Is my amp enough for my speakers?

[levimax]

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.

The other thing to keep in mind is that DSP subs like SVS have considerable latency and the only way to allow for that is to delay the mains. Getting good sub integration is harder than many would lead you to believe and without competent "bass management" it is going to most likely be suboptimal. I would not mess around with a sub unless you have the ability to use a high pass on the mains, a low pass on the sub(s), and be able to adjust delays.

 

[WideEyedToad]

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.

The speakers are sitting on a TV stand, back of speaker is about 12" from wall. They're not perfectly ear level, but working on that. I don't think it's the level that's an issue. It's the volume.
So it seems 87 db isn't enough volume for my ears. Or I don't have enough power.

I'm going to upgrade my int amp.
Looking to sell the nova65se and hope to get a carina 150. See if that helps with volume.
If that still doesn't satisfy my volume needs, I'll look at a higher db speaker, though I can't seem to find many in my price range (about 1k to 1500).

As for the limits of the speaker size, not much limit, just not huge. I originally bought thr q300 for my bedroom, but now have them in the living space with the TV.

 

[WideEyedToad]

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.

So an equalizer? Do they make decent ones for budget minded people? Like say under 300?

 

[WideEyedToad]

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

I've actually emailed them about their trade program. They will respond by tomorrow.
Only issue is that I only saw 2 models. Carina x and carina gan. Both of which are over my budget. I wanted to spend no less than 1500 at most.

 

[DanielT]

The other thing to keep in mind is that DSP subs like SVS have considerable latency and the only way to allow for that is to delay the mains. Getting good sub integration is harder than many would lead you to believe and without competent "bass management" it is going to most likely be suboptimal. I would not mess around with a sub unless you have the ability to use a high pass on the mains, a low pass on the sub(s), and be able to adjust delays.

Aha, I didn't know that. That there was such considerable latency, that is.

Then my suggestion in #38 is not preferable. Good thing you pointed that out.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I've actually emailed them about their trade program. They will respond by tomorrow.
Only issue is that I only saw 2 models. Carina x and carina gan. Both of which are over my budget. I wanted to spend no less than 1500 at most.

Hopefully, Peachtree Audio will be more interested in moving inventory, and offer a credit to stay within the budget !

 

[WideEyedToad]

Hopefully, Peachtree Audio will be more interested in moving inventory, and offer a credit to stay within the budget !

Absolutely, however I don't imagine they'll offer me much. This was one of the cheapest units they made.

 

[Willem]

I think the OP really needs to read up on subwoofer integration and on dsp room equalization. The simplest option is to get a WiiM AMP Ultra. It has an inbuilt streamer so it can avoid BT as a connection, has good subwoofer integration with high pass and low pass filters, and it has a pretty good dsp room equalization system built in. Plus more power than the Peachtree. Highpassing the main speakers allows for that extra power to be used safely for quite a bit of extra headroom. He can later decide what speakers he might want to replace his current ones, or add a second subwoofer. But for now, the WiiM ultra will make a real difference.

 

[Roland68]

So an equalizer? Do they make decent ones for budget minded people? Like say under 300?

High and low pass don't have anything to do with an equalizer, but they can be combined with it, as on WiiM devices.

 

[WideEyedToad]

High and low pass don't have anything to do with an equalizer, but they can be combined with it, as on WiiM devices.

Haha! I pulled all that out just last night. She actually prefers sleeping in our bed.

 

[WideEyedToad]

I think the OP really needs to read up on subwoofer integration and on dsp room equalization. The simplest option is to get a WiiM AMP Ultra. It has an inbuilt streamer so it can avoid BT as a connection, has good subwoofer integration with high pass and low pass filters, and it has a pretty good dsp room equalization system built in. Plus more power than the Peachtree. Highpassing the main speakers allows for that extra power to be used safely for quite a bit of extra headroom. He can later decide what speakers he might want to replace his current ones, or add a second subwoofer. But for now, the WiiM ultra will make a real difference.

Have this in my shopping list.

 

[Waxx]

Your amp should be enough for that speaker, it's the speaker itself that is maybe not strong enough, and combined with a low input signal from your phone, it won't get loud.

The cheapest would be the Wiim amp mentioned above (and it's also a better amp than the peachtree) as it gives a better input and has almost double the wattage, but better (I mean mostly louder) speakers would also be great to solve this. You want 105dB peak/85dB RMS minimum in your living room at the listening distance to go loud, You now get way less.

And also, that Kef is not a very good speaker, it's cheap, also in design with a very simple 1st order crossover and a not so good designed cabinet so it has a lot of unwanted resonances that i can hear at least. It's not something like the R3 or the LS50 that are way better designed by Kef. I never saw measurements of it, but i'm quiet sure Amir (or Erin) would find a lot wrong with this one when they would measure it.

 

[WideEyedToad]

Your amp should be enough for that speaker, it's the speaker itself that is maybe not strong enough, and combined with a low input signal from your phone, it won't get loud.

The cheapest would be the Wiim amp mentioned above (and it's also a better amp than the peachtree) as it gives a better input and has almost double the wattage, but better (I mean mostly louder) speakers would also be great to solve this. You want 105dB peak/85dB RMS minimum in your living room at the listening distance to go loud, You now get way less.

And also, that Kef is not a very good speaker, it's cheap, also in design with a very simple 1st order crossover and a not so good designed cabinet so it has a lot of unwanted resonances that i can hear at least. It's not something like the R3 or the LS50 that are way better designed by Kef. I never saw measurements of it, but i'm quiet sure Amir (or Erin) would find a lot wrong with this one when they would measure it.

At the time, it was what I could afford. Also, the front ports was perfect for my space.
I am considering the Kef Q concerto meta or Q350, or even the SVS ultra bookshelf.
Nothing is set in stone yet.

I do remember hearing the kefs against its competitors at a best buy long ago, and loved it's sound compared to the others.

 

[Waxx]

You don't need to spend very much to get good measuring bookshelfs these days. Brands like Elac, AsciLab and even JBL have quiet good bookshelfs that are relative cheap. You can find a whole database of those in the review index on this site.

 

[JeremyFife]

Speakers can be personal though, perhaps why OP liked the Kefs so much.
'Better' measuring speakers may sound uninspiring at first. It's worth giving them time - that's for your brain to recalibrate!

 

[WideEyedToad]

Speakers can be personal though, perhaps why OP liked the Kefs so much.
'Better' measuring speakers may sound uninspiring at first. It's worth giving them time - that's for your brain to recalibrate!

Exactly. They make me happy.
When I went to a speaker demo, kefs sounded the best to my ears.
When I setup my stereo, it sounded awesome for my bedroom. But now that it's in the living room, they lack the volume im wanting.

Either getting the wiim or upgrade to the newer peachtree with more power.