Fosi V3 mono Vs. Anthem MCA 325 for ML XTF100s

[Azagoth]

Hello all. Im brand new here and I see alot on Fosi V3 monos for the price. I have a Marantz Cinema 40 and ML XTf100 towers and C100 center as LCR. I heard the XTF100s demoed with an Anthem MCA 325 and they sounded amazing. With the Marantz they are super clear and detailed..fantastic...but they dont have the same low end oomph I heard with the Anthem. I have two subs that handle the low end for the most part but for music it feels like something is misisng in the mid to low end. I hear super detailed vocals and instruments and really low bass but not so much the middle lower bass that fills it out. Been looking at these Fosi V3 monoblocks wondering if pairing them with the LCR would make a difference and if they have enough power for the XT F100s. Id love to just have the income to drop another $2600 on the MCA but I saved a long time for the speakers and AVR(as part of a 7.2.4 system) and I just dont have the desire to drop a ton more. I can get 3 mono blocks with the 48v/10amp power supply under $500. Im just wondering if they would be worth it or is the Marantz pushing enough and I just need to keep tweaking the settings. Im running Acoustix by OCA for room correction amd trying out many different Target curves but thats also very time consuming. Anyway any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[DVDdoug]

You'd have more power to go louder (without distortion) but otherwise it wouldn't change the "sound character". Any specific sound characteristics come from your speakers, acoustics, tone controls, EQ, and room correction.

I have two subs that handle the low end for the most part but for music it feels like something is misisng in the mid to low end. I hear super detailed vocals and instruments and really low bass but not so much the middle lower bass that fills it out.

Depending on how your bass management is configured your subs may not being used with regular stereo music. Your speakers should be able to reproduce the "regular bass", but you can try it both ways. (You still need the subs for the "point one" LFE channel in movies.)

Room Modes also affect the bass and where standing waves cancel, room correction or EQ can't help that much.

 

[voodooless]

If you didn’t compare in the same environment and level matched, all bets are off.

You can’t expect the speakers to sound the same at home as in the showroom. They are totally different environments. The amp just has a very minor impact on that sound. 99% is the room, the speakers and how the AVR is setup. If the Marantz goes loud enough, it’s most probably fine.

 

[Azagoth]

Ok. Thank you all. Yeah the Marantz is plenty loud and for movies the bass hits hard and the sound is full. When I switch to two Channel music it losses that fullness even though bass still hits hard. I just need to keep playing with the settings and target curves rather than spend more money. Appreciate it.

 

[voodooless]

I just need to keep playing with the settings and target curves rather than spend more money.

Exactly! There is a huge latitude of sound hidden there. Getting the measurements done right is also very important. The offered guides on how to do that do not offer the most optimal setup. Check out https://simplehomecinema.com/ for some alternative guides, but there are others out there as well. For a small budget you can also get a real measurement microphone (or maybe you already have one if you use DIRAC). Measure your room with REW, and ask for some advice. There are plenty of people with the experience to help with the tweaking.

 

[Azagoth]

You'd have more power to go louder (without distortion) but otherwise it wouldn't change the "sound character". Any specific sound characteristics come from your speakers, acoustics, tone controls, EQ, and room correction.


Depending on how your bass management is configured your subs may not being used with regular stereo music. Your speakers should be able to reproduce the "regular bass", but you can try it both ways. (You still need the subs for the "point one" LFE channel in movies.)

Room Modes also affect the bass and where standing waves cancel, room correction or EQ can't help that much.

I guess I should have mentioned Im running the surrounds, rears and heights off a Anthem MDX8 I had that I repurposed. Its 60w per channel. I find I have to crank the volume to get to 75db...like +5 or 6 whereas the LCR are right around zero running from the Marantz. I need at least an external 2 channel amp to run 11 channels which is why I used the MDX8. Anyway part of what I was considering was the Fosi V3s so I could hook up the other speakers to the Marantz which has more power I just didnt know if they would be enough for the XTf100s as far as headroom.

 

[Azagoth]

Exactly! There is a huge latitude of sound hidden there. Getting the measurements done right is also very important. The offered guides on how to do that do not offer the most optimal setup. Check out https://simplehomecinema.com/ for some alternative guides, but there are others out there as well. For a small budget you can also get a real measurement microphone (or maybe you already have one if you use DIRAC). Measure your room with REW, and ask for some advice. There are plenty of people with the experience to help with the tweaking.

Ok great. Thank you. Im in my 50s and just getting into home theater and really good 2 channel listening because I have more time and the kids are older or moved out but theres is so much out there its a bit overwhelming. I appreciate the help and advice. I havent invested in Dirac but I think I need to for the long run.

 

[voodooless]

I don’t think the V3 will have significantly more power than the AVR amps. But if you need the channels, they might be a valid option. There are better amps from E3 audio or amps with Hypex modules. They are more expensive, but offer better objective performance and power.

 

[Azagoth]

Ok thank you. I hear alot about Hypex amps. Ill look into it more. Appreciate it.

 

[antcollinet]

Ok great. Thank you. Im in my 50s and just getting into home theater and really good 2 channel listening because I have more time and the kids are older or moved out but theres is so much out there its a bit overwhelming. I appreciate the help and advice. I havent invested in Dirac but I think I need to for the long run.

Before you invest in Dirac, check out @OCA's scripts for setting up Audessey. A little more involved then using the built in automation, but probably no worse than Dirac, and it blows away the built in.

 

[Azagoth]

Thank you. Ive been using it since Neuron but with Acoustix I lost my favorite target curves and cant figure out how to get them over but Im still messing with it. Ive tried a couple music curves but they dont sound quite like I like it.....too mid range heavy. I hated Dirac/Harmon on the older versions but with my room and subs moved around and the THX Optimizer it sounds fantastic for movies just not so much two Channel music. Im experimenting with the MIMO processing too it just takes alot of time to check out how each one sounds but its also kind of fun.....when I have the time. Its pretty amazing what he's been able to do and for free. I looked at Dirac and the full suite is like $900. Its still almost $600 just for the regular a sub. After hearing the movies I cant imagine its going to be that much better than what OCA has done...at least for my system.

 

[fritobugger]

Ok. Thank you all. Yeah the Marantz is plenty loud and for movies the bass hits hard and the sound is full. When I switch to two Channel music it losses that fullness even though bass still hits hard. I just need to keep playing with the settings and target curves rather than spend more money. Appreciate it.

Do you have the $20 MultiEQ app? You can do some helpful adjustments with that. If you don't have that, it is worth a try before jumping to the ridiculously expensive Dirac suite.

 

[Azagoth]

I actually spent a couple hours today messing with A1 EVO Acoustix and got it sounding really good. I needed the time to really try out different Target curves and frequency cut offs and its sounding great.