Please talk me out of buying a power amp!

So, I was recently helping my brother pick out a new TV a hifi store in San Antonio (Bjorns) and stumbled into their McIntosh Listening Room. Within seconds, my innocence was lost... In front of me stood a pair of 6 foot tall speakers and a lot of sexy big blue lights. Before my drool could slobber all over this set up, a sales guy was smart enough to distract me before I started fiddling with all the knobs. He stripped off the speaker grill cover and revealed what had to be 40 tweeters! Mind blown. The speakers were connected to what appeared to be garden hoses going into a pair of 600 watt monoblocks. I had never seen anything like this in my life. I asked him to play some METAL and he obliged with Metallica's Black album. Holy $#&*!!!! My entire body was engulfed in sound. All I could say was "LOUDER!!!" He then played some Steely Dan and I could not help but just sit there giggling and smiling stupidly. Needless to say, my life has not been the same since leaving that store.

Anyway, I got to thinking...what could a power amp do for me? Could it help turn me into a puddle in the middle of my listening room? Could it turn my system into a weapon of mass destruction? Or, would it simply separate a few more hundred dollars from my wallet and push me further into this addiction of a hobby?

So what I have to work with is an old Marantz 2270 going into some Klipsch Quartets along with a TT and CD player. It sounds great, but seems to lack a little clarity in the midrange as well as the out of body experience of that McIntosh's soundstage. Granted, their room was acoustically treated and calibrated to sound awesome...mine is not. Would there be any benefit to using a power amp with my system? Would it just take some of the stress off the power section of the receiver? The Quartets are rated for 500 watts and very efficient; my Marantz is rated for 70 watts. I'm not really interest in making things louder because it's plenty loud, but if I could flesh out some more depth/height from my speakers then I would be a happy man.

I also have a pair of JBL L26 that I'm curious about "stacking" on top of those Quartets. I've heard people stacking Advents to get a "wall of sound"....I would really like a wall of sound without going into debt.

Any help or advice is always appreciated. Thanks!

 

Just sounds like a first step down the rabbit hole. Where you will see the sign: welcome to Wonderland (sorry about your savings account).



New or reconditioning your current speakers will likely make the biggest difference.

 

From the sound of it, what you experienced was a matter of synergy, room setup and, most of all:

Money. Lots of it.

Don't chase this dream unless you have a LOT of disposable income. But by all means, try out a secondhand external power amp but under no circumstances should your expectations even remotely approach what you just heard.

 

Why should I be the only one who foolishly throws all his money at this hobby...go for it!

 

Sounds like you want something to shake the foundation. A new amp won't get you where you want to be at least with your current speakers. It's not like dropping a big engine (amp) into a small car (speakers.) If the Marantz has two pairs of speaker outputs then try running both pairs of speakers simultaneously. Make absolutely sure your amp is designed to run both pairs at the same time. If your amp IS designed to run both pairs at the same time, don't go too crazy. You will overheat the amp and it'll either shutdown or be damaged. Same goes for paralleling speakers. I'd hate to see you damage your amp by misinterpreting my comments. Utilize both speakers at the same time and see if that gets you closer to the sound you're looking for. If it does then you know you should be looking for speakers and not an amp. Back in my day, Cerwin Vegas were my speakers of choice to rattle my teeth. Don't know if they still make 'em or not.

 

Yep, the rabbit hole is certainly deep! The JBLs have new crossovers and surrounds. The Quartet's surrounds still look brand new. I believe they were made in 1993. Would it be time to recap them?

 

Yes sir, it was well tuned to sound fantastic. It was like walking into a strip club for my ears!!! I was doomed. As for $$$...each speaker was $26,000! That's more than my truck!!!! My expectations are pretty realistic; I just want to inch closer to awesomeness...a nickel at a time. I'm wondering if the better option would be acoustically treating the room, instead of the power amp. It's incredibly loud already and I never get past 50%.

 

Thanks for your support!!!! I need more friends like you! Hahahahaha

 

Crossovers? Perhaps. Crites lists a crossover kit for $55. First thing is to stop comparing you perfectly nice vintage gear to new multi thousand thousand dollar "rooms". Unless you have deep pockets and are ready to dive in.

Take a look at your source components and cables and do what you can to accentuate the midrange. Lots of smart folks here who may be able to help you get more of what you want out of what you have.

 

Yea, I hear you, trust me. I had the fortunate-but-unfortunate pleasure of listening to a room in Omaha that had over half a million dollars-worth of gear stuffed inside. Rockport speakers (105k/pr), dCS Vivaldi stack (100k), Dan D'Agostino amp ($40k?) and cabling that had to weight two hundred pounds, not to mention power conditioning and room treatment.

It was the most believable sound presentation I've ever - and probably will ever - hear(d). I walked out of that room and that establishment just in awe, both of how good it sounded and how I will likely never in my life hear something like it again. With that said, it's been absolute blast, an amazing project, and quite a bit of money doing my level-best to recreate it in my own home on a budget that is 1/100th of what I heard!!

 

See that's the thing...the McIntosh system wasn't bone-rattling loud (at least we didn't get it up that loud), but even at medium-loud level the sound was just so enveloping...like a 360 degree sonic ear-hug. It was all around me and above me.

The Marantz has 2 pairs of speaker outputs and I will give it a go...gently, of course. I've heard some good things about certain models of the CVs, hope I can hear some soon.

 

Look at the light - do it.

 

Yeah, I had been thinking of crossovers, too, to clean up the midrange a bit, or maybe an EQ. What puzzles me is that even though what comes out of my speakers is pretty awesome, when I plug some decent headphones into the Marantz, it is just WOW!!! So much more crisp and clean and lush and delicious and enveloping. How do I get that to come out of my speakers????

I really do love what I have, but it was such a cool experience to see the potential of what really high-end equipment can do. I'm a bit envious, but not jealous. I've had a great time hunting down each piece I've picked up and make some great new friends along the way. Can't beat that!

I will take a look at the cables. Thanks for your advice!

 

Okay, now I have a better idea of what you want. Knowing what I know of my trek through this hobby, I would do speakers first then amp later. Do a web search for CV, see if they have an in-home trial. If they do and you don't like 'em, you can return 'em.

 

Were they Mcintosh speakers? Because I listened to those with Mcintosh gear and wasn't that impressed with the speakers. That said... I'm a firm believer in speakers first. Not sure what range yours are in but might be the first thing to look for. At around 2000 a pair there are some great options out there.

 

Now your one of us.

 

You forgot the: mwahahaha, muwhahaha, muahahaha...


An evil laugh.

 

Yes, the were McIntosh speakers...$26,000 each! I'm not sure how everything was Eq'ed, but it could have had a little more bottom end to me...and a bit more crispness to make Metallica's guitars sound sharper, but for the Steely Dan it sounded perfect. As for speakers, I'm not looking to upgrade right now. I really like the Quartets, I was just hoping to broaden their soundstage even more.

 

Best free tweak for vintage speakers.Tighten all the screws holding the drivers.They will probably all be loose by now

 

Get some Klipsch Cornwalls & a Parasound Integrated. You'll peel the plaster off the walls for a lot less.

 

OK listen if you buy a new Amp we will spot a dog! Don't do it.

 

Yep, you're screwed buddy

I got hooked on a similar demo about 15 years ago. Three McIntosh amps and I-don't-know-how-many-thousands-later, I have have a system that can give me goosebumps like that. And YES, you need high power amps like those McIntoshs to get that full, dynamic sound at volume. Just adding an amp to your Marantz may not be worthwhile. A modern pre-amp and a big-boy McIntosh solid state will get you much closer to what you heard in the demo room. But you're probably looking at $5K, used, for that kind of upgrade.

And you definitely experienced the sensation that made many thousands of us McIntosh lovers for life!

 

Should say we will shoot a dog. Auto-correct stepped on my joke! Effen' computers!

 

'Please talk me out of buying a power amp!'

OK.

Before buying anything else, try and get the best out of what you've got. Even if eventually you do buy different gear it is still important to learn how to make the most of it, so learn now and you may be surprised how good what you've got could sound.

To get the best sound from your gear involves moving your speakers and chair around, and room treatment. There's plenty of info about. Here's something to start with:

http://www.barrydiamentaudio.com/monitoring.htm

http://realtraps.com/

http://www.gikacoustics.com/

http://realtraps.com/art_measuring.htm

http://getbettersound.com/index.php

There's a lot to learn but plenty of guidance.

Do it!

 

Good advice!