2. amps-preamps
  3. 158517-142512

100W, 200W, or 300W?

I'm pretty new to this and could use some help. Working down my list of upgrades: did speakers, room treatment on order... I think next up is to replace my amp.

I'm currently using a Harman Kardon PA2000 stereo amp that I had sitting in storage. 100 WPC @ 8 Ohm. It's "OK", but it probably the weak point in my system right now.

For speakers, I picked up B&W 805D3 tabletops with stands.

88 dbSPL sensitivity, 8 ohm. They recommend 50-120W @ Ohm for the amp power on their site.

I pulled up an amplifier calculator and plugged in some numbers:

88 sBSPL, 8 ft distance, 85 dB volume w 15 dB headroom and this came out to 3W RMS w 94W peak

I have my heart set on blue watt meters so I see the following options:

1) MA5300 @ 100 WPC, no autoformers, integrated
2) MA7200 @ 200 WPC, has autoformers, integrated
3) MC302 @ 300 WPC, has autorormers, seperates


For the MA5300, I'm concerned that there isn't enough headroom. If I even get close to the 94W peak, it means that I'm pushing the amp to the max, so I'd probably be operating in an area of reduced sonic performance since it's being stressed. Is this a correct assumption?

The MA7200 looks like it'll leave plenty of headroom and it also has (for better or worse) autoformers which seems to be what puts the "mac sound" in macs.

The MC302 is just sexy as heck... but is there any realistic gain with my current set up that I would get by buying one of these? Or is it so much overkill that I am just throwing money away at this point?
eisenb11
arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,572 posts
 
Get the biggest best amps you can.
300W RMS, or larger.
 You need the headroom, said,many times, when crescendos, drum, or guitar solos, or the song ending slam at the end does happen, you will need the headroom.

 Don’t worry about speaker rating,  just get minimum of 300 WPC,

 my speakers are rated at 250 W, my,amps are 650W monos’
 nary an issue, never clip, never over drive, or under drive,
pure heaven!

 People always say, all u need is 50 or 100W, not true,
  my music is absolutely pure, effortless, and when pushed, I get great bass, and never worry about clipping.


chilli42
111 posts
 
In my view you can never have too many watts output.  Go for quality watts but get as much as you can afford.  The dynamic swings will be covered.  More will be more capable in terms of presenting dynamic scale realistically.  No worries or limits in the future if you want to change speakers to something harder to drive (note the advice from another poster to avoid less sensitive speakers ... that’s the tail wagging the dog). Someone mentioned Pass Labs.  Great amps, the X250.5 is the bomb, powerful, great sound, ... buy second hand.  It’s got blue VU meters ... not green but nice (but not the retro look of the MC).  The MC 100 watt amp will work for the speakers you are getting.  Trust me though, don’t make the same mistake I did buying amps in the 100 watt range that are less than what the should be and not future proof.
fbgbill's avatar
fbgbill
302 posts
 
When I made the decision to go for more power, I sold my MA5300 and went with the MC462 with the C2600 tube preamp. I also love the blue meters. I know there are a lot of Mac haters on this forum and I almost hate to post what my system is for that reason but I would say go with as much power as you can afford. You can always sent me a private message if you wish to discuss.
erik_squires
16,052 posts
 
For meters, Luxman.  I love mine. :)


twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Most of the time, amplifiers are only using a fraction of the output that they're rated for.  Take the case of amps richly biased into class A: often they never leave A to slide into AB.  Up to a point, some increased headroom is good--think V8 over a straight 6.  The 302 is overkill: horses for courses.  BTW, B&W and Mac are often sold in the same store; is Mac what the store is pushing you towards, because you can do better for your $$?
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