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Integrated amps for lean speakers

Hello all. Upgrading my integrated now. We are in a bigger room at 22 x 16 x 10 foot ceilings. Just picked up a pair of Neat Iota Xplorer speakers (6 ohm impedence). The demo sounded fuller and richer in a smaller room driven by Sonnet monoblocks. Current space certainly exposes the weaknesses of my 20+ yr old  Rotel integrated. High freqs are forward, mid-bass punch is lagging except at much higher volumes. I have a REL T5 subwoofer to help.

My goal is to get most out of these somewhat lean speakers with a more forceful amp that will accentuate the mid-bass punch without overdriving the ribbon tweeters. Getting a more forward sound in the low level listening would be a bonus, although at 88 db sensitivity I’m not sure that will happen.

Budget is $2K-$3k with new and used options in the mix. For the right piece I suppose I’d stretch it closer to $4K. Rogue Cronus Magnum II, Margules ACRH-3, Aavik I-180 while very different are in the running. Parasound Halo 6 and Plinius Hautonga come to mind through research. Having a hard time auditioning equipment these days since the brick and mortar landscape sure has changed in the last 8 years around here.

Anyone listen to the Margules Integrated? I heard their tube amp at T.H.E. Show 2 weeks ago and it sounded glorious driving Raidho speakers but the ACRH-3 was not in loop at the time so I never heard it. It has a tube front end and ss amp section so perhaps will tame the highs a bit? Again the big goal is to regain the tight mid bass that the Paradigm mini monitors brought (they just cracked at higher listening levels in that room). Your thots? Thank you mucho.

hheedah
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yage
400 posts
 

Depending on the impedance curve of the speaker (which I can't find a graph of) a tube amp may not be the best choice as it could potentially boost the midbass but also exacerbate the treble issue.

 

If you haven't already, you'll probably want to experiment with positioning quite a bit (toe-in / out, distance from sidewalls, tweeter inside / outside) before you consider switching out electronics. Maybe even give equalization a try if possible.

 

 

akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,237 posts
 

MY TAKE: In general, Brit speakers with Brit amps..

Your NEAT speakers with NAIM upstream components are arguably a best of breed synergy match. I have auditioned the pairing both at dealers and audio fest shows.

The challenge is which NAIM model(s) addresses the tension with your budget as you select a suitable spec amp model with the necessary “grunt” to perform in your generous sized room.

The philosophy is clear. An affordable speaker with decent amplification (and source) makes more sense than an expensive speaker with a cheap amp and source.

Amplifier power ratings

Another word on power: though it’s less of an issue now compared with the days of valve amplification, if your speakers are demanding to drive you’ll need a suitably muscular amplifier to support them.

Don’t look only at the headline power figure - see what happens when the impedance drops to four ohms. If the number nearly doubles, then your amplifier has good current delivery and will be capable of driving more demanding speakers.

ALTERNATE CHOICES:

In an A-B bakeoff at the dealer with your exact NEAT speakers, CYRUS amps were also real contenders and no pretenders. However … admittedly the room dimensions and ceiling height were smaller.

Tube amps …. Nope …. Stick with solid state especially with your room dimensions and speakers at a modest 88db efficiency .

artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,926 posts
 

Those speakers have a 6.5 inch bass/midrange driver which means the speaker is not designed to do bass. Freq response is 33hz to 22khz. Instead of a new integrated you need a bigger  subwoofer which will then give you the backbone to support the music. Or play with the settings on your sub by raising both volume and crossover point. But my great suspicion is that the T5 is not got enough to cover the large room you now have

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