Got the speakers! Need advice on amp part

[WalkingBrass]

Thank you all for your excellent advice !
My gut is telling me to go for the 701 + WiiM Mini combo (this silver 701 looks so good !) but unfortunately, where I live it's a war to get one used. Or, I don't know, maybe everyone is preparing for the winter with warm sound haha.
Just for fun, I missed today a mint NAD M10v2 that was selling for 400 euros

I'll wait another day to see if I can grab one, and if not, I'll go for the WiiM Amp Pro for the next few months and will upgrade it once I see a good deal popping up on the used market.

BTW, is there any difference between the 501 and 701 for my use case ?

I haven't replied to everyone, but if I didn't, it means your suggestion isn't available in the used market where I live. But thanks anyway for the help !

 

[terryforsythe]

The better term here would be „perceive“ instead of „hear“, because any differences that may be perceived are based on a mixture of various sensory impressions, expectations, feelings, and experiences, and not solely on what is heard.

The probability that different amplifiers will send an audibly different signal to the speakers is extremely low.

With amplifiers that have low output impedance and are load independent, yes. Otherwise, maybe not:

 

[eddantes]

Wiim Amp is my choice.

1. You are unlikely to miss extra power
2. You have access to DSP to adjust for your room/speaker
3. You have a sub out to add a sub (and if I'm not mistaken - ability to implement high pass on your speakers in the DSP)
4. You have HDMI Arc - so now you can add the system to your TV
5. You have a remote and an app for "couch-persistence"
6. You have line-in if you absolutely positively need to attach some other source
7. You can add more Wiim systems - and have whole home audio

 

[kemmler3D]

Things like "musicality," "airiness," "fullness" etc are unmeasurable...On the other hand it's not a complete swindle: if you get the chance to try out different amps with the same speakers, you will hear differences in how they sound.

With a load-invariant amp that has enough power for the usage and distortion well below -60dB or so... how do you figure?

@WalkingBrass I would agree with others that a WiiM Amp or, if you are looking for more power, WiiM + Hypex setup should check a lot of boxes. I don't think I have seen any really bad recommendations in the thread so far though.

 

[WalkingBrass]

@eddantes No distinction between the Amp pro or the Ultra ?

@kemmler3D The Hypex setup can be added later to a wiim Amp based system ?

 

[kemmler3D]

The Hypex setup can be added later to a wiim Amp based system ?

Yes but in that case the WiiM Amp is sort of wasted, so at that point I'd "downgrade" to a WiiM Pro / Pro+ or even Mini to pair with the Hypex.

 

[WalkingBrass]

Yes but in that case the WiiM Amp is sort of wasted, so at that point I'd "downgrade" to a WiiM Pro / Pro+ or even Mini to pair with the Hypex.

I don't see recommandation for Hypex in the suggestions i got, Hypex is a specific chip used in some class D amplifier right ?

 

[kemmler3D]

I don't see recommandation for Hypex in the suggestions i got, Hypex is a specific chip used in some class D amplifier right ?

Yes, sorry, you mentioned the Boxem Ncore Arthur 2408/N2, Ncore is a Hypex sub-brand. Generally you can't go wrong with a hypex amp.

 

[7jm]

I've had the Linton for 2 years now, still love them.
I drive them with a topping pa5 11 plus, I listen at very moderate levels and find it has more than enough power. The front end is a wiim ultra, but a pro plus is more than enough (have one as well) and you would be better served getting a umik 1 mic and taming the room modes then applying a static ' loudness ' filter on top in the peq section.
I really haven't felt the urge to change anything in the two years and am just enjoying the music!

 

[WalkingBrass]

I've had the Linton for 2 years now, still love them.
I drive them with a topping pa5 11 plus, I listen at very moderate levels and find it has more than enough power. The front end is a wiim ultra, but a pro plus is more than enough (have one as well) and you would be better served getting a umik 1 mic and taming the room modes then applying a static ' loudness ' filter on top in the peq section.
I really haven't felt the urge to change anything in the two years and am just enjoying the music!

Once i get the amp, the umik is the next one on the list

 

[WalkingBrass]

Ok, so everyone, I think I underestimated how fast gear is being sold on the used market, and lots of options I had went away.
Also, I'm starting to feel that I'm turning into my 'hyper-optimizing, best-value-looking' self, and while I like that, it does take time. I've spent the last 3 days going down a gear rabbit hole I got stuck in, and it's time to say stop, haha.

I've just bought the last WiiM Amp Pro on the used market for 340 euros. I hope it will be sufficient for some episodic loud listening, but even if it's not, I'll just resell it and get something else.

So for my initial budget of 1000 euros, I've been able to get a mint pair of Linton 85th and a mint WiiM Amp Pro.

I really want to thank you all for your help, and I'll see you again when I have the UMIK and when I want to add a sub

 

[terryforsythe]

You got yourself a nice system.

I wouldn't wait for the sub to get the UMIK. Even without a sub your system will benefit from room correction, which you can do with the WiiM Amp Pro.

 

[WalkingBrass]

You got yourself a nice system.

I wouldn't wait for the sub to get the UMIK. Even without a sub your system will benefit from room correction, which you can do with the WiiM Amp Pro.

No of course, that wasn't clear. I'm going to get the UMIK as soon as possible !

 

[WalkingBrass]

Hey everyone!
Stopped by to give a quick update. I received the WiiM Amp Pro yesterday, and wow, it is WAY MORE than enough The volume never exceeded 50%—shout-out to all of you who said that this little thing has enough power !

The overall sound still has some issues (as expected with my empty living room and strange walls), but the UMIK will arrive today, so now I'm tackling speaker placement and measurements.

The point is, if anyone is hesitating to go with a Pro for a small living room (25m2) with around 2.5m of listening distance, do not hesitate, it will be enough !

 

[MarkS]

Don't patronize me, Times. All I suggest to our young friend is, if curiosity should ever strike in the future, try a few different amps out with the same speakers. Use good speakers, and a range of different tracks including a capella vocals and something with bass dynamics. If you hear no differences, wonderful news! You save a lot of money.

And I suggest to our young friend that he listen to amps only under properly controlled conditions: blind and level-matched to within 0.1dB. Anything else will introduce spurious responses that may lead him to spend far more money than he needs to.

 

[terryforsythe]

And I suggest to our young friend that he listen to amps only under properly controlled conditions: blind and level-matched to within 0.1dB. Anything else will introduce spurious responses that may lead him to spend far more money than he needs to.

With as much discussion of blind testing that we have in this forum, I wonder how many members actually perform blind testing in properly controlled conditions? For a lot of people the logistics of doing so can be challenging. It may be difficult to find a local audio retailer that has properly controlled conditions and has in stock each of the specific amplifiers that someone wants to compare. I guess someone can purchase all of the amplifiers they want to compare and return the ones they opt not to keep, but that can be a hassle.

As for me, in recent years I have only purchased amplifiers Amir has tested and reviewed. The data he publishes has been adequate for me to make buying decisions with which I am satisfied.

 

[MarkS]

I have done it a few times, but not in the past decade. Those experiences verified what I already believed (and convinced a couple of previously skeptical friends): there are no audible differences between properly functioning electronic components when playing music at standard listening volumes.

 

[voodooless]

I wonder how many members actually perform blind testing in properly controlled conditions?

The people that understand the physics and biology don’t need a blind test. They will trust the measurements and buy whatever they feel comfortable with in the knowledge that it will sound as good as any other amp.

Of the people that don’t only very few will take the time to do this. Some will accept the truth, many will not. That’s just how it goes.

 

[Karmacoma]

Lintons 85th + Wiim amp pro + Umik
Pretty rad for a first audio set up, kudos.

 

[Talisman]

You've made two very solid choices. Enjoy your music and forget about gear.