Having trouble deciding between amps

[JeremyFife]

Do you need (want) an integrated amp?

MiniDSP Flex + a decent Hypex NC252MP (Boxem, Buckeye, Audiophonics, Appollon ... big list, check the review index)
Will give you what you are asking for.

 

[Ma-ik]

Do you need (want) an integrated amp?

MiniDSP Flex + a decent Hypex NC252MP (Boxem, Buckeye, Audiophonics, Appollon ... big list, check the review index)
Will give you what you are asking for.

I understood that the Dirac that comes with flex and ddrc24 is intended for correct two channels only, in the dirac it will show two speakers only i think..
Have you tried the Dirac in flex in 2.1? It shows two speakers and a subwoofer on the gain matching screen?
And in general, messing with the minidsp requires a little digging, you need to tune everything before you run Dirac...
With Dirac in NAD it is much simpler, although much less flexible

 

[JeremyFife]

I understood that the Dirac that comes with flex and ddrc24 is intended for correct two channels only, in the dirac it will show two speakers only i think..
Have you tried the Dirac in flex in 2.1? It shows two speakers and a subwoofer on the gain matching screen?
And in general, messing with the minidsp requires a little digging, you need to tune everything before you run Dirac...
With Dirac in NAD it is much simpler, although much less flexible

I don't have a Sub (waiting for a better room!) but the Dirac Live implementation for the miniDSP Flex explicitly supports subwoofers (2.2 I think). Agree it's a trade-off between simplicity and flexibility.
I thought it was worth considering, given the various compromises you are facing.

Having said that, I'm pretty sure that any of the amps you are looking at will be fine and anything that offers room correction and a crossover will give you great sound. You may not even need a crossover if your Sub has it's own DSP/filtering

 

[pogo]

saw that they mention it in their page, though It can take time to be available

The new node is already on sale. The Icon will follow next month.

 

[pogo]

Sonoro Maestro Quantum - Does he have the option to set a crossover?

Yes - the pre-outs can be configured as sub outputs.
Stereo system (default setting). For two speakers.
2.1 System. For two speakers and one subwoofer.
2.2 System. For two speakers and two subwoofers.
2nd order high-pass filter (12 dB / octave)
4th order high-pass filter (24 dB / octave)
Filter frequency between 40 Hz and 160 Hz.

 

[krabapple]

How loud do you expect to play your system?

 

[Ma-ik]

The new node is already on sale. The Icon will follow next month.

The product itself is available, but still without Dirac
Their website says "*Available via future software update"

 

[Ma-ik]

How loud do you expect to play your system?

most of the time 70-75db
85db when I want it really loud, even less

 

[amper42]

I always thought NAD was just about as ugly as Buckeye.
I like the Purifi based Boxem Arthur 4216/E2 and an RME ADI-2 DAC FS.
If I didn't want to connect a computer directly to the ADI-2 USB with Qobuz, then the $90 Wiim mini works well with phone or tablet control via wifi using Optical port on ADI-2.

 

[Roland68]

Try to imagine, you have bookshelf speakers (relatively hard to drive) with the specs I mentioned above, and imagine that you have to place the speakers close to the wall (so it is better to eliminate very low frequencies from the speakers and integrate subwoofer), add to that that for whatever reason you really want the amplifier you are looking for to look good (and not desktop size) and try to imagine that the Chinese amplifiers topping, smsl, fosi don't exist in the world and you want to listen at 85 dB maximum from a 3 meters distance with a budget of 1800 euros, which amplifier/dac+amplifier/power amp+source would you buy?

Quite simply, Lyngdorf TDAI-1120, RoomPerfect excellent room EQ, electronic crossover, subwoofer management, HDMI, streaming function, microphone connection, RoomPerfect measurement microphone, XLR cable and tripod included.
Anything else?

 

[valcon]

Hello everyone

I'm having a little trouble deciding which amplifier to buy for a 2.1 system, my speakers are not the most efficient, 85-84 db sensitivity and goes down to 3.2 ohms, more background on the set up and the space can be seen in the thread in the link:

Advice: difficult to drive speakers, struggling amplifier

I recently decided to replace my jbl sound bar+sub that I had in the living room (6.5 x 3.4 meters, a narrow and open space to a dining area). I purchased Elac solano bs283.2 speakers, after listining them at the store i really liked their tone as well as the design and build..these speakers are...

www.audiosciencereview.com

After a lot of thought I came to conclusion that I want to understand what is happening with the sound in my space, therefore I want the amplifier to have a room correction (prefer Dirac) and crossover with HPF and LPF.
I've already returned two amplifiers and I really want to reach the result that will satisfy me, I don't have the option demo equipment, that's why it's so hard to choose.
The speakers are Elac Solano 283.2.

The options in my price range:

1. NAD C389+bluos+Umik1 = 1750€

2. NAD C268+Wiim Ultra+DDRC24 = 1650€

NAD C268 Power Amplifier Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the NAD C268 power amplifier with balanced inputs. It is kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $900 at NAD dealers (not Amazon, etc.). The C268 is built on Hypex UcD Class D amplifier modules so in testing it we will get coverage on that as...

www.audiosciencereview.com

3. Iotavx SA40+DDRC24 = 1400€ (pre out-amp in)


Has anyone seen power measurements of the 389? It looks exactly the same inside as the 268 and they use the same class d module I wonder if they have the same power? According to the specifications, the 389 has more power both continuously and at peak.
Has anyone compared them and can share their experience?
I've seen some measurements of the 399 but it's less comparable since it has a different hypex amp inside, and tend to believe the power supply is also different.

For the Iotavx SA40 I found only unreliable reviews on YouTube, I did not find any measurements, It's quite new, that's probably why.
It has a lot of power for class ab at this price, what's more, they don't publish too detailed specs, only very dry details.

I would like to hear what you guys think

I would prefer option 2, just because it does not rely only on Dirac or on a product yet to be measured. I have a MiniDSP SHD which I bought specifically for its Dirac Live functionality, but due to some well known issues affecting the last DL versions (see this thread https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dirac-live-exclamation-mark-issue.52443/), I have been using it only with PEQ, hoping those issues will be dealt with and fixed soon. At the same time, no reliable review of the Iotavx Sa40 has been released yet, and beside that you would pay for features (such as HDMI and other digital inputs) that you won't be using if you have a separate Dac/Pream/Dsp device such as Minidsp DDRC24.

So, in your position, I would go with one of the following options (you must decide how to allocate your budget among these components):

Wiim Mini/Pro/Ultra + MiniDSP DDRC-24 (but has it been measured here?)/MiniDSP Flex + Audiophonics HPA-S250NC (ncore)/Audiophonics HPA-S400ET (purifi).

Alternatively you may want to have just two components (without a separate streamer, and possibly more flexibility upstream with plenty of inputs and outputs, including balanced ones), as follows:

MiniDSP SHD/MiniDSP SHD Studio + any of the former power amps. Or, if you prefer class AB, you might want to wait for the review of Topping B200 monoblocks.

All these components, apart from DDRC-24 and B200, have been measured here, and praised both for their performance and aesthetics.

 

[Ma-ik]

I would prefer option 2, just because it does not rely only on Dirac or on a product yet to be measured. I have a MiniDSP SHD which I bought specifically for its Dirac Live functionality, but due to some well known issues affecting the last DL versions (see this thread https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dirac-live-exclamation-mark-issue.52443/), I have been using it only with PEQ, hoping those issues will be dealt with and fixed soon. At the same time, no reliable review of the Iotavx Sa40 has been released yet, and beside that you would pay for features (such as HDMI and other digital inputs) that you won't be using if you have a separate Dac/Pream/Dsp device such as Minidsp DDRC24.

So, in your position, I would go with one of the following options (you must decide how to allocate your budget among these components):

Wiim Mini/Pro/Ultra + MiniDSP DDRC-24 (but has it been measured here?)/MiniDSP Flex + Audiophonics HPA-S250NC (ncore)/Audiophonics HPA-S400ET (purifi).

Alternatively you may want to have just two components (without a separate streamer, and possibly more flexibility upstream with plenty of inputs and outputs, including balanced ones), as follows:

MiniDSP SHD/MiniDSP SHD Studio + any of the former power amps. Or, if you prefer class AB, you might want to wait for the review of Topping B200 monoblocks.

All these components, apart from DDRC-24 and B200, have been measured here, and praised both for their performance and aesthetics.

Hi mate, thanks for the advice
I read the thread, and someone also shared there a link to another forum
It seems that many of the complainers are referring to Dirac Live Suite for pc/mac with Dirac processor, it's a little different in my opinion..others talk about Denon receivers, and only very few cases experience difficulties with nad. And they tend to release updates so it's solvable in any case.. it's also possible that some of the posts are due to user errors that can happen as well.
And the same problems also appear with some models of MiniDSP so it does not guarantee me that there will be no problems.

I tend to be optimistic about nad so I decided in the end to go for the c389, I can always change things later..

I will update about my experience

Thanks to everyone who tried to help

 

[RWEI]

Which amplifiers have you used with Solano?

I'm using fosi v3 mono with solano but don't think it's a good choice

 

[Ma-ik]

Which amplifiers have you used with Solano?

I'm using fosi v3 mono with solano but don't think it's a good choice

I ordered the NAD C389, I'm still waiting for it I will update..

As for the Fosi v3 mono, I think that those who claim that these amplifiers can drive relatively difficult speakers simply don't listen to demanding music..I agree that the solano will probably work with almost any amp if you're listening to soft music.. same for me in quiet moments of the music, almost any combination with the solano sounded reasonable to me!! The problem starts If your music is bass heavy, it just starts to get smeared and they can't continue to keeping the control.

The above response is based on personal opinion and experience only, I have not tried Fosi v3 mono but I have tried similar others

 

[Mike_Trueman]

I ordered the NAD C389, I'm still waiting for it I will update..

As for the Fosi v3 mono, I think that those who claim that these amplifiers can drive relatively difficult speakers simply don't listen to demanding music..I agree that the solano will probably work with almost any amp if you're listening to soft music.. same for me in quiet moments of the music, almost any combination with the solano sounded reasonable to me!! The problem starts If your music is bass heavy, it just starts to get smeared and they can't continue to keeping the control.

The above response is based on personal opinion and experience only, I have not tried Fosi v3 mono but I have tried similar others

When is the amp going to be delivered?

 

[RWEI]

I ordered the NAD C389, I'm still waiting for it I will update..

As for the Fosi v3 mono, I think that those who claim that these amplifiers can drive relatively difficult speakers simply don't listen to demanding music..I agree that the solano will probably work with almost any amp if you're listening to soft music.. same for me in quiet moments of the music, almost any combination with the solano sounded reasonable to me!! The problem starts If your music is bass heavy, it just starts to get smeared and they can't continue to keeping the control.

The above response is based on personal opinion and experience only, I have not tried Fosi v3 mono but I have tried similar others

I totally agree with what you said about solano.

Waiting for the good news about your new amp