amp swap

danger boy
danger boy Posts: 15,722
edited March 2005 in Electronics
Was home today.. So i undertook a project i've been putting off for a while.

I had a Adcom 5400 (125wpc) bi wired to my front RT800i's.. I thought the sound was pretty good.

Today I changed it out for a NAD 2600A (150wpc). and did away with the bi wiring.

I could right away tell the difference in bass. The NAD pumps up the bass quite a bit more than the Adcom ever did. I listened to music and TV all day without the SVS even turned on. I know kinda weird. but I lived through it. The mids and highs did not seem to be affected... just the bass.

So two things.. did the change out in amps make the difference or was it going from a bi wire run to a single run make the difference? I'm hoping the NAD amp was the cause... and not the wires.

Either way.. i'm happy with the results. This is not meant to be scientific or anything. It's just that different brands of amps can have a postive (or negative) affect on your speakers too. Your results may vary.

*No speakers were harmed in this demo test. :p
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
Post edited by danger boy on
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Comments

  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited March 2005
    Just going from 125w to 150w I think it's an amp improvement.

    I never compared those two so I'm just giving you my $.02 ;)

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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2005
    Switch the amps again w/o the biwire & see if you can hear a difference. That will give you your answer.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited March 2005
    I'd put money on the amp, unless your bi-wire was just plain bad. Biwire difference is minimal, whereas the amp change is pretty big. Also, the Adcom mosfet amps aren't particularly good, I'd go with their older ones. Ditto on cfrizz, see how it sounds w/o the biwire.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited March 2005
    good idea about switching the amps back and the wires not bi wired. it's an easy swap. i'll give it a try. either way.. I knew the Adcom isn't that good. didn't really think going from 125wpc to 150wpc would make any real difference. but i think it's more of the amp build quality than anything.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • outlander
    outlander Posts: 218
    edited March 2005
    I would also say the amp, but not necessarily because of the power difference. I’ve hooked up my Adcom GFA-555II (200w X 2) to my Polk 10B’s and then hooked up my Rotel RB-985MKII (100W X 5) to the same speakers and the difference is night and day. The Adcom sounds really thin and very light on the bass. The Rotel has a much more full / rich sound. You could be hearing the same differences between your Adcom and the NAD.
    O
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited March 2005
    IMO the watts difference isn't big enough to produce what you are hearing...

    Component/ build quality and/or current capability are likely suspects... Manuals, if you have them, may specify the peak-to-peak current capabilites of each. While I'd bet the Adcom is no slouch, compared to the NAD or the above mentioned Rotel, I'd guess it's less capable...

    Will be interested in the results when you revisit the Adcom... While you are playing, also toss in a NAD bi-wired set-up...
    More later,
    Tour...
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