Please tutor me on some integrated amp basics.


I’ve recently purchased Magico A3 speakers and a VPI Classic 2 SE turntable with an Ortofon Black 2M moving magnet cartridge. I have a Marantz SA 8005 CD/SACD player to play the few (maybe a hundred or so) CD’s in my possession.
I’ve mostly vinyl albums and no streaming sources. I’m next going to upgrade my old amp/preamp purchased back in the late 70’s with a new, probably integrated, one and am starting to do some research.

Here’s where I need some tutoring. A lot has changed since the seventies with the advent of digital technology. As well as I need to learn more about amplification components in the high end of audio technology. I keep running across terms I don’t understand. I’ll give you a list and if someone would be kind enough to explain these basics I’d be obliged.

For instance I was reading about the Hegel H360 integrated amp that Magico’s Alon Wolf recommended for their A3’s. The review mentioned they were a Class A/B amp, another person commented Class A’s were better, and a third person said he didn’t care for Class D amps. What do these classes signify? 

A second question is about DACs. I generally understand their purpose of the DAC, converting a digital to an analog signal. However my only digital device, the Marantz SA 8005 already has a DAC, ostensibly of good quality. The turntable ’s Ortofon cartridge would not need to play through a DAC, I presume. Would I bypass the CD’s players DAC if I purchase the higher quality Hegel H360 integrated amp?. Or could I find an equivalent integrated amp without an integral DAC?

On the other side of the equation I understand the turntable’s cartridge cannot play through the Hegel without first going through a phono stage. My old Phase Linear 4000 preamp you just plugged the turntables RCA cables into the back of the preamp and you were done. What’s that about? Do they make equivalent integrated amps to the Hegel H360 with integrated phono stages already in place, so I can just plug my turntable in as I’ve been able to do before. The amps don’t seem to be well integrated at all if you have to add a pricey phono stage to make them work, and end up having an extra DAC. That’s just me whining.

Third question is what are monoblocks, how are they used, and what are their advantages to a system? They were used at one of my speaker auditions.

I figured out the answer to what amplifier damping was myself, so I’m sparing you that one, but what does the term impedance mean? I keep coming across that.

Thank goodness I don’t have to figure out the cabling nightmare yet. Thanks for any help.

Mike
skyscraper
Inna, sounds like the VPI tonearm cable would be a natural choice. Thanks.

You asked what figure I had in mind. I really haven’t any figure, because I’ve never had any cables and wires other than the cheapest stuff most of us used in the seventies, before Monster Cables (if I remembering correctly) and the like came out. I think most looked at them as an expensive hoax at the time. We all used zip cord then to connect to our speakers. I still have zip cord hard wired in place behind the wall for my DQ 10’s.

The long and short of it is I’ve no idea what brands type, and price point of cabling would be appropriate to match my system. I’m trying to get an idea of what I should be looking to spend, if that makes sense I kind of remember one poster saying a guideline was to spend a certain percentage of your systems cost on wiring, which is why I mentioned the overall cost of my system. But I can’t remember the percentage, or where I read the post.

There must be some kind of ballpark figures people shoot for, for systems of any given quality. A year or two ago, I looked at some cables at our local audio store Audiotronics in Roanoke. I asked if they were anything but a hoax. The dealer A-B’ed them for me with cheaper cables and there was a marked difference in sound quality, which woke me up out of the 1970s. But confusingly there was a wide range of prices on different grades of the same companies cables. I don’t remember the brand. Prices ranged right up into the stratosphere as is the case with most audiophile components, so I’m lost at determining how much I should be putting into wiring.

What do folks think?

Builder3, I’ll look at the brands you recommended soon as I figure out what I should be budgeting and of course will lift with my legs. Thanks.

Jones4music, Thanks and appreciate the Superman comics reference.

Mike


Personally, I'd discard the idea that your cables should be x% of your system, at least to start. Put some hours on the new amp & speakers.
Mike, speaking of street not list prices I would put $1500 - $2000 speaker cables between your Luxman and Magico, $1000 - $1250 power cord on Luxman, $349 VPI tonearm cable probably to begin with. That's analog and common parts. For your Marantz player..how important is digital to you ? If not as important as analog - maybe $500-$750 for interconnects and about the same for power cord.
If you buy used that figure can be dramatically lowered, if you can find what you look for. Usedcables.com has some good cables from time to time. They are usually overpriced by Audiogon standards but they might have them. I am not sure about their return policy, though. At least they are unlikely selling any fakes because they know how to authenticate cables.
You could put something like Audio Art cables everywhere and it won't be too bad. They start at $120 for a pair of interconnects. I tried those - very good entry level cables made who knows where.
Another brand, though I never tried them just read about them, to consider is Japanese Furutech. Better models are expensive too.
You've got high end active components, passive components -cables- should also be high end. But it is hard to buy without listening and comparing, it is also more difficult to spend big on cables than on active components. I know, I did it a few times.

Also, Shunyata makes good power cables, don't know about interconnects and speaker cables. Again, expensive.
Thanks inna. You’ll be emailing me at the poorhouse next. I wonder what they are putting in these wires that cost so much?

Mike