Nakamichi deck directly into power amplifier

According to the specs shown near the bottom of this page, the 682ZX has a 1 volt maximum output voltage, and an output impedance of 2.2K.

So you would want to choose a power amp having an input sensitivity (the amount of input voltage required to drive it to full power) of significantly less than 1 volt, perhaps around 0.5 volts. Many power amps have sensitivities in the area of 1.5 volts, in which case you wouldn't be able to drive it to full power, even with the volume control all the way up.

The relatively high 2.2K output impedance means that you should choose a power amp with an input impedance of at least around 25K, and preferably 47K or more. It also means that if the interconnect cable length is long you should choose low capacitance cables, or the upper treble will be rolled off.

Regards,
-- Al

Sorry about that,I thought the standard was two volts for tape decks,tuners,cd players,etc.

Al, thank you. I was thinking about Rowland 102, now that Jeff finally made an amp that many can afford. His website doesn't give the input sensitivity figure; will have to send him a message.
Yogiboy, I can't try it with the Audiolab though it does have power section inputs. The manual says that some kind of module should be first installed.

Inna, it's possible to calculate the sensitivity from the power ratings for the 102 (100W into 8 ohms, 200W into 4 ohms) and the gain spec (27db). I just did a quick calculation, which indicates a sensitivity of slightly over 1.1 volts. Not an ideal match.

Yogiboy, yes, 2.0 volts is the de facto standard for cdp's, but tape decks and tuners are commonly a good deal lower.

Best regards,
-- Al

Al, appreciate it. But you upset me - Rowland is not a very good match.