Need a good amplifier for my ELAC FS247 stereo floor speakers. Need warm and full sound at low volume.

[raindance]

Get a Yamaha amp with variable loudness or a home theater receiver with Audyssey Dynamic EQ (Denon or Marantz come to mind). Audyssey Dynamic EQ requires running the calibration procedure for the receiver, which is pretty simple. The Yamaha variable loudness works out of the box and has a simple process, in the manual, for usage.

 

[Will Call]

Hi guys

I currently use a Cambridge audio CXA60 to drive my FS247 ELAC speakers.
But I've always felt that the sound is flat and could open up more. I only listen at around 20-25% of the volume. It's only when I dial the volume way higher, that the sound really shines.

I would like a warmer and fuller sound at low volume, with clarity and strong imaging.

Should I be pairing the speakers with a different amplifier or perhaps a stronger one? What would you guys suggest?

Thanks
Philip

My Marantz PM 8004 sound very good at all volume. It is a older model. The current model is PM8006. Bear in mind it also depends on rest of the components of the setup. Such as interconnects, speaker wires, sources, speakers placement.....

 

[raindance]

My Marantz PM 8004 sound very good at all volume. It is a older model. The current model is PM8006. Bear in mind it also depends on rest of the components of the setup. Such as interconnects, speaker wires, sources, speakers placement.....

Interconnects and speaker cables are NOT typically components that will affect sound quality unless they are unbelievably poorly engineered. Speaker placement is very important. A loudness control can help with low volume listening.

 

[Will Call]

Interconnects and speaker cables are NOT typically components that will affect sound quality unless they are unbelievably poorly engineered. Speaker placement is very important. A loudness control can help with low volume listening.

Sorry. I have to disagree. Interconnect and speaker wires are crucial to sound quality if you have a decent setup.

 

[sejarzo]

Interconnects and speaker cables are NOT typically components that will affect sound quality unless they are unbelievably poorly engineered. Speaker placement is very important. A loudness control can help with low volume listening.

One wonders why people with such ridiculous claims opt to participate here. Apparently they cannot grasp the reason this site exists.

 

[fpitas]

One wonders why people with such ridiculous claims opt to participate here. Apparently they cannot grasp the reason this site exists.

I've been told that some people on the internet are simply stirring up trouble

 

[Slayer]

Sorry. I have to disagree. Interconnect and speaker wires are crucial to sound quality if you have a decent setup.

 

[fpitas]

Sorry. I have to disagree. Interconnect and speaker wires are crucial to sound quality if you have a decent setup.

None of the systems here are revealing enough. They'll never know the delicate nuances of properly synergized power and speaker cables.

 

[sejarzo]

None of the systems here are revealing enough. They'll never know the delicate nuances of properly synergized power and speaker cables.

LOL...if you can't find a real reason to substantiate your claims (like how a merger will increase overall profits) there's always "synergy."

 

[fpitas]

LOL...if you can't find a real reason to substantiate your claims (like how a merger will increase overall profits) there's always "synergy."

Synergy pretty much explains everything.

 

[fpitas]

Only if you understand it will make sense.

Those are words to live by!

 

[Overseas]

Sorry. I have to disagree. Interconnect and speaker wires are crucial to sound quality if you have a decent setup.

It is the other way round.
Wires do not matter unless they are not decent, which is pretty hard to get (that is poor/non decent wires). Periodically Amir invests himself in testing cables, in the hope of scientifically identifying non decent cables. Nope, no luck after many attempts.

 

[Talisman]

None of the systems here are revealing enough. They'll never know the delicate nuances of properly synergized power and speaker cables.

I really can't understand this unnecessary sarcasm. To me people who say cables don't matter in hifi have very bad ears.
I did blind tests, in one I connected my dac to my amplifier with good quality rca cables and I listened, then my brother, keeping me blindfolded, removed the rca cable, and I could recognize 10/10 when the rca cable was present and when not.
Even my wife, when there was no rca cable, came from the kitchen to ask me what I had done to my sound system, and that she could hear a night and day difference between when I used the cable and when I didn't.
In my experience, hifi cables are essential, they must be used.

 

[Talisman]

Hi guys

I currently use a Cambridge audio CXA60 to drive my FS247 ELAC speakers.
But I've always felt that the sound is flat and could open up more. I only listen at around 20-25% of the volume. It's only when I dial the volume way higher, that the sound really shines.

I would like a warmer and fuller sound at low volume, with clarity and strong imaging.

Should I be pairing the speakers with a different amplifier or perhaps a stronger one? What would you guys suggest?

Thanks
Philip

Getting serious, the low volume problem is almost always due to our ears. As they wrote to you, at low volume our brain "equalizes" the various frequencies differently, highlighting the medium frequencies and bringing the treble and bass down. The old amps had the great 'loudness' button which did just that, at low volume it brought out the bass and treble again, making for a nice sound. Sadly years of pseudo audiophile brainwashing has convinced us all that this is absolute evil. It wasn't.
Find a good amp with a loudness feature (or better yet volume adaptive loudness) like a yamaha as 701 or similar and get back to enjoying yourself at low volume.
Alternatively, if you only use bluetooth streaming from your smartphone, you can find many good multiband equalizer apps that could easily solve your problem at almost no cost.
For example, in the evening I play background jazz at very low volume from an amplifier without tone controls, what I just do is equalize the signal I send and the effect is the same.

 

[Overseas]

So there are night cables and day cables as in 'night and day' difference?! I knew it...

 

[Slayer]

I really can't understand this unnecessary sarcasm. To me people who say cables don't matter in hifi have very bad ears.
I did blind tests, in one I connected my dac to my amplifier with good quality rca cables and I listened, then my brother, keeping me blindfolded, removed the rca cable, and I could recognize 10/10 when the rca cable was present and when not.
Even my wife, when there was no rca cable, came from the kitchen to ask me what I had done to my sound system, and that she could hear a night and day difference between when I used the cable and when I didn't.
In my experience, hifi cables are essential, they must be used.

Fning priceless.
Thank you, I needed that. I about chocked drinking my pepsi, I laughed so hard. Again, well done sir.

 

[NiagaraPete]

Sorry. I have to disagree. Interconnect and speaker wires are crucial to sound quality if you have a decent setup.

You'd be absolutely wrong. As a new member welcome to ASR but please do some reading.

 

[Pflamingo]

Isn't an AVR overkill and waste for my purpose? Would be better to use the extra money on a solid stereo amplifier? I get the thing about the Audyssey EQ thing.

 

[Pflamingo]

A miniDSP UMIK-1


That depends on how you're currently feeding music into the CXA60.

I just use my iphone for music streaming, connected over Bluetooth to a ifi zen air blue

 

[Benatalaya]

Hola chicos

Actualmente uso un Cambridge audio CXA60 para controlar mis altavoces FS247 ELAC.
Pero siempre he sentido que el sonido es plano y podría abrirse más. Solo escucho alrededor del 20-25% del volumen. Solo cuando subo el volumen mucho más alto, el sonido realmente brilla.

Me gustaría un sonido más cálido y completo a bajo volumen, con claridad y una imagen fuerte.

¿Debería emparejar los parlantes con un amplificador diferente o quizás uno más fuerte? ¿Qué sugerirían ustedes?

Gracias
Felipe

Sabaj a30a