2. amps-preamps
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Budget amp for NHT 2.5i - suggestions?

Hi guys, I just picked up a pair of NHT 2.5i towers, but I don't have an amplifier for them yet. Just wondering if you had any suggestions, especially if any of you are currently running these speakers or have had them in the past.

Apparently these speakers tend to be on the bright side, and they like lots of power to perform optimally. Some seem to use them with tube amps to decrease the brightness, but others seem happy with solid-state as well.

I got a good deal on these and am on a pretty tight budget, so I would probably buy a used amp, but I'm open to anything. Any suggestions or info would be great. Also, I will probably use my computer for music so I would have to buy a DAC as well (suggestions? maybe good amp/dac pairs?) Thanks!
105sixteen
ghstudio
141 posts
 
You will be connecting the preamp output of the Decco to the McCormack amp....and not using the 50W amp. You will have 100Wpc.
105sixteen OP
17 posts
 
Right that's what I had thought. Thanks! Excited to hear how this will sound. Hopefully 100wpc will be enough..for now at least. In the future I may bi-amp using the McCormack for the mid/tweeters and something else to drive the 8" woofers.

While I'm at it, just out of curiosity, any suggestions for amps for the woofers if I ever decide to bi-amp? Would NHT's SA-2 amps (two for stereo) be up to par with the McCormack? I figure it wouldn't make as much of a difference because it's just for the subs?
ig316b
103 posts
 
If you were to decide go that direction something you should consider would be using another McCormack 0.5 Deluxe and vertically bi-amping the NHT's. McCormack also makes a couple preamps that would work well in this situation the TLC-1 or the Micro Line Drive (MLD) that you can get for a couple hundred bucks here. Both of these are passive preamps, the TLC-1 has an additional output that's buffered while the MLD has an additional output that's an active out put but the output can adjusted +/- 3dbs. Both of these mate very well with the McCormack amps. One word of caution passive preamps require particular attention be paid to the type interconnects used because they will affect the sound. Lot of good information here on Audiogon and just search passive preamps, there also good information about this at SMc Audio.
ig316b
103 posts
 
105sixteen
Would be interesting to hear/see how your system turned out? What do you think? Drop us a line and let us know.
105sixteen OP
17 posts
 
Hey guys, yeah so I've had most everything hooked up for the last two weeks or so and I am loving how it all sounds. Again, I ended up with the Decco as my dac/pre going into the DNA 0.5 deluxe. I am using unterminated BJC speaker wire (Belden) which seems to be working out well. Heard a slight improvement over the ribbon cord I was using before.

The last thing I needed was ICs, as I was borrowing a friend's. After much debating, I ended up going with a great deal on Morrow MA-1s, which I received a few days ago. These made a very certain improvement in sound quality - I was very surprised as I wasn't sure how much they would actually affect SQ. They are currently going through burn in, and after the next couple hundred hours they should start sounding better and better.
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