Help: Integrated amp for driving Boston Acoustics VR3s (floor-standing speakers)

[moh_maya]

I have a pair of Boston Acoustics VR3s (8 ohm., 93 dB sensitivity) which are floor-standing speakers. I used to use a Sony integrated amp (~15 years old) which I need to replace.

I was going to go for a regular integrated amplifier, but given that I only listen to stereo (and may, now, add a subwoofer), and the sheer explosion of clearly excellent audio equipment, I am now trying to figure out what I should get and would be grateful for any advice and / or suggestions you might have.

There is a depth and wealth of material here that I am slowly sorting through - but it is a tad overwhelming

The speakers are set up in a living room where the listeners will be sitting at a distance of ~7 feet. The walls are concrete, but with a fair amount of soft furnishings, rugs, etc. Audio sources will be Spotify / Apple Music for the most part.

I'd like to keep this within a budget of ~$400 or thereabouts. I need to purchase the equipment in India, so some equipment may not be available, or may be 2X the US / EU / UK cost, but I'll figure that out once I have a clearer sense of what the combinations could be. One of the issues is that it will likely be hard for me to get good 2nd hand amps that may be more easily available elsewhere.

I am a science graduate used to working with large amounts of data, but the sheer amount of information and choice is making it a little challenging to figure out how to approach the search space, and I am hoping advice here will help de-muddle me

Options:

• The Wiim amp, which seems to package everything I need into one excellent box - based on the very little I understand about audio tech, I think this will be able to drive my speakers. This is the option that I am currently leaning towards.
• Get the Cambridge Audio AXA25 and combine it with a Wiim Mini or Wiim Pro streamer so that I can stream lossless
• The Fosi BT20A, which seems (to me) to be the equivalent of a Wiim mini + an amp --> which is what the Wiim amp is(?)
• SMSL SA300

Which of these would make sense? Are there any other alternatives that I should research / consider?

(Disclaimer: I also posted this request for guidance on the budget audiophile subreddit: hope that is ok!)

If this is the wrong sub-forum to post, my apologies. Please point me towards the correct forum!

Thank you!

(Edited: formatting)

 

[Inertiaman]

Randomly came across this while searching for some Boston Acoustics info . . . surprised no one has replied.

One thing I'll highlight is that the BT20A is not a Wiim Amp equivalent. There are many differences, but Wiim's WiFi streaming capability is a primary distinction. You can play Spotify directly from the Wiim Amp and avoid Bluetooth for example, which is a HUGE advantage in my opinion (no issue with Bluetooth range, phone calls coming over your stereo, higher quality, etc etc). Wiim Amp also has a 10-band parametric EQ that will be invaluable if you choose to do any room correction. (in fact, the Amp has a Room Correction feature that will even measure the room and apply appropriate EQ, though the results can vary). Wiim Amp also has a subwoofer output and high pass filtering on the main speakers when sub is "on".

A BT20A Pro, especially with a 48V power supply, is a lot of bang for the buck. If all you really need is a BT connection and some clean power, it will suffice for very little money.

A Fosi V3 + Wiim Mini might be an option between the BT20A and Wiim Amp, in both cost and features. You'd get WiFi streaming, 10 band PEQ, and good power for 2/3 the cost of a Wiim Amp.

Any decent amplifier will have no problem driving the VR3's to high volume, they are very efficient and the 8ohm impedance presents no challenges to any reasonable amp. If your current Sony amp is working OK, just adding a Wiim Mini and keeping the Sony will bring a world of convenience and functionality The less-than-high-end SNR performance of the Mini and the Sony is going to have modest or no audible consequence, practically speaking.

PS - the VR3's play pretty low (-3db @ 35Hz). I think you can easily get by without a subwoofer, especially if reproducing super low movie effects isn't important to you.

PS,PS - I'd avoid the SA300 unless you stumble across a second-hand one very cheaply. Many reliability concerns/complaints out there, and the TI TPA3255 amps have arguably left the older Infineon-based class D amps (which the SA300 is) far behind.

 

[moh_maya]

Thank you!

I ended up getting the SMSL AO300, and am now thinking of the Wiim Pro Plus, both to be able to do lossless streaming as well as to try out the different DACs so see if I can spot any difference

The SMSL AO300 is fantastic, and works well with the VR3s.