Arendal 1723 Towers best amplifier

[terryforsythe]

My Nilai stereo amp is due to arrive today. I'm excited.

 

[delta76]

streamer - WiiM Pro Plus
DAC - does not really matter, pick anything from SMSL or Topping or Sabaj that has golfing panther rating, and you like the look
Purifi or hypex nilai - does not really matter, both are similar in performance

and those do not guarantee better sound than a Denon with Audyssey/Dirac. Room correction is important, but you seem to want to ignore it

 

[terryforsythe]

streamer - WiiM Pro Plus
DAC - does not really matter, pick anything from SMSL or Topping or Sabaj that has golfing panther rating, and you like the look
Purifi or hypex nilai - does not really matter, both are similar in performance

The difference between the WiiM Pro and the Wiim Pro Plus is the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and the digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

So, if you are going to run an external DAC, the only reason I envision for getting the WiiM Pro Plus is if you will be using its ADC.

I have a turntable (currently under repair), for which a phono preamp will plug into the analog input, so I might be using the ADC. For that reason I ordered the Pro Plus. But, for someone who will not be using the analog input, probably save the money and just get the Pro.

 

[terryforsythe]

streamer - WiiM Pro Plus
DAC - does not really matter, pick anything from SMSL or Topping or Sabaj that has golfing panther rating, and you like the look
Purifi or hypex nilai - does not really matter, both are similar in performance

A DAC with a balanced output should be used with the Nilai since it has balanced inputs (I'm not sure about the Purify). Not all DACs have balanced outputs.

 

[JustJones]

There's really no reason to use an external Dac with the Wiim pro + .

WiiM Pro Plus Streamer Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the WiiM Pro Plus streamer, DAC and preamplifier with Bluetooth support. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $219. While the case is plastic, it still "looks the part" as the Brits would say relative to other more famous brands of...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[terryforsythe]

There's really no reason to use an external Dac with the Wiim pro + .

It doesn't have balanced analog outputs. Perhaps you could use an unbalanced to balanced converter.

 

[peniku8]

I mean yes seems good, but my Budget is above. I have an Yamaha rn1000a that Costs about 1.4k€ for me, wouldnt be an "upgrade"

If spending money satisfies your sense of 'upgrading' and you don't want to change the sound (as you've mentioned before that you don't want roomEQ, no EQ adjustments and also not touch the speaker setup) I'd recommend buying a 1oz Krugerrand. At ~1900€ it fits right into your budget and should you decide to sell it again you have not lost any money in the process and possibly even made a plus, depending on how long you kept it.
Jokes aside (it's not bad advice tho!), if you want better sound quality you should read into what your room does to sound (especially in small rooms as you've mentioned yours to be) and then buy a measurement mic. Unless you're sitting inside and anechoic chamber, roomEQ will be necessary to attain good neutral sound in a residential room. It wasn't until roomEQ that we achieved a neutral reference in our studio and mixes started to translate well to other systems. I also do roomEQ for all venues I mix live shows in, as long as time permits.

 

[Paulflexxer]

If spending money satisfies your sense of 'upgrading' and you don't want to change the sound (as you've mentioned before that you don't want roomEQ, no EQ adjustments and also not touch the speaker setup) I'd recommend buying a 1oz Krugerrand. At ~1900€ it fits right into your budget and should you decide to sell it again you have not lost any money in the process and possibly even made a plus, depending on how long you kept it.
Jokes aside (it's not bad advice tho!), if you want better sound quality you should read into what your room does to sound (especially in small rooms as you've mentioned yours to be) and then buy a measurement mic. Unless you're sitting inside and anechoic chamber, roomEQ will be necessary to attain good neutral sound in a residential room. It wasn't until roomEQ that we achieved a neutral reference in our studio and mixes started to translate well to other systems. I also do roomEQ for all venues I mix live shows in, as long as time permits.

Maybe some understand me wrong, room EQ can be good, so far i used ypao, the one from lyngdorf and audyssey long time ago. Maybe dirac will surprise me idk, i just had bad experience with them so far.

 

[dkinric]

Hegal amplifiers have a very high damping factor. This means they should do very well at controlling the bass.

In the end, the Hegal might be the right choice for you since you already know you like it.

Is it though? Hegel has not done well on the test bench here so far. Different amp, but still...

Hegel H95 Review (Streaming Amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Hegel H95 integrated amplifier with DAC and streaming support. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $2000. The H95 looks pretty nice: I really like the large, high resolution and very responsive graphic display. What I don't like is...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[terryforsythe]

Maybe some understand me wrong, room EQ can be good, so far i used ypao, the one from lyngdorf and audyssey long time ago. Maybe dirac will surprise me idk, i just had bad experience with them so far.

YPAO is not anywhere close to Dirac Live. They are not even in the same ball park.

My Yamaha receiver in my game room has YPAO, and it doesn't do a whole lot.

My MiniDSP SHD in my family room has Dirac Live, and it made a noticeable improvement to that system. Moreover, I have two different speaker placements, one against the wall to keep my wife happy and one out into the room for when she is not around. With Dirac Live I have room corrections for both those speaker locations. So, the speakers sound their optimum for whatever location where they are placed.

With Dirac Live, my speakers sound more natural, and both bass response and imaging improved.

 

[Paulflexxer]

YPAO is not anywhere close to Dirac Live. They are not even in the same ball park.

My Yamaha receiver in my game room has YPAO, and it doesn't do a whole lot.

My MiniDSP SHD in my family room has Dirac Live, and it made a noticeable improvement to that system. Moreover, I have two different speaker placements, one against the wall to keep my wife happy and one out into the room for when she is not around. With Dirac Live I have room corrections for both those speaker locations. So, the speakers sound their optimum for whatever location where they are placed.

With Dirac Live, my speakers sound more natural, and imaging improved.

Maybe an NAD is the right system for me, also has dirac, and has some good reviews from amirm. Will you try out your new amp today? let me know what you think

 

[terryforsythe]

Is it though? Hegel has not done well on the test bench here so far. Different amp, but still...

Hegel H95 Review (Streaming Amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Hegel H95 integrated amplifier with DAC and streaming support. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $2000. The H95 looks pretty nice: I really like the large, high resolution and very responsive graphic display. What I don't like is...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I saw that too. They have new models, but I don't know if they are any better with regard to distortion and noise.

My point was that he said he likes the sound of the Hegel (and a lot of people do). It certainly is not my cup of tea, but if he likes it, he likes it.

An analogy is that a lot of people really love tube amplifiers (some people actually like coloration in their music). I think tube amplifiers are fine for an electric guitar, but I have never heard one I would put in my stereo system.

I did throw out what I think to be a better option. In the end, it comes down to what the OP wants.

 

[terryforsythe]

Will you try out your new amp today? let me know what you think

Probably not. I need to assemble it, and I am selling my SHD this week. I probably won't hear it until my new miniDSP unit comes in. Here's the background:

I love the miniDSP SHD. But, I am removing the passive crossovers from my speakers to go all active. With the subwoofer, I need an 8-channel DSP/DAC. The SHD is 4-channel.

So, I ordered a new miniDSP 8-channel unit, which does not include a streamer (the SHD does). That is why I also ordered the WiiM Pro Plus. (I only ordered the "Plus" version for its superior ADC in case I want to play records and output to my game room or patio).

I was hoping the new miniDSP unit would arrive this week. But, I don't think that is likely. When I ordered I saw on miniDSP's website that it had been back ordered and they had begun shipping, but they had to get through their backlog. I still have not received a tracking number, so my guess is that they are still working through their backlog.

 

[terryforsythe]

Maybe an NAD is the right system for me, also has dirac, and has some good reviews from amirm.

It might be. It depends on whether you will be adding a subwoofer. If not, I think it will be good, and you will have a single unit instead of two or three separate components.

If you are seriously considering adding a subwoofer, then see what the NAD offers for subwoofer tuning beyond just Dirac Live. I could never get my subwoofer/speaker crossover transition optimal until I had total control over crossover frequencies, crossover topologies, crossover slopes and time delay using miniDSP. Perhaps the NAD you are looking at provides those features, I don't know - I am not that familiar with their offerings.

 

[terryforsythe]

Will you try out your new amp today? let me know what you think

OK. The Nilai amp went together much quicker than I expected. It took me less than two hours, and that was being slow and methodical. Very simple, just follow the steps. The kit came with the Allen and star keys that were needed. The only additional tools I needed were a very small flat head screw driver, a 12 mm wrench, and a 7 mm socket. I did not have a 7mm socket, and it was only to hold a nut while tightening a screw for the chassis ground connection, so I used pliers instead.

I hooked up the Nilai this morning. I did a short listening session with the amplifier in the high gain setting, but any opinions I have at this point certainly are clouded by the placebo effect and recency bias. So, keep that in mind. Nonetheless, it sounds really, really good. I am very pleased. No audible distortion or noise whatsoever. Bass is tight, midrange and high frequencies are clean. Cymbals come through nicely. Sound staging and imaging are outstanding. Etc.

Overall, the Nilai is a very good amplifier and a very good value at its price. Amir's review was spot on.

I bought my Nilai from Deer Creek Audio for $1,279. I opted for the engraved front plate ($85), mistakenly thinking that the plate that would come with the amplifier would just be a plain flat piece of metal. I was wrong, and the amplifier comes with the same plate, just without the engraving. In hindsight, I probably would have not opted to pay the extra $85 just for the engraving.

If I were to nit pick, my chief complaint is that the front plate needs to be removed to slide open the top cover if you want to change the amplifier's gain settings (it uses a jumper on each amplifier module). It is not difficult to do - stand the amplifier on its side and loosen two very tiny screws, but I had to pull the amp out of the rack to make the changes. It would have been better if the kit included a switch on the back plate for the gain settings. That being said, once the gain is set (high, medium or low), you probably will not need to change it again.

Also, the amplifier did not come with a power cord. Unless you have an extra one lying around, you will need to buy one.

Lastly, other than 4 screws provided that the manual states are not used (and are not the same as any of the other screws), there are no extra screws provided. You will need every single one. So, be sure to assemble the amp in a place where you will not lose a screw if you accidentally drop it.

EDIT: One last note - there is the main switch on the back, which needs to be on, but that does not turn on the amplifier, it just keeps it ready for turn on. The turn on button is the very small button on the front panel (I overlooked that and was scratching my head for a little while). Also, it can be turned on with a 12V trigger, the socket for which is on the back panel.

 

[terryforsythe]

Maybe an NAD is the right system for me, also has dirac, and has some good reviews from amirm. Will you try out your new amp today? let me know what you think

I just saw a review of the Arendal 1961S subwoofer. It has a lot of tunability, including crossover frequency, slope and variable phase delay. Some of the SVS subs also have it. One of those could work well with your speakers and the NAD.

 

[Paulflexxer]

I just saw a review of the Arendal 1961S subwoofer. It has a lot of tunability, including crossover frequency, slope and variable phase delay. Some of the SVS subs also have it. One of those could work well with your speakers and the NAD.

Im still very unsure what to do/try. I may wanna order an NAD and just compare it with my Yamaha, but its still so hard to tell what to buy..

 

[terryforsythe]

Im still very unsure what to do/try. I may wanna order an NAD and just compare it with my Yamaha, but its still so hard to tell what to buy..

Here is another thought to add more confusion. If you add a powered subwoofer, one that includes variable phase/time delay in addition to the other tuning features, that will relieve your Yamaha of being tasked with producing the low frequencies, thus leaving more power available for the frequencies above the crossover point. That may help your system overall, and would be less expensive than adding a new amplifier. You were thinking about adding a subwoofer anyway, so worst case scenario you add a new amp if after adding the subwoofer the amp still is not cutting it for you, and you already will have a subwoofer.

One note: I found that plugging my speaker ports improved the speaker/subwoofer transition, it just meant crossing them over a little higher, around 100 Hz. I used dense foam.

 

[kaffe]

Im still very unsure what to do/try. I may wanna order an NAD and just compare it with my Yamaha, but its still so hard to tell what to buy..

You mentioned AirPlay 2 is a must have for you.

I’m curious, is your experience with the Yamaha by any chance based solely on streaming from an AirPlay 2 device to the Yamaha? If so, I would advise that you try something different since the bitrate gets downgraded to 256 AAC. You could for example try using Tidal with Tidal Connect which the receiver has built in.

 

[Timcognito]

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com - miniDSP SHD Power Integrated Amplifier-DAC

www.soundstagehifi.com