Amp upgrade path - slightly confused?

[WelshOne]

Hi All,

I have a 1575 powering 803D, HTM2D and 805S.

I am very happy with its performamce, but may consider a 'little' upgrade, if its worthwhile?


I was considering a 1572 to biamp the 803D's bass drivers or midrange/treble?

Couple of questions regarding this if anyone could answer?

Is this going to give a significant sonic advantage for stereo listening, or will it be subtle?

With the above proposed configuration, is it expected that AV performance will also be improved, if so how significant?

The 803D's can dip into 3ohms territory, the 15 series class d amps state 8ohm @ 250 and 4ohm 500. What about when the speakers dips to 3ohms??? Is this amp capable enough down to this level

And therein lie the crux on the final question, is it a beneficial route to go down the lines of adding more class d 15 series amps for my speakers, or do I start again with a higher end stereo/multichannel amp? Bearing in mind I am coming to the end of wishing to spend huge amounts on kit, just want to enjoy it now but have the peace of mind these speakers are getting what they need? Classe CAM400's and Mcintosh 501's are likely to never reach my lounge :B

Thanks for any advice given!

[mjb]

Some people like to bi-amp, I'm not really a fan of it, but as a test why not try it out for yourself (in stereo) using the rear channels from your 1575 and see you you like the result? The 1575 and 1572 use the same modules internally.

One of the benefits of class d amps is that they will happily track very low load impedances, so this should not be a concern.

[htsteve]

WelshOne,

I've bi-amped in the past. I would say the effect is more subtle than significant. Plus, the cost is stiff, not just a new amp (sometimes) but interconnects and speaker wires as well.

I've found a big, powerful stereo amp to be a much better investment, money-wise, and most importantly, sound wise. Those amps that can deliver big current are the best.

With the 803D's, you do want something that can deliver big current to them.

I like the idea of the 1572, but all by itself as a stereo amp. It will not have to 'share power' with anyone else. The added bass, soundstage and refinement will be nice.


Hope this helps.

[hifiguymi]

I concur with what has been said. I'd just hold off and save up a little more and get a better two channel amp like a Classe CA-2200 or something similar. That would be a much better long term investment.

Eric

[WelshOne]

Great, thanks all!

I think i'll just enjoy what I have for now, and go for something like the aforementioned classe amps in the future.

Im glad I asked as I was really going to go for the 1572 quite soon, but I suppose i'd best save those pennies for again and do it right!

The performance I have right now really is very good imo, im just impatient and curious to see what these 800 series have to offer :twisted:

Thanks again!

[MickeyVee]

I have a 1572 driving Martin Logan speakers which dip down to 1 ohm @ 20KHz.. not much information up there. I have the 1560 and before I got the amp, it was OK & I was relatively happy.

Well, the 1572 driving the Logans is incredible.. not night and day but more open, airy and shall I say, effortless. No looking back for me.

If you get a chance to addition the amp at home, go for it.. it's the only way to tell.

[WelshOne]

I took the advice and biamped the 803D's over the weekend, via:

Pair of RCA phono spliters - cheap grade. x2 pairs of chord chorus interconnects, chord odyssey biwire. Main L amp output powering highs/mids, Surround L output powering bass drivers, all to left speaker, the same for right channels and right speaker.

What I noticed immediately was the authority given to the music, in particular to the highs, guitar strums, striking of drums etc. There was an immediacy to the music, to the point of being quite 'in your face'. Bass appeared to be tighter, maybe a touch more extended? Vocals seemed to be more present in terms of imaging, more central and a sensation of being closer to you?

I was very excited and began throwing in all the usual favourite cd's, liking what I heard.

Then yesterday sat down and had a good long session, and the feeling wasnt the same? That authorative, in your face presentation did start to feel it was becoming tiring, and the highs occasionally started to sound edgy and hard. Some music, say laid back acoustic material shone well, but others were tiring.

I switched back to normal stereo set up, and the differences did not seem as obvious as I first thought? The music did not seem as fast or as dynamic, again it seemed I couldnt turn it up as loud as before without wanting to turn it back down again.

But those hard edgy highs were toned down at the expense of the speed and authority biamped. I think, I preferred it back via the way it was???

Things I am contemplating, was the extra power giving me more authority and grip - therefore allowing more detail to come through, which I was not used to and confused this with a much more analytical/clinical sound,

and/or, was the inferior phono splitters and cabling part or cause of the problem. This includes the cyrus CD player, which is renown for its tizzy clinical high end presentation, and can be tiring in the wrong system?

On the whole ive realised that my system, both biamped and normal can be a touch clinical and analytical, and that maybe, its not extra power I could be hankering? Maybe a warmer richer player could be whats needed.

Either way it was a worthwhile experiment, and one I would consider pursuing again IF the presentation could be less hard and edgy on the highs?

Any experiences or thoughts on what I did and possible suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

David

[mjb]

Well, I'm glad you found this out BEFORE you bought an extra RB-1572!!

You might like to try listening to a 200w class A/B amp, like an RB-1582 (or a CA-2200), if you think your present setup is a bit clinical. But becareful! If you like the Classe sound with your 803D's (which is VERY likely), you're going to long for a 5200 which is expensive

[WelshOne]

Thanks MJB!

I am intentionally not going to listen to the classe gear, it would just ruin my life and probably marraige

I may consider going for a 1572 just to power the mains, maybe see what having a stereo amp with its own power supply would do? I'd get a demo unit first though, and see what difference it makes? I suppose ive got these speakers for many many years now, so upgrading to a Classe level is something to look forward to in the future.

Ill post back and let you know the outcome when/if it happens. :T

Thanks again all for the advice.

David

[peepaj]

Hi Welshone,
I was wondering if you listened to a RB-1092 with your 803D's. If you like the class d amps give this one a try at 500 watts into 8 ohms and 1000 at 4 ohms it should drive your speakers without any problems. I use this amp to drive paradigm studio 100's and they sound great to me.