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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
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jbuhl's avatar
jbuhl OP
916 posts
 
Ok now you guys got me curious on what AB would sound like on this system. When I first pieced this together I compared my s300 amp to a 25 year old PSA 200C. I mean what a beast this thing is. Lots of heat and a relay inside the thing throws a blue flash when activated (Paul McGowan assured me it was normal and safe). But I think I was running my old B&W 603 speakers when I made the comparison. I still run this amp in my garage system. Would it be a fair comparison to bring the 200c back in and give it a shot or should I look at newer lower watt AB amps? Frankly I can’t see shipping the 200C to my sister and the humming noise it makes is also a downer.
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

The capacitors on that PS Audio 200c are likely so dried out they are failing to filter out the 60hz hum coming in from the A/C.  That could be why you get that hum.

I agree that the Rega is way too low power (only 60 watts?!?) for your speakers.  The Focal really perform best when you have a very high current amplifier (big power supply - high power).

The Steller S300 is probably only one of two Class D amps I would even consider (if I was considering) because of the Class  A input stage (the other one is Nord Acoustics).  However, if you are looking for an alternative, it is going to be really hard to get a good enough integrated (or amp) at the $500-600 level. 

The Parasound A23 above that George recommended could be nice, but it's only 125 watts per channel. 

Couple of things come to mind.  Parasound 2250v2 amplifier. Vincent SP331 amplifier (if you want a tube input stage).  Both are excellent.  Vincent has excellent bass response and voicing, but it does have a tube sonic signature (in case you are looking for pure solid state).  Both are currently on sale at Audio Advisor for $999.  Way above your budget, but these are just ideas.

If you want integrated, there are a couple of Yamaha S-801 integrateds on audiogon.  It's about the same power as Parasound A23


georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
The Parasound A23 above that George recommended could be nice, but it's only 125 watts per channel.

Yes but the speakers are both over 90db so that 125w @ 8ohm is fine and being John Curl design with BJT output you can bet it no slouch into low impedance's. 
It actually puts out 150w into 8ohm test here in this review and bech test.
http://i.nextmedia.com.au/Assets/Parasound_P5_Preamp_A23_Power_Amp_Review_Test_lores.pdf

Cheers George
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
yes, but with the impedance challenges of the Focal and the fact that they usually sound thin/bright, I would think that you would want as hefty of a power supply as you could in the amp.  The A23 is nice, but definitely not a strong amp in the power supply section.
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