Driving bookshelf speakers from topping dx7s

[Michael]

Hi all, I need some basic advice please. I have a Topping Dx7s dac amp which I use with my headphones to listen to music from my PC. Works great. I have acquired a pair of medium sized book shelf speakers (kef r100), and I'd like to drive them from my Dx7s. What kind of stereo power amp will do the trick? Do I need a pre-amp as well? Should I look for something that will take advantage of the balanced XLR outputs, or is that irrelevant? Budget is < $1000, but if I can get away with spending < $200 that is great. There are so many products out there and it is unclear to me what is suitable. Is it possible to drive them directly from the rca outputs of the dx7s?

Regards,

Michael.

 

[RickSanchez]

What are the specs on the KEF R100's? I believe they are rated at 8Ω nominal impedance, but if they're anything like the Q100's they can drop to below 4Ω. (See Amir's measurements for the Q100.) I think the R100's are spec'ed for 100W as well. As such I don't think the DX7s is going to have anywhere near enough power to drive these speakers from the RCA outs.

So one place to start is here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/Audio_Equipment_Reviews/

• filter on Device Type = "Speaker Amp" & Price = [whatever you're comfortable with]

From that list you can pull up Amir's reviews to get more info. On the more expensive side here are some options to think about:

• Ghent Audio GA-S125P (ICEpower Class-D)
• March Audio P122
• Purifi 1ET400A

You can also consider the used market to save some money, or something a lot less expensive like a Topping PA3. And with the DX7s you do not need a pre-amp.

 

[Michael]

Thanks for the insights and suggestions, it sounds reasonable. I've gone ahead and picked up a BasX A100. Cheers.

 

[RickSanchez]

And if the BasX A100 doesn't work out -- no reason it shouldn't, seems like a great fit for what you need -- you can check out Buckeye Amps. He's an ASR member and is selling his stuff direct. I didn't realize this until now but apparently he's got a more affordable 2-channel option using a Hypex module and a Ghent Audio case (although I think you have to buy the case yourself and ship it to him for assembly).