/

This sort of speaker isn't everyone's cup of tea, but with a tube amp and a decent source, a single driver BLH can be absolutely captivating.

Cheers, Jim

Terra S

Well I figured out what's happening here. Had I adhered to the following I'm sure the negative posts would have been non-existent.

1.) I should not have mentioned the name Emotiva. I received a PM informing me Emo is a very combustible topic around here and thus some of you took my comments as inflammatory. I should have left the name of the amps in question nameless.

2.) I should have just said this was a friend and NOT my boyfriend. It seems this statement was misinterpreted by some that I was trying to prove I'm female when in hindsight, it doesn't matter. In other words by my saying I'm female some of you immediately called BS. My questions had nothing to do with male/female so I should have left gender out of the topic, which was a moot point.

3.) I should research something before asking what something is because it makes me look like I'm purposely being ignorant in order to get a response. I honestly did not know what a horn was though.

4.) Be careful about making blanket statements that something is old and ugly or sounds bad as this is what Trolls do to when they want to start something.

I hope that about covers it. Lesson learned. Oh and by the way, I also learned some "audio" lessons as well from this thread, imagine that! :rolleyes:

F1nut

I say that stuff is old, ugly and sounds bad all the time. I also spit on receivers.

bobman1235

Terra, it's the Internet. You just gotta learn to filter out certain individuals and comments. You did nothing wrong.

cfrizz

Terra S wrote: »

Well I figured out what's happening here. Had I adhered to the following I'm sure the negative posts would have been non-existent.

1.) I should not have mentioned the name Emotiva. I received a PM informing me Emo is a very combustible topic around here and thus some of you took my comments as inflammatory. I should have left the name of the amps in question nameless.

2.) I should have just said this was a friend and NOT my boyfriend. It seems this statement was misinterpreted by some that I was trying to prove I'm female when in hindsight, it doesn't matter. In other words by my saying I'm female some of you immediately called BS. My questions had nothing to do with male/female so I should have left gender out of the topic, which was a moot point.

3.) I should research something before asking what something is because it makes me look like I'm purposely being ignorant in order to get a response. I honestly did not know what a horn was though.

4.) Be careful about making blanket statements that something is old and ugly or sounds bad as this is what Trolls do to when they want to start something.

I hope that about covers it. Lesson learned. Oh and by the way, I also learned some "audio" lessons as well from this thread, imagine that! :rolleyes:

Terra, as Bobman said, you didn't do anything wrong. And I do hope that some of the information from those of us who tried to help you was of use. Please keep us updated as to what progress is being made on your BFs system.

And DON't hesitate to ask more questions. If someone posts something inappropriate, hit the report post button and put the offender on your ignore list.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Jetmaker737

I've been lurking this thread. Glad to see it's back on track. With all the trolling that goes on I can't entirely blame the guys for questioning the OP but without solid evidence we shouldn't be slamming folks that come into CP.

dorokusai

F1nut wrote: »

Really, some of you need to grow up.

Quote of 2010. And yes, I'm sure we do.

I'm pretty sure the questions were answered, just because some useless bantar ensued...much like 75% of this place, doesn't stop her from asking more questions.

jinjuku

cfrizz wrote: »

So, I what I would suggest is get a powerful 2-5 channel amp of at least 200wpc @ 8ohms and try that out on his current speakers. If he/you are still unsatisfied, then start shopping for new speakers. You won't have to worry about powering them since the amp will already be in place.

Best of luck.
Cathy

++ a 2 channel amp. Plus new speakers. Spend $300 or so on a two channel (used) amp and the rest on speakers. So if you budget is $1600 there are a lot of speakers in that $1300 range.

Just my $0.02.

jinjuku

Off of Craigs List:

Martin Logan Aeruis i speakers in great condition along with Adcom Gfa555 amp, Gfp 555 pre amp, Gft 555 tuner , gcd 575 cd player and ace power enhancer all by Adcom.
This is everything you need for a awesome 2 channel set up. The speakers sound amazing and look great, all black and are about 5 feet tall and 1.5 wide.
The set up comes with custom racks built by Roush Racing. The price for all this stuff is way lower than what you can get it for on ebay speakers are sold on ebay for 900 alone.

Call for a demo 248 885 5095

Terra S

Thanks, jinjuku. I'll take a further look and see if those are something he might be interested in.

Well I'm cool if you guys are cool. So in the words of Rodney King, you know, can we, can we all get a long? Can we, can we get along?

Listen, I certainly didn't mean to stir things up and yes, I know... It's the Internet and you are within your rights to question someone's intent on your boards. I realize that but I'm not a troll and none of my comments were meant to be inflammatory, I'll leave it at that.

One thing I really liked was the following suggestion that jinjuku also agreed with:

cfrizz wrote: »

One thing though,is that there is no such thing as too much power. Although if this is for a home theater, he should get a 5 channel 200wpc amp and be done with that particular upgrade.

His speakers are probably not getting all the power that they can handle especially if he is trying to crank them in a big room. Tubes are not really meant for high volume in big spaces. They work best in small rooms @ lower volumes.

High efficiency speakers means metal tweeters ie horns. I hate them, after an hour I will have a headache since they are way too bright for my liking.

So, I what I would suggest is get a powerful 2-5 channel amp of at least 200wpc @ 8ohms and try that out on his current speakers. If he/you are still unsatisfied, then start shopping for new speakers. You won't have to worry about powering them since the amp will already be in place.

Best of luck.
Cathy

Thanks Cathy, very good advice and was exactly the kind of open-minded thinking I was needing to help my friend. And it came from a woman, how cool is that?

I totally agree, here I am trying to suggest new speakers to him when he's not 100% satisfied he's going to keep this tube amp. Although I like the looks of it, he needs to be satisfied with the power it puts out. So while I still feel a speaker upgrade is in order, getting the amp in place and then shopping for new speakers, if he still feels that's necessary (which I will encourage him to do so), I think is really good advice. Just seems to make sense.

I talked to my friend though about his choice of amps and and he's now looking at other options. I told him just because you see a sale don't go jumping in before researching what else you can get for that kind of money and making some comparisons (which was more great advice I redeemed from this thread).

I'm gona throw this out there but intend to do some of my own research as well. What do you guys think of Class D amps? I've seen Class D amps are also very powerful and several very reputable companies offer a line of this version of amplifier. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on Class D amps.

Thanks, Terra

treitz3

Not a big fan of class D amps here....at all.

Terra S

OK, well I seen THESE and they looked really cool but then read that they're Class D and thought I would ask.

See, I guess one thing I'm hung up on is how things look. Sorry but if it doesn't look attractive and have some sort of style, I have a hard time liking it, which is one reason I dislike his speakers and the, ahem, monster amps he was considering buying.

cfrizz

Class D has come a long way from when it started out. Providing that you are talking about amps that are class D made specifically for home use & not concert speakers.

A couple years back I listened to a couple of Rotel class D's I was impressed with the more powerful 250wpc and not with the 100wpc. Power does make a difference. What's more they usually are much lighter than your class A/B amps.

You should also check out Sunfire amps. They were the only game in town for me a few years back when I got my Sunfire 405wpc 5 channel amp, since at 43lbs it was the only amp that I could physically lift and put into place by myself. Most 5 channel amps weigh 100lbs & up! It brought all of my speakers to life beautifully.

There are a few guys on here that do have class D amps, maybe they will join in with their opinions.

cfrizz

LOL! You are a typical woman Terra, more concerned with the look rather than the sound. If the gear brings the absolute best out of the music and movies, that should be the main motivation for getting said gear. Not that it is pretty to look at. If it's pretty & sounds like $hit, you kind of defeat the purpose.

Your guy has the same problem but in reverse, He wants big, and statement looking, I don't have much use for that mode of thinking either.

Try to meet in the middle with the size & look of the gear, but the first priority should always be the sound first.

dorokusai

treitz3 wrote: »

Not a big fan of class D amps here....at all.

Same here. They may have come a long way but they're still not 2CH ready. HT? Sure.

SolidSqual

dorokusai wrote: »

Same here. They may have come a long way but they're still not 2CH ready. HT? Sure.

If anyone can comment on the excellence of D Class, then it is me. I've owned the PS Audio Trio, Bel Canto M300, Wyred4Sound ST250 1G, Wyred4Sound ST250 2G, Wyred4Sound ST1000 2G, and some Hypex DIY amps. The W4S ST1000 is my favorite of all those listed. It sounds superb and better than many amps costing both more and less. When compared to my old Parasound Halo A21 and A23 amps, I'd take the W4S gear any day of the week. Emotiva can't hold a candle to W4S (I've demoed the XPA-1, XPA-2 and RPA-2). It is completely wrong to say, D Class can't be used in a 2 channel rig. I guarantee my system blows the doors off of what many of you consider to be HiFi. D Class done right is a plug and play solution, energy efficient and virtually maintenance free. The new D class amps being developed by B&O are addressing common upper treble criticisms that are inherent to current designs, but may be minimized in the right application and design. I guess my major point is that you shouldn't write off D class just because it is D class unless you've heard it. The cheap D class sucks, but there are companies that can do it right.

Now, with all that said. I now am running a pair of Quicksilver Mid Mono tube amps. They cost a little more than a Wyred4Sound ST1000 amp, but oh man do they sound amazing. Simply incredible in the midrange. The bass is not quite as tight and authoritative as the W4S (D class amps live and breath bass authority), but IMO the Quicksilver is proof positive that a tube amp can sound both like a tube amp and still have more than ample bass presence. Basically, there is just something about tubes that a digital module can't capture . . . yet.

dorokusai

When did you become THE authority on Class D? Or are you the only one who's owned multiple high end versions of Class D amplifiers? I still don't prefer them to SS or tubes.

SolidSqual

As an aside, to Treitz hating D Class. Remember, and I know he knows this and I'm not discounting his point, but system synergy is the key to any great sounding system. For example, Tyler Acoustics Speakers start crying and puking blood when powered by D Class, but Acoustic Zen Adagios sing.

SolidSqual

dorokusai wrote: »

When did you become THE authority on Class D? Or are you the only one who's owned multiple high end versions?

Just stating an opinion Mark, not claiming my opinion is Platinum, but it is definitely gold.

PS Based on a search of your previous posts, I think you are a woman.

SolidSqual

dorokusai wrote: »

I still don't prefer them to SS or tubes.

My point was just to say D class is 2 channel ready. I now prefer tubes after my Quicksilver gear arrived.

treitz3

SolidSqual wrote: »

As an aside, to Treitz hating D Class. Remember, and I know he knows this and I'm not discounting his point, but system synergy is the key to any great sounding system. For example, Tyler Acoustics Speakers start crying and puking blood when powered by D Class, but Acoustic Zen Adagios sing.

I never said I hated class D amps.

treitz3 wrote: »

Not a big fan of class D amps here....at all.

That's what I said and I still stand by my observations. I don't believe that I have had a class D amplifier hooked up to the Tyler's, unless the Odyssey Stratos is a class D amp. All I have observed about them in other systems is that I don't prefer them. They produce decent bass but that's where the attributes stop as far as what I have heard so far. Of course, I'm comparing them to tube amps now.....which is what I prefer.

treitz3

treitz3 wrote: »

....unless the Odyssey Stratos is a class D amp.

No, it wasn't. It was a class A/AB.

dorokusai

SolidSqual wrote: »

PS Based on a search of your previous posts, I think you are a woman.

I am but only on weekends.

Outfitter03

Now that there is a scary thought!!!:eek:

Sherardp

SolidSqual wrote: »

If anyone can comment on the excellence of D Class, then it is me. I've owned the PS Audio Trio, Bel Canto M300, Wyred4Sound ST250 1G, Wyred4Sound ST250 2G, Wyred4Sound ST1000 2G, and some Hypex DIY amps. The W4S ST1000 is my favorite of all those listed. It sounds superb and better than many amps costing both more and less. When compared to my old Parasound Halo A21 and A23 amps, I'd take the W4S gear any day of the week. Emotiva can't hold a candle to W4S (I've demoed the XPA-1, XPA-2 and RPA-2). It is completely wrong to say, D Class can't be used in a 2 channel rig. I guarantee my system blows the doors off of what many of you consider to be HiFi. D Class done right is a plug and play solution, energy efficient and virtually maintenance free. The new D class amps being developed by B&O are addressing common upper treble criticisms that are inherent to current designs, but may be minimized in the right application and design. I guess my major point is that you shouldn't write off D class just because it is D class unless you've heard it. The cheap D class sucks, but there are companies that can do it right.

Now, with all that said. I now am running a pair of Quicksilver Mid Mono tube amps. They cost a little more than a Wyred4Sound ST1000 amp, but oh man do they sound amazing. Simply incredible in the midrange. The bass is not quite as tight and authoritative as the W4S (D class amps live and breath bass authority), but IMO the Quicksilver is proof positive that a tube amp can sound both like a tube amp and still have more than ample bass presence. Basically, there is just something about tubes that a digital module can't capture . . . yet.

I like this. And would agree with the rest of your posts. Class D amps do sound very good. I'd add D-Sonic to that list and the Pioneer receivers. Class D is now prime time. Give them a listen and enjoy. Those Red Dragons Terra posted have gotten excellent reviews.

Justaguy_99

Terra S wrote: »

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?

He is wrong and you are right but what does this have to do with audio equipment? =P

Steve

HDDoobie

Yes.

Polk Hater wrote: »

You think I would actually buy Polks?:rolleyes:

concealer404

Nicely done, mods.