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Matching Speakers to amp

I currently own a PSA Stellar 300 paired with Focal Aria 926. I just picked up a used pair of Quad S-5 and I will be comparing the sound. I am not good a using technical specs to compare so I could use some help if anyone has the time to take a look at the amp & speaker specs below and give me some feedback I would greatly appreciate.
The basic question is: from a specification standpoint which speaker pairs up with the Stellar 300 best?


Stellar 300
Gain30.5dB +/-0.5dB Sensitivity for rated output power1.01V Noise1kHz@300 Watts <-100dB Input impedance S300Unbalanced 50KΩ
Balanced 100KΩ Input impedance M700Unbalanced 50KΩ
Balanced 100KΩ Output Impedance50Hz, 2.8VRMS <0.007Ω Damping factor50Hz. 2.8VRMS
8Ω >1100
4Ω >550 Frequency Response@2.8VRMS
10Hz – 20KHz +/- 0.5dB
10Hz – 50KHz +0.1/-3.0dB
Output PowerBoth channels driven 120vac mains, 1kHz, 1% THD 8Ω140W minimum 4Ω300W minimum 2Ω Stable for musical transients

Quad S-5
General description 3-way floorstanding speaker
Enclosure type ABR
Transducer complement 3-way ABR 165mm x3 Bass driver 165mm Woven Carbon fibre Cone x2
Midrange driver 125mm Woven Carbon fibre Cone Treble driver 12 x 45 mm
True Ribbon Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m) 90dB
Recommended amplifier power 25-175W Peak SPL 112dB
Nominal impedance 6Ω
Minimum impedance 3.2Ω
Frequency response (+/-3dB) 42Hz ~ 23kHz Bass extension (-6dB) 35Hz Crossover frequency 570Hz & 3.2kHz

Focal 926
Speaker driversTwo 61/2" (16.5cm) Flax bass61/2" (16.5cm) Flax midrange1" (25mm) Al/Mg TNF inverted dome tweeterFrequency response (+/- 3dB)45Hz - 28kHzLow
frequency point - 6 dB37HzSensitivity (2.83V / 1m)91.5dBNominal impedance8 OhmsMinimum impedance2.9 OhmsRecommended amplifier power40 - 250WCrossover frequency290Hz / 2400Hz











128x128jbuhl
jbuhl's avatar
jbuhl OP
990 posts
 
Sh!t I knowed this would happen. Nobody likes to spend other peoples money like Audiogoners. You guys are gonna break me up.LOL. @johnkent3 dont think I have not thought about the 700 Monos and the Wyred for Sound offerings.
Thanks @kalali for the RR2160 suggestion I might have to help my sister even more we may be able to squeeze something like that into the budget. What about Marantz and NAD? There is always a bunch of that stuff used floating around. Or this https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis914g6-rega-mira3-stereo-integrated-amplifier-mm-phono-13792-sol...
Specs on the Rega: https://www.stereophile.com/content/rega-mira-integrated-amplifier-specifications

Right now  the Quads are playing Radioparadise (Streams 16/48 FLAC) . Beth Orton and Norah Jones just played. The Quads just sound so good with their voices, luxurious, the nuances they pick up on the human voice.

The Quads are doing their best to grow roots right into my hardwood floor.
johnkent3
63 posts
 
Those Regas are great but don’t have close to enough power...and in that category, the naim Nait is the way to go vs. rega.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
George. That old parasound will crumble in camparison to the newer hypex and icepower amps...
Not when they load gets to around 2ohms like with the OP’s two speakers do , that’s where Class-D’s Achilles heel is, they start s**ting themselves below <4ohms.

Cheers George
Post removed 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

@kosst_amojan - not entirely correct.  The major problems with driving low impedance loads (such as .5 ohm or 1 ohm) are the power supply.  Car audio is completely different because the power supply is a constant big 12V DC battery (and an alternater that continuously charges it).  There isn't usually that much of a power supply capacitor bank in car stereo amplifiers because it is being fed by DC. (you should know this).  Then it becomes a factor of designing the circuit so that it won't over-run based on the current requirements of such a low impedance - fed by a 12V DC power source.

With home audio, it's all based on A/C current, which only provides partial current in cycles of 50-60 hz.  Obviously, that's why we have huge capacitor banks in larger amplifiers.  The ability for the amp to drive low impedance loads is hugely dependant on size of transformer and capacitor bank (which you should know as well, based on your historical statements that you are very much an expert in analog electronics).

I have seen many Class AB amps in the car stereo industry that will run .5 or 1 ohm loads.  It is not limited only to Class D (however, there is definitely a large amount of Class D in the car stereo industry today).


Class D has its own fanbase, but the limitations on bandwidth due to the high switching in the circuit prevents it from really performing well in the ultra high frequency range and giving you that "air" and liveliness that Class AB amps provide.

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