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Your thoughts on my plans..

After reading through some of the forums, I might be a bit under developed for this forum, but I was invited after buying a Era Gold mk.V with PSU1..

I am setting up my first phono system and the only real experience I have is many decades ago with my fathers technics ?? turntable and Teac amplifier.
I have some disposable income, but am not wealthy and didn’t want to spend a fortune to break into this world right away.. I think I’ll likely inherit some of my dad’s record collection - but I’ll also be buying newer albums to listen to. My music taste is fairly eclectic with more emphasis on country (think Chris Stapleton / Eric Church) and folk (think Mumford & Sons / Lumineers).

I have purchased a Pro-Ject X1, GSP Era Gold mk. V with PSU1 and Martin Logan Motion 40 speakers.. i plan to amp through either my Sonos Amp (125w/ch) or my Yamaha A1010 AVR (110w/ch)...first choice being Sonos so I can also stream to other speakers around the home...although I’m open to buying a dedicated amp and if neither of these do sonic justice. Besides the two amplifiers, I’m still waiting on all to be delivered..
I’ve read through the forum a little tonight and feel my system is undeserving of being here, but thought some of you might have an opinion on my choices so far and if you think I’ve made any poor life choices so far.
kintama21
kintama21 OP
7 posts
 
Thick skin, check!! I’m pretty snarky and believe you get what you give...so I’m used to a quick jab here and there!

The ML Motion 40s are 4 ohm speakers, so both of the amplifiers I already have are in the 225-250w range at 4 ohm loads. 
A review of the AVR at audioholics shows the “RX-A1010...into 1 or 2 channels driven into 4-ohm loads producing in excess of 260wpc. Yamaha specs the RX-A1010 as being able to deliver 210wpc dynamically into a 4-ohm load. I would say that is rather conservative given my measurement results using the CEA 2006 burst test.”
With the AVR I can bi-amp using the second zone (and setting the receiver up for it in the GUI)...I have some options and if these don’t work out I can always buy a dedicated 2ch power amp with my tax return. 😜
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,669 posts
 
OP: The issue is not watts per se but current, or the lack thereof. Most AVR manufacturers have mastered the game of showing excellent wattage numbers and THD and all the jazz! The simple fact is that unless you get a dedicated 2 channel amp with high current and a well made power supply, you simply won't get the sound quality you're after. Early on, I went through many AVRs ranging from $1000-3500 but nothing came close to even a modestly priced 2 channel amp with high current and high quality parts. This is possible because none of the cost of an integrated amp goes toward paying licensing fees to the likes of THX or Dolby, and it doesn't have to worry about providing 5 million inputs and outputs in the back, or other types of processing trickery. The focus is primarily on improving sound quality with no distractions.

If I were you I would look for a dedicated 2 channel amp with HT bypass. I would also forget about Magnolia and buy something in the used market. Maybe something like a Yamaha S2100 between $1500-18000.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 
Looks like you're off to an excellent start.  Just be careful running a second set of speakers off your AVR.  The same amp will be driving both speakers, so if you've got two 4 ohm speakers, that'll be a 2 ohm load for the amp, and the 4 ohm spec is average.  You could be down to a single ohm at some frequencies. 

Many amplifiers struggle to produce the current needed by that low of a load, and while it may "work", audio quality is likely to be effected.  Distortion will likely increase substantially when the amp is taxed in that way.  

I also agree with the folks suggesting a trial of a dedicated 2-channel amplifier.  You might look around and find a few with a good return policy (music direct, apos, etc) and then demo 3 or 4 contenders at the same time.  You'll learn a lot about what the speakers sound like and get a sense of how sensitive they are to different amplifier flavors. Just choose the best and return the rest.  Maybe you'll get lucky and find out that your Yamaha or Sonos was the best option anyway.
kintama21 OP
7 posts
 
Good point about the ohm load, thanks for bringing that up. I’m not using the AVR for anything at the moment- it is in a box in the closet and the home theater speakers were built in at the home I sold..I went full Sonos for the TV room where I’m living now. I can always sell it and recoup some of the cost of a high quality 2ch. If the Sonos Amp doesn’t work out it’ll be relegated to driving outdoor speakers... 
kintama21 OP
7 posts
 
One thing I’m struggling to find is: are the ML Motion 40s 4 ohm nominal impedance rating due to 4 ohm drivers or if the drivers are 8 ohm and the 4 ohm rating comes from the bi-wired terminals which would be two 8 ohm speakers run in parallel from the same amp channel? 

I may have to call Martin Logan to ask that question..

Sonos states it’s okay to run two 8 ohm speakers from each channel, but not to connect a speaker at or below 4 ohms. (Seems to contradict the Amp rating - but I’m not knowledgeable on the math of this)

I’m window shopping for a short list of dedicated 2ch amps now. ;)
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