Amp for Wharfedale Litons

[Connor1a]

Hi Guys and Gals

I’m confused as heck trying to sort through all the various posts concerning a solid amp for my new set of Lintons. I do apologize if I’ve asked for help more than once.

Right now I have a Emotiva PT2 going into an Emotiva A2 feeding the Lintons. It’s not bad.

I had a pair of Fosi v3 monoblocks feeding them for an entire evening before they blew up (they’re going back to Amazon for replacement). The power supply failed. I’m pretty sure I enjoyed those more than the A2. I was using a WiiM Ultra as a preamp in that configuration.

Looking through the posts here, I’m now questioning both the Emotiva setup and the v3s. Candidly, I’m pulling my hair out! I don't have a religious connection with either Class A/B or Class D amps. I’m just looking for an amp setup in the 1k$ range that’ll drive my Lintons to their best effect. This is for stereo music only. My music is on the loud side. Punk, alt rock, old rock, jazz and blues mainly. My sources are a Sonos Port, a WiiM Ultra and a Fluance RT85 (via a Schiit Mani 2). The WiiM can fill the role of a preamp… In fact, I can use the digital out on the Sonos Port in favor of the better DAC in the WiiM which is cool.

I’ve asked for ideas in a couple of other posts, but not quite this directly as I was still unsure on my speaker selection (I was debating between a pair of Elacs and the Lintons). I’ve now settled on the Lintons (done deal - the Elacs are going back). Now I need to close on the amp.

What amp, in the ~1k$ range, would you pair with the Lintons? Help a brother out…? Thanks in advance! I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[staticV3]

What amp, in the ~1k$ range, would you pair with the Lintons?

Personally, a Hypex or Purifi Amp from one of these builders:

-Audiophonics (France)
-boXem Audio (Luxembourg)
-SoundImports (Netherlands)
-Apollon Audio (Slovenia)
-VTV Amplifier (US)
-Buckeye Amps (US)
-Nord Acoustics (UK)
-March Audio (AU)

 

[Chazz6]

Personally, a Hypex or Purifi Amp from one of these builders:


-boXem Audio (Luxembourg)

Second that. All the power you will need. Low/medium/high gain switch with instruction how to set it.

 

[Connor1a]

Would something like these guys work with a WiiM Ultra as a preamp?

VTV AMPLIFIER Monoblock Hypex NC500MP NCore Amplifier 500Wx1 | VTV Amplifier

How would that one compare to this one?

Monoblock VTV Amplifier NCx500OEM module with Input Buffer Options | VTV Amplifier

The main difference I see is the ability to choose custom buffer / op amp options (for another couple hundred $$). What are your thoughts there? Is it worth it? I’d thought “rolling op amps” was a pretty contentious topic here on ASR. The Fosi v3 monoblock thread had several pages of debate. Am I misunderstanding?

TYVM!

 

[Paugie]

why don't you wait for your V3 monos replacement? try them out again.
I have the V3 stereo running my Lintons and I'm happy

 

[Connor1a]

why don't you wait for your V3 monos replacement? try them out again.
I have the V3 stereo running my Lintons and I'm happy

So I have the v3 monoblocks. They’re pretty good. A little fatiguing on the top end. Sorry, I’m not an audio engineer. Bear with me if I’m using a lay person’s vocabulary. The treble feels a bit sharp to my ears. That may be fixed by speaker placement (I currently have them pointing on axis vs toed) or eq (I’ve been playing around with my WiiM’s eq which does help). But the clarity is definitely pretty good. No complaints with bass.

As for my push to evaluate alternatives, I have the Fosis until the end of January. I need to lock in on my endgame (for at least a couple of years) by then. So far I’ve listened to the Emotiva BasX A2 w an Emotiva PT2 preamp. I prefer the Fosi’s clarity. I’m using a WiiM Ultra as a preamp / streamer. So I’m sending the Emotiva kit back. The other competitor I’m considering is the VTV Hypex NCx500 which is basically 3x the price of the Fosis. That is, the Fosi’s + a 48v/10a power supply = 210$ right now vs the VTV amp w/ stock Hypex buffer = 595$. That’s not a fair comparison though. The Fosi is running 240w into 4 ohms vs the VTV’s 700w. So 3x the price is driving almost 3x the power. Now add in VTV’s custom buffer + a third party op amp and you’re looking at closer to 850$ (that’s with the Sparkos op amp). The comparable Fosi price (that’s a Fosi + 2 Sparkos op amps - the v3 requires 2 op amps) would be 375$. So still quite a premium between the two. What I really don’t understand is / know is whether that VTV amp is going to provide 2.5x to 3x the performance. Performance metrics are a dead heat per the reviews here, but does the VTV generate that much of an improved listening experience. I’ve been in touch with VTV. They offer a 30 day trial. I’m interested, but really don’t know whether I’m chasing a rabbit down a hole. Are the Fosis “good enough” vs the VTV amps. 240 vs 700 is quite a jump even if the amps measure similarly otherwise. Does that make sense?

Be gentle guys. I’ve read through the op amp exchanges. I’m frankly not sure whether buying the custom VTV buffer makes sense given debates. I mean some of the cost is what VTV claims is a faster, more efficient buffer. However, in exchanging with VTV, they also represent that the various op amp options they offer do make a difference in sound presentation. The op amps sit on top of their custom buffer. What do y’all think?

Tyvm.