Is my amp enough for my speakers?

[kyuu]

The O/P is using the AptX Bluetooth codec and as I understand it, WiiM supports the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, if that matters.....

Sure, but the Bluetooth isn't necessary. I somehow overlooked that the OP mentioned they are using Tidal. They can therefore just use the Wiim as a Tidal Connect endpoint and not have to worry about any of that.

 

[WideEyedToad]

I'm beginning to think i just need a new stereo.
Might stick with Peachtree. They just look so nice compared to the normal metal box.
Looking at the Carina series, likely 150.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I'm beginning to think i just need a new stereo.
Might stick with Peachtree. They just look so nice compared to the normal metal box.
Looking at the Carina series, likely 150.

I am happy with my 1stGen 'Carina', later succeeded by the Carina 300.

The large, visible display of the Carina series gives it an even cleaner 'look'

It appears Peachtree Audio is closing out the Carina 150. I do not know how many new samples they have left to sell.

 

[WideEyedToad]

I am happy with my 1stGen 'Carina', later succeeded by the Carina 300.

The large, visible display of the Carina series gives it an even cleaner 'look'

It appears Peachtree Audio is closing out the Carina 150. I do not know how many new samples they have left to sell.

Currently i see the carina 150 on their site still.
I'm going to ask if I can trade in my nova65se for it, but only see their gan and X as trade, which is out of my price range sadly.

 

[Power Pop 23]

Currently i see the carina 150 on their site still.
I'm going to ask if I can trade in my nova65se for it, but only see their gan and X as trade, which is out of my price range sadly.

I perceive Peachtree Audio still sees demand for gently used samples of their hybrid amplifiers and may be willing to take your Nova 65SE in trade.

Good luck !

 

[WideEyedToad]

I perceive Peachtree Audio still sees demand for gently used samples of their hybrid amplifiers and may be willing to take your Nova 65SE in trade.

Good luck !

I noticed the SE's are difficult to find.
Was looking for any nova 150se or 220se and couldn't find a single one, except on reverb. It was priced really low and I kind of find it suspicious.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I noticed the SE's are difficult to find.
Was looking for any nova 150se or 220se and couldn't find a single one, except on reverb. It was priced really low and I kind of find it suspicious.

Peachtree Audio has an official outlet store on Ebay

Peachtree Audio's Official Outlet | eBay Stores

This is where we sell recertified products and trade-ins. All products are sold factory direct and Peachtree Audio products are backed a manufacturer’s warranty. Bid and buy with confidence!

www.ebay.com

They have sold used samples of their solid-state 'Nova 150' in Piano Black at $599.

I appreciate the External Processor Loop available on select discontinued models from Peachtree Audio. One could use it to route all inputs through the analog I/O of a WiiM Pro Plus to apply room correction for loudspeakers and Parametric EQ for headphones.

It is my perception there is less gently-used audio gear available to buy since tariffs were introduced.

 

[DanielT]

Get a pair of Heco Aurora 700s or 1000s (depending on the room size), for example, and your amplifier will have enough power to get the neighbors in trouble.

Yummy:

I measured the sensitivity to be 90.9dB for 2.83v at 1 meter, which is a bit below HECO’s 93dB sensitivity spec. Even so, 90.9 (let's call it 91 dB) makes the Aurora 1000s a bit above average in sensitivity, and you don’t need a monster amp to get these things loud.

HECO Aurora 1000 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review

The German made Heco Aurora 1000 floor-standing speakers ($799/ea) were put through the wringer with our in depth measurement testing and yielded surprising results. Are these the speakers to get?

www.audioholics.com

 

[DanielT]

Volume. I want more volume.

Get rid of your Kef q300 if you want to be able to play really loud. They can't handle it. Go full PA if you really want to drive your neighbors crazy and yourself deaf.
A compromise, home hifi speakers like Heco Aurora 1000 with 91dB sensitivity and Power Handling (RMS/MAX): 230 / 380 watts will go a long way.
Not crazy loud like PA insane high SPL, but you can play really loud with them. Plus they sound good, which is a nice side effect.
A sufficiently powerful amplifier you can fix later. Good, cheap amp watts are now on tap.

If for some reason you should insist on having bookshelf speakers (choose ones with the highest power handling you can find) then add multiple subwoofer. Of course powerful ones. As physically large subwoofer boxes with as large subwoofer speakers driver you can fit in your home and what your wallet can handle.
By the way; better yet, these subwoofers plus the Heco Aurora 1000.

The reasoning above is based on the premise that you want to play at REALLY high volume.

Edit:
I missed it, TS has a sub: Svs sb2000 subwoofer.
Add another Svs sb2000.

@WideEyedToad what is high volume for you? Can you quantify it? Until then we can talk past each other. High for you low for me or vice versa, you know.

 

[Power Pop 23]

Volume. I want more volume.

The Peachtree Audio Nova500 claims to provide 700 watts per channel into 4 ohms.

nova500

The nova500 is five audiophile-designed products in one: a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a preamplifier, a power amplifier, a moving magnet phono preamplifier and a headphone amplifier all seamlessly integrated into a single, beautiful aluminum and wood chassis that is the hallmark of...

www.peachtreeaudio.com

Peachtree Audio is selling a used sample with 1-year warranty for $1,199.

Perhaps they will offer a credit for your Nova 65SE.

nova500 (Pre-owned)

SAVE ON A PRE-OWNED NOVA500! Peachtree pre-owned products are inspected by our in-house technicians and perform and function as new. They may have minor cosmetic blemishes. The owner's manual and accessories are included. We back the pre-owned nova500 with a one-year warranty. You save money and...

www.peachtreeaudio.com

 

[DanielT]

The Peachtree Audio Nova500 claims to provide 700 watts per channel into 4 ohms.

nova500

The nova500 is five audiophile-designed products in one: a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a preamplifier, a power amplifier, a moving magnet phono preamplifier and a headphone amplifier all seamlessly integrated into a single, beautiful aluminum and wood chassis that is the hallmark of...

www.peachtreeaudio.com

Peachtree Audio is selling a used sample with 1-year warranty for $1,199.

Perhaps they will offer a credit for your Nova 65SE.

nova500 (Pre-owned)

SAVE ON A PRE-OWNED NOVA500! Peachtree pre-owned products are inspected by our in-house technicians and perform and function as new. They may have minor cosmetic blemishes. The owner's manual and accessories are included. We back the pre-owned nova500 with a one-year warranty. You save money and...

www.peachtreeaudio.com

A bit overkill because for the Kef q300 an amplifier power of 15-120W is recommended.

Another solution that could fit TS's wallet. Better then two Speaker BMS 12S305, 12 inch bass drivers in two separate bass boxes. Crossover around 500 Hz to the Kef q300, which then takes over. It relieves the speakers from working so hard.

€267.40IT/piece
Nominal power handling 800 W
Max power handling 1600 W

Speaker BMS 12S305, 8 ohm, 12 inch

Recommended reflex enclosure: - 30 L / 50 Hz, BRD = 100 mm / 226 mm long - 40 L / 45 Hz, BRD = 100 mm / 204 mm long

en.toutlehautparleur.com

Plus building materials, powerful amp to power them up and some crossover (digital or active) between bass boxes and speakers. TS: Let's say $1000 give or take. Maybe around that, provided that a used amp powerful enough for the bass boxes can be obtained.
That IF TS wants and has the opportunity to build some bass boxes of course. Leave that job to a carpentry shop and the budget will probably burst.

 

[Willem]

I suggest you get a WiiM Amp Ultra. At 2x100 watt it has more clean power, a proper built in streamer to avoid using dirty BT, and it has crossover management and dsp room eq to get rid of room modes. If you want more power, a bigger amplifier is one part of the story, but the other part is to optimize the subwoofer. Without a high pass filter (which the WiiM has, but your Peachtree doesn't) you cannot play much louder without damaging your main speakers. Set a relatively high crossover point of, say, 100 Hz and playing loudly becomes far safer because the main speakers no longer have to reproduce the demanding low frequencies. The sub wil take care of the rest. And you get dsp room eq, an absolute necessity for good low frequency sound.

 

[DanielT]

I suggest you get a WiiM Amp Ultra. At 2x100 watt it has more clean power, a proper built in streamer to avoid using dirty BT, and it has crossover management and dsp room eq to get rid of room modes. If you want more power, a bigger amplifier is one part of the story, but the other part is to optimize the subwoofer. Without a high pass filter (which the WiiM has, but your Peachtree doesn't) you cannot play much louder without damaging your main speakers. Set a relatively high crossover point of, say, 100 Hz and playing loudly becomes far safer because the main speakers no longer have to reproduce the demanding low frequencies. The sub wil take care of the rest. And you get dsp room eq, an absolute necessity for good low frequency sound.

Without a high pass filter (which the WiiM has, but your Peachtree doesn't) you cannot play much louder without damaging your main speakers.

True that the aforementioned Peachtree doesn't have it but already now WideEyedToad's SVS SB 2000 subwoofer has this HP feature:
Fixed 80 Hz 12 dB/octave high pass filter on line level outputs.

SVS SB-2000 Subwoofer | 12-inch Driver | 500 Watts RMS

Best-selling SVS home audio subwoofer for combination of low frequency extension, pinpoint control and room-energizing power.

www.svsound.com

Then the other advantages you can mention with the WiiM Amp Ultra are good, or really good like ...eq to get rid of room modes for example.

 

[WideEyedToad]

Peachtree Audio has an official outlet store on Ebay

Peachtree Audio's Official Outlet | eBay Stores

This is where we sell recertified products and trade-ins. All products are sold factory direct and Peachtree Audio products are backed a manufacturer’s warranty. Bid and buy with confidence!

www.ebay.com

They have sold used samples of their solid-state 'Nova 150' in Piano Black at $599.

I appreciate the External Processor Loop available on select discontinued models from Peachtree Audio. One could use it to route all inputs through the analog I/O of a WiiM Pro Plus to apply room correction for loudspeakers and Parametric EQ for headphones.

It is my perception there is less gently-used audio gear available to buy since tariffs were introduced.

They have plenty of nova150 but zero nova150se.

 

[WideEyedToad]

Get rid of your Kef q300 if you want to be able to play really loud. They can't handle it. Go full PA if you really want to drive your neighbors crazy and yourself deaf.
A compromise, home hifi speakers like Heco Aurora 1000 with 91dB sensitivity and Power Handling (RMS/MAX): 230 / 380 watts will go a long way.
Not crazy loud like PA insane high SPL, but you can play really loud with them. Plus they sound good, which is a nice side effect.
A sufficiently powerful amplifier you can fix later. Good, cheap amp watts are now on tap.

If for some reason you should insist on having bookshelf speakers (choose ones with the highest power handling you can find) then add multiple subwoofer. Of course powerful ones. As physically large subwoofer boxes with as large subwoofer speakers driver you can fit in your home and what your wallet can handle.
By the way; better yet, these subwoofers plus the Heco Aurora 1000.

The reasoning above is based on the premise that you want to play at REALLY high volume.

Edit:
I missed it, TS has a sub: Svs sb2000 subwoofer.
Add another Svs sb2000.

@WideEyedToad what is high volume for you? Can you quantify it? Until then we can talk past each other. High for you low for me or vice versa, you know.

Space is limited in my place. For now, bookshelves are my only option.
I've been to a lot of concerts and had no problem with the volume during the shows.
At home, I like to crank it to right before any distortions, and then wish it would go higher haha!
Couldn't i just get a bookshelf that can handle more? Haha
Someone said the tad cr1tx can handle some power.

 

[DanielT]

Space is limited in my place. For now, bookshelves are my only option.
I've been to a lot of concerts and had no problem with the volume during the shows.
At home, I like to crank it to right before any distortions, and then wish it would go higher haha!
Couldn't i just get a bookshelf that can handle more? Haha
Someone said the tad cr1tx can handle some power.

These might be something for you:

MTG Designs - VBS-6.2

The Design: A value oriented compact 6" 2-way with a horn loaded compression driver and excellent sound quality and output above 100hz. Best used as surrounds or compact mains in a home theater or where a small high output speaker is needed when subwoofers will be used to fill in the bottom end.

www.mtg-designs.com

 

[Roland68]

Space is limited in my place. For now, bookshelves are my only option.
I've been to a lot of concerts and had no problem with the volume during the shows.
At home, I like to crank it to right before any distortions, and then wish it would go higher haha!
Couldn't i just get a bookshelf that can handle more? Haha
Someone said the tad cr1tx can handle some power.

But then you're driving the speakers to their limits, which isn't a good idea in the long run.
I've seen many damaged woofers and mid-woofers that were driven with excessively loud bass-heavy music or for home theater without a subwoofer. This puts stress on the surrounds, cones, and connecting wires of the voice coils, causing them to suffer and age ten times more than at normal volumes. Just because a maximum power rating is specified for speakers doesn't mean it's a good idea to use them all the time.

It would be very useful to use a high-pass filter in the 40-60 Hz range, even without a subwoofer. Your speakers can play louder and still not be stressed as much. You'll need significantly less amplifier power, and your speakers will be relieved of the frequency ranges they can't reproduce anyway, no matter how much power you put into them.
You lose nothing, but gain a lot.

 

[DanielT]

But then you're driving the speakers to their limits, which isn't a good idea in the long run.
I've seen many damaged woofers and mid-woofers that were driven with excessively loud bass-heavy music or for home theater without a subwoofer. This puts stress on the surrounds, cones, and connecting wires of the voice coils, causing them to suffer and age ten times more than at normal volumes. Just because a maximum power rating is specified for speakers doesn't mean it's a good idea to use them all the time.

It would be very useful to use a high-pass filter in the 40-60 Hz range, even without a subwoofer. Your speakers can play louder and still not be stressed as much. You'll need significantly less amplifier power, and your speakers will be relieved of the frequency ranges they can't reproduce anyway, no matter how much power you put into them.
You lose nothing, but gain a lot.

Since the WideEyedToad's subwoofer has a fixed 80 Hz 12 dB/octave high pass filter on line level outputs, a reasonable thing to do is to fix a source that he plugs into the subwoofer then line out to his Peachtree nova65se amp and Kef q300 bookshelf speakers.
Source for example:

'WiiM Pro Plus Streamer Review'

Dec 9, 2023

This is a review and detailed measurements of the WiiM Pro Plus streamer, DAC and preamplifier with Bluetooth support. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $219.

While the case is plastic, it still "looks the part" as the Brits would say relative to other more famous brands of streamers. I was pleasantly surprised to see support for analog input:

There is both Toslink in and out and even trigger support (for automation/turning on downstream devices). As usual, you need to download an App to get access to full set of functionality. Upon running said...

• amirm
• Replies: 1,070
• Forum: Home Music Servers, Computers and Streamers

• 

Or go for a different type of solution, for example with a WiiM Amp Ultra as @Willem suggests in #32.

Edit:
Speaking of what you said. I was careless, even though I know it could happen. Missed activating the HP filter along with them and my sub. Now one of the satellite speakers is broken. It happened when I played at quite a high volume with them.

Flea market find so it wasn't a big loss.

 

[Willem]

Without a high pass filter (which the WiiM has, but your Peachtree doesn't) you cannot play much louder without damaging your main speakers.

True that the aforementioned Peachtree doesn't have it but already now WideEyedToad's SVS SB 2000 subwoofer has this HP feature:
Fixed 80 Hz 12 dB/octave high pass filter on line level outputs.

SVS SB-2000 Subwoofer | 12-inch Driver | 500 Watts RMS

Best-selling SVS home audio subwoofer for combination of low frequency extension, pinpoint control and room-energizing power.

www.svsound.com

Then the other advantages you can mention with the WiiM Amp Ultra are good, or really good like ...eq to get rid of room modes for example.

Yes, the SVS SB200 has an inbuilt high pass filters. But that only works if the amplifier has a line level input for the power stage.

 

[Roland68]

Space is limited in my place. For now, bookshelves are my only option.
I've been to a lot of concerts and had no problem with the volume during the shows.
At home, I like to crank it to right before any distortions, and then wish it would go higher haha!
Couldn't i just get a bookshelf that can handle more? Haha
Someone said the tad cr1tx can handle some power.

You'd need to give us more information about that.
Are your bookshelf speakers on stands or a piece of furniture?
What's the maximum size of the speakers? Height/Width/Depth.

You'd gain the most by adding a Wii with a subwoofer output.
Connect the amplifier and subwoofer to the WiiM, adjust the high-pass filter for your bookshelf speakers, and play everything through the WiiM.