Amp suggestions for Salk Songsurround 1

[cart]

I'll make this rather short if possible (I tend to ramble.) I'm not a proper audiophile person, just bought a townhouse and am quite busy but want to upgrade my current set up and love music.

I'm fairly fixated on the salk soundsurround 1 bookshelf speakers for both near and mid field audio at fairly low levels (no idea what Db that might be tbh.)

The person who suggested those speakers also suggested the Yamaha a-s501 amp. As it checks several boxes of mine:
Bluetooth capable, solid build and reviews, subwoofer out, headset out, and presumably plenty of headroom for a location where the hoa has quiet hours starting at.... 8pm to 10am.. so it's a fairly quiet area and I have shared walls. Also, I should add the msrp on the Yamaha's are the upper end that I'm looking to spend.

I will never hear these speakers at their full volume rated at 8 ohm 100watts, and 84 db.

I suppose I'll add I like a warm tone (I know the speakers arent warm but they seem to be speakers nobody seems to get rid of in a hurry and I prefer quality/price over that) though from what I've read the verdict is still out if an amp would play a noticable role in something like that either way.

It will be for listening to music ofc, but also video games and other pc related audio stuff like yt videos zoom calls etc etc.. and hopefully sooner than later entertaining guests who I look forward to meeting in the near future. And yes audio source is my PC.

Just moved from colorado to Florida.. still cant believe I'm just an hour drive from the Atlantic.. though I do miss that colorado weather.

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

 

[jkonst]

I run a pair of SongSurrounds as part of a multi-channel setup, using an older Denon (X-4000) receiver. The receiver you're looking at seems like a reasonable option to me, though it might not work for your gaming/PC needs given the lack of HDMI input/output. I would also consider the Denon DRA-800H, and potentially other multi-channel receivers from Yamaha (RX-V6A?) and Denon (AVR-X1600H?), assuming HDMI is part of your needs.

You may get some other opinions in terms of audio quality, but I'd probably focus more on features/connectivity than anything else. The Yamaha you mentioned requires an adapter for Bluetooth, and I can't tell if it supports AirPlay (if that matters to you - I use it a ton on my receiver). For video games, the Denon does not support HDMI 2.1 (and existing implementations are problematic - but new multichannel receivers are coming soon). If you purchase a stereo receiver and use headphones for gaming, you'll probably want to bypass the receiver and connect straight to the source, in order to get multichannel processing/support for surround effects.

 

[cart]

I run a pair of SongSurrounds as part of a multi-channel setup, using an older Denon (X-4000) receiver. The receiver you're looking at seems like a reasonable option to me, though it might not work for your gaming/PC needs given the lack of HDMI input/output. I would also consider the Denon DRA-800H, and potentially other multi-channel receivers from Yamaha (RX-V6A?) and Denon (AVR-X1600H?), assuming HDMI is part of your needs.

You may get some other opinions in terms of audio quality, but I'd probably focus more on features/connectivity than anything else. The Yamaha you mentioned requires an adapter for Bluetooth, and I can't tell if it supports AirPlay (if that matters to you - I use it a ton on my receiver). For video games, the Denon does not support HDMI 2.1 (and existing implementations are problematic - but new multichannel receivers are coming soon). If you purchase a stereo receiver and use headphones for gaming, you'll probably want to bypass the receiver and connect straight to the source, in order to get multichannel processing/support for surround effects.

Oh yea great point on the headphone surround sound... shit. Still want everything to operate as if it's one output essentially I have a 15$ dac doing that now basically so my speakers and headphones can both be playing the exact same outout and I quite like that and am used to it j guess..

Also on the avrs.. I've kinda been looking into them but may call Jim himself and see how much that really matters at the end of the day.. I mean it's an efficient way to get alot of nice features even wifi streaming..

And I don't need the hdmi.. it has a spdif input I'll use.. yes usb is better ive read but I assuming it s only better when your measuring with sensitivities we cant define.

But yes I have thought about something like the r n602 vs the as501... my house will be fairly integrated in terms of internet hungry devices. But alot if those features I doubt I'll ever us as I don't use radio/music services and if i am using a wifi or bluetooth then the music is secondary to w.e else I'm doing. I'm undecided and actually fairly convinced I wouldn't notice the difference between the 501 and 602 anyways... but I'll have a few months to worry about that till the speakers arrive


I'll check out ur recommendations I think as long as they are well made have the power and from a manufacturer I trust.. I'll be more than happy

 

[pjug]

I don't know if this is a good amplifier but this Onkyo sure has a lot of features for the price:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_580TX8270/Onkyo-TX-8270.html?cc=02

It seems there are some interesting options if you can go a little above $500. Check out AudioAdvisor's clearance.

Edit: The Onkyo looks pretty poor in this review, falling very short of rated power and poor SINAD. Shame.
https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/amplitunery-stereo/3186-tx-8270
Also, that Yamaha looks like it does not have the bluetooth you want (they advertise convenience of adding a Yamaha rbluetooth eceiver adapter)

 

[cart]

I don't know if this is a good amplifier but this Onkyo sure has a lot of features for the price:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_580TX8270/Onkyo-TX-8270.html?cc=02

It seems there are some interesting options if you can go a little above $500. Check out AudioAdvisor's clearance.

Edit: The Onkyo looks pretty poor in this review, falling very short of rated power and poor SINAD. Shame.
https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/amplitunery-stereo/3186-tx-8270
Also, that Yamaha looks like it does not have the bluetooth you want (they advertise convenience of adding a Yamaha rbluetooth eceiver adapter)

Yea I checked out the only u linked before I got to ur edit... and well i agree. Seems they dropped the ball.

Regarding the as501 bluetooth I was thinking just using this. I would honestly only use bluetooth if I was entertaining or like if I wanted to listen to music but was also doing some task where I couldnt walk across the room. (Though to be fair most my experiences with bluetooth home audio streaming is pretty dated... I suspect it sounds quite good if not indistinguishable under good conditions.. and I'd imagine wifi even better. If that's the case then maybe I would do more from the couch instead of th4 desk and stream jt.)
Think I found a decent solution as I can use the 5v dc outlet intended for the yamaha add on and it's highly reviewed and has apt-x and most importantly coaxial input... which is important as the as501 only has 2 digital inputs... for some reason.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KTK8YP3/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_2?smid=A1YX4W46FS64NK&psc=1

 

[pjug]

Yes I wouldn't worry too much about built-in bluetooth since you can easily add a bluetooth receiver as you show. Have you considered the NAD C338? Only measurements I can find are on this Polish site: https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/2980-c338
It has chromecast built-in (and bluetooth too). Personally I would rather have a wifi connection than bluetooth. Price is on par with the Yamaha if you find a deal such as here: https://www.safeandsoundhq.com/prod...-hybrid-digital-integrated-amplifier-open-box

Here are the measurements for the yamaha: https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/2415-yamaha-a-s501

Looks like the NAD and Yamaha measure pretty similarly.

 

[cart]

Yes I wouldn't worry too much about built-in bluetooth since you can easily add a bluetooth receiver as you show. Have you considered the NAD C338? Only measurements I can find are on this Polish site: https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/2980-c338
It has chromecast built-in (and bluetooth too). Personally I would rather have a wifi connection than bluetooth. Price is on par with the Yamaha if you find a deal such as here: https://www.safeandsoundhq.com/prod...-hybrid-digital-integrated-amplifier-open-box

Here are the measurements for the yamaha: https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/2415-yamaha-a-s501

Looks like the NAD and Yamaha measure pretty similarly.

View attachment 136331

well after about 2 months i finally have access to a pc. but to save time i quickly want to float this by you. (this is a copy paste but the general idea is clear.. and as much as I love the effort people put into these charts.. Im somewhat skeptical in regards to how much that relates to the average human's perception of audio... though without further ado (and i would like your input):

well after about 2 months i finally have access to a pc. but to save time i quickly want to float this by you. (this is a copy paste but the general idea is clear.. and as much as I love the effort people put into these charts.. Im somewhat skeptical in regards to how much that relates to the average human's perception of audio... though without further ado (and i would like your input):

"yea well i;ve finally got the ac working in my new place... and realized they concrete blocks separating each townhome.. not to mention my office.. is only connected to my own walls.. and even when i have my current system quite loud... i can hardly hear it downstairs let alone that sound going through a concrete wall.. so my loudness factor has increased significantly...

perhaps... just for budgetary concerns.. and i suppose this is a question as well; would a used Yamaha R N303 be a reasonable solution?
my house is becoming fairly integrated.. like nearly everything is accessing the wifi and i have the network to support it as well.

here are the 8 ohm.... um... numbers.,..
Minimum RMS Output Power 100 W + 100 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.019% THD)
Maximum Power(8 ohms, 1 kHz, 10% THD) 145 W + 145 W
High Dynamic Power/Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms) 140 / 170 / 220 / 290 W
Frequency Response 0 ± 0.5 dB / 0 ± 1.0 dB

I imagine the as-801 would be preferred on this forum and any other serious audio forum.. but I find it difficult to believe I would hear a decrease in QUALITY if it was a blind test. Maybe a difference in sound... but not quality. Perhaps to somebody with finely tuned ears... but i imagine more overhead the better.. and if i can get more features for the money... features I would actually use... considering i have too much bandwith wifi ping around 12 and 2 wifi6 routers operating on the same network. "