Help Which Amp!

[terrys999]

Hi all.
My Cambridge cxa80 just died.
I need some pointers from r a new amp.

I was thinking of d class.
I ordered a pa70 plus on impulse, I should have read the review.

I used to own the pa5 that’s in the bin.

Story is I purchased the pa7 plus from amazon uk
The delivery driver handed me the package It was light.
I opened it to find a box of washing powder and a wooden spoon. Haha hooooo
Anyway amazon refunded me , driver got fired. He stole the amp.

I have a few DACs.
Adi 2 dac fs
Topping dx9
And d70 plus with a70. To connect.

Should I get power amp or intergrated with volume.
Question,, will using a dac for volume decrease sound quality through power Amp?

Any pointer to what to buy?

 

[JeremyFife]

Hi,
What's your system: sources and speakers? How big is your room, how far from the speakers do you sit, and how loud do you like to listen? Any other preferences?
It all helps.

No, using your DAC to control volume won't affect sound quality at all (unless the DAC is terrible, and yours are good)

 

[terrys999]

Okey.
So I have ma bronze stand speakers max 150w.
I sit about 15 ft max .
Room is 17 ft long 12 width.

No really loud hrmm about 70 dB from sitting area.

I was never really satisfied with the cxa, seemed to struggle on loud dynamics , ho and the coil in the amp gave a slight hum.
I would never buy a Cambridge again.

I was thinking
Arcam a25
Audiolab 9000p
Topping b200 x2

That’s as far as I have got.

 

[JeremyFife]

Cool, so a budget of around 1,000 to 1,500?
Those are all nice amps, no issues and all will do nicely.

For that budget, and using a DAC as a pre-amp, it would also be worth thinking about (Class D) Hypex NCx500 amps. They won't actually sound better but have loads of clean power and are probably as good as it gets for the money.
In the US, take a look at Buckeye. In the EU, try BoXem or Audiophonics. Plenty of other good companies too.

Plenty of cheaper options too; that Topping PA7 is good, 3e A7 looks nice or a more traditional choice like the Yamaha A-S701 would be fine too.

Don't worry too much about amps, just make sure you can find a measurement-based review to rule out anything odd.

 

[terrys999]

Thank you.
I will do some searching on those amps tonight.
Thank you again for your time.

 

[Golfx]

Nord Acoustics https://nordacoustics.co.uk/ sells the same class D modules in England.

 

[DSJR]

If it's a power amp, you'll need a means to control volume - oh sorry, your dacs already do this, so no need to look for an integrated amp then

For a good old school power amp with decent power output, that's been incrementally tweaked in its long history, the Quad Artera Stereo power amp is one of those you can fit and forget, with great UK aftercare too (the Quad service dept does rather more on old models now than 'just' fixing faults as they did in my day). The 'light bar' on the front should help you see your way around at night too (sorry, couldn't help it, but it IS a damned good classic amp with real pedigree behind it and useful 4 ohm power as well - 606mk2 and 707s go very cheaply and won't 'sound' much different I suspect - the new one has been breathed on a little though, to apparently widen the bandwidth a touch)

 

[Talisman]

I will repeat this as long as I have the chance.
Using a dac of dubious reliability (topping I'm looking at you) as a digital volume control for a power amplifier is a perfect recipe for disaster.

 

[terrys999]

Thank you for info .

I will repeat this as long as I have the chance.
Using a dac of dubious reliability (topping I'm looking at you) as a digital volume control for a power amplifier is a perfect recipe for disaster.

Could you explain?

 

[terrys999]

Thank you for info .

I will repeat this as long as I have the chance.
Using a dac of dubious reliability (topping I'm looking at you) as a digital volume control for a power amplifier is a perfect recipe for disaster.

Dam .
Seems my questions p.ssed people off.

 

[7jm]

Thank you for info .

Could you explain?

Running a dac as pre amp means it's the dacs digital circuitry that holds back the full signal to the power amp.
Should there be some digital 'glitch' then full signal will go to power amp. Having a pre amp stage or an integrated means it's like an air lock with an extra door to prevent full power going to the amp.

It seems that many are dubious of the QC of certain dacs and prefer some security buffer. I count myself in that group out of an abundance of caution.

 

[Talisman]

Thank you for info .

Dam .
Seems my questions p.ssed people off.

Absolutely not, everyone is free to do what they want. I've simply heard too many horror stories about dacs that reset, that do an upgrade, that simply lose calibration and shoot the signal at 0db.
Now imagine what happens if it is put to control a 250/400 watt amplifier that goes to two bookshelf.
For me an analog volume control is essential, if it has to be a digital control it must be a 100% reliable instrument. Certainly not a topping dac to be clear.

 

[NTK]

Thank you for info .

Could you explain?

Some here do not have faith in software implementation (i.e. lack of faith in the competence of the software engineers) to let software control everything.

Many DAC's default to full output volume when reset. If in the event of a software/driver update or power loss or something else, and the DAC is reset but the previous volume level setting was not restored by the software, you will be subjected to a full blast output, which is possibly harmful to you and your equipment's well being.

 

[diddley]

@terrys999

Can i ask you what has happend with the CXA80, it's a relative new machine.
Thanks

 

[JeremyFife]

Some here do not have faith in software implementation (i.e. lack of faith in the competence of the software engineers) to let software control everything.

Many DAC's default to full output volume when reset. If in the event of a software/driver update or power loss or something else, and the DAC is reset but the previous volume level setting was not restored by the software, you will be subjected to a full blast output, which is possibly harmful to you and your equipment's well being.

This is a slightly theoretical risk, it's real but rare.

Good practice is to turn on upstream equipment - sources, then DAC or any preamp - before you turn on the power amp.
That way you confirm volume levels before anything gets amplified.

Something I learned here.

 

[Noske]

This is a slightly theoretical risk, it's real but rare.

Good practice is to turn on upstream equipment - sources, then DAC or any preamp - before you turn on the power amp.
That way you confirm volume levels before anything gets amplified.

Something I learned here.

Why a theoretical only risk when it actually happens? That makes no sense.

My bold - the occurrence is very much like the black swan event. A very rare event maybe, but when it does happen it has some profound consequences.

Anyway, it is unknown exactly how often this occurs. It is known how often it this occurrence is reported on forums. They are two quite different statistics.

 

[terrys999]

@terrys999

Can i ask you what has happend with the CXA80, it's a relative new machine.
Thanks

It's the older 80 not the 81.
It's around 10yrs old .
Problems started last yr randomly switching off
Even when cool.
And it started to hum.
I borrowed a cxa60.
That was dead silent.

I now have audiolab 9000p
I have adi 2 dac
D70 pro
Dx9
And a couple of a70 pros.
Listening to music is my escape
My partner as suddenly developed early onset alzheimer's and dementia.
It's a Nightmare

 

[peng]

Hi all.
My Cambridge cxa80 just died.
I need some pointers from r a new amp.

I was thinking of d class.
I ordered a pa70 plus on impulse, I should have read the review.

I used to own the pa5 that’s in the bin.

Story is I purchased the pa7 plus from amazon uk
The delivery driver handed me the package It was light.
I opened it to find a box of washing powder and a wooden spoon. Haha hooooo
Anyway amazon refunded me , driver got fired. He stole the amp.

I have a few DACs.
Adi 2 dac fs
Topping dx9
And d70 plus with a70. To connect.

Should I get power amp or intergrated with volume.
Question,, will using a dac for volume decrease sound quality through power Amp?

Any pointer to what to buy?

You seem okay with Topping's so consider the following preaamp:

Topping L30 II Review (Headphone Amp)

This is a review, detailed measurements and listening test of Topping L30 II. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $149. It comes in a number of colors. Usability could not be better with positive clicking switches for power/pre and gains. Three gains are provided with the low gain...

www.audiosciencereview.com