3e Audio A5 Stereo Amplifier Review

[Ruediger]

So I have been reading about this amp a lot and it seems to be very good. I currently have a Marantz Cinema 70 which is rated as a poor amp on but it has pre-outs (it sounds good to me to be honest). If I where to connect the A5 to the pre-outs what would be the audible difference between the two? My speakers are Triangle Comete 40th edition and I never listen at very loud levels.

That Marantz features only rather small amp power. Quality of sound depends on if you are comfortably within that area. Or if you are pushing it. You only have 2.0 speakers on that amp?

An external amp like the A5 has more power then the Cinema 70 and allows you to go louder and have good reserves for transients and peaks. But what you will be hearing is still the pre-amp section of the Marantz with the sound quality it produces, it's noise and distortion level. I don't think that's bad sound, but the external poweramp won't change anything about it either.

Other things the A5 can do for you: take the load off the Marantz and leave it running cooler. It depends on the specific Marantz how good that works, if the amps can be turned off completely or will be idling nonetheless when you use the pre-out signal.

The A5 allow you to use two inputs. Obviously RCA in with high gain for the AVR. But you can also populate the balanced inputs, which have a lower gain. And switch to that input with a press on the front button. Whatever you put there (DAC, Streamer, ..) can use the amp and the speakers without the Marantz.

 

[Beave]

Hi, new here. But I have been reading in this site for years.

So I have been reading about this amp a lot and it seems to be very good. I currently have a Marantz Cinema 70 which is rated as a poor amp on but it has pre-outs (it sounds good to me to be honest). If I where to connect the A5 to the pre-outs what would be the audible difference between the two? My speakers are Triangle Comete 40th edition and I never listen at very loud levels.

You probably won't get much if any improvement except perhaps at really high playback levels (which you said you don't need).

Triangle Comete 40th measurements (here: https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153)

Nothing unusually challenging about the load they present, and their sensitivity is a little above average. So at moderate levels, they're a fairly easy load and don't require a lot of power.

 

[EDG1974]

Thank you for the clear answers. There are always two camps in the audiophile world, one that says amps make a big difference and one that says all (good) amps should sound similar. I never had the change to do blind tests between amps but I have always been leaning towards the 'amps don't sound different camp )
I also use a powered sub.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Thank you for the clear answers. There are always two camps in the audiophile world, one that says amps make a big difference and one that says all (good) amps should sound similar. I never had the change to do blind tests between amps but I have always been leaning towards the 'amps don't sound different camp )
I also use a powered sub.

Many of the claims about how amplifier have a sonic characteristic disappear when everything is accurately level-matched using an AC voltmeter. Tiny differences in voltage level can affect how things sound to us, even when they don't seem louder

 

[Ruediger]

Thank you for the clear answers. There are always two camps in the audiophile world, one that says amps make a big difference and one that says all (good) amps should sound similar. I never had the change to do blind tests between amps but I have always been leaning towards the 'amps don't sound different camp )
I also use a powered sub.

I'd say the differences to be had from amplifiers are very small when operating within their designed area. The A5 is just a poweramp with volume. The Marantz is a complete box with processing, pre-amp, volume and amp. Especially when comparing the pre-out from the Marantz vs. it's internal amp there is next to nothing to be expected. You just hear the Marantz minus it's amp.

 

[Beave]

Thank you for the clear answers. There are always two camps in the audiophile world, one that says amps make a big difference and one that says all (good) amps should sound similar. I never had the change to do blind tests between amps but I have always been leaning towards the 'amps don't sound different camp )
I also use a powered sub.

Amplifiers make a HUGE difference when one amp is running out of power and the other is still going strong.

But if neither are being pushed to near or beyond their limits, nah, there shouldn't be much if any audible difference at all.

 

[somebodyelse]

and one that says all (good) amps should sound similar.

With the big caveat "when used within their limits" - which could be power output into a specific load, stability into load, gain/overload/noise being suitable (or not) for the accompanying equipment etc.