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solid state amp power

Currently I have an LFD Mark IV (60 watts) driving a pair of Harbeth C7ES-3. I've caught upgrade-itis. I'm thinking about going to the Super HL5-Plus and if I do that I'm going to replace my whole system. The reason being that I want to use a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC as the source, in which case I no longer need an integrated amp. I want to try running the DAC directly to an amp. My question is then, which amp to get?

I want to use a solid state amp but I'm finding it diffictult to find an interesting amp that is not integrated and produces less than 100 WPC. Additionally, I don't want an amp that runs hot at idle. Currently I never turn my LFD over 30% volume unless I'm listening to it from the next room so, even 60 WPC is far more than I need. 

If I can't find an amp I like under 100 WPC, I may try the Classé CA-D200, which is 200 WPC. Is this powerful amp going to be too loud for me at even the lowest settings?

Any advice is welcome.
e91811
e91811 OP
9 posts
 
Mesch: that's a good point about the gain, I may have to email ps audio about that
hgeifman
1,193 posts
 
e91811,  Matching the gain form the DAC to the power amplifier is very important.  In my case, we decided to remove the R141 (circuit) from my Hypex NCore NC400 bridged mono blocks, thus lowering gain by 14 dB, requiring 14 dB higher Bricasti M1 volume setting for same playback level.   Bricasti says the goal is to have the M1 CLOSE to 0db front panel attenuation. If you reduce the volume on the M1 DAC, you cause more bit reduction meaning you lose sound quality. When you connect the Bricasti M1 DAC to a power amplifier, you have to balance the M1 DAC to the power amplifier in order to achieve your M1 volume settings CLOSE to 0db.  


tzh21y
1,377 posts
 
Mc275 mark 4
tzh21y
1,377 posts
 
Very special amp, music lovers amp.  Mids are beautiful.  Fantastic amp.  Hard to explain, it just sounds right, especially with the right tubes.
smrex13
423 posts
 
Just a couple of thoughts...

1.  You don't need to look for a lower wattage amp.  If you find something with several hundred watts, you'll still be fine.  

2.  Just because you don't turn the volume knob too far on the 60-watt LFD doesn't mean you're not using a fair amount of the gain available.  In other words, if the volume is set at 25%, that doesn't mean you're only using 15 watts.  It might be 40 watts depending on how the volume control is designed.  

3.  The LFD/Harbeth is a very special pairing.  I had the LFD with the Harbeth P3s, and I also had the C7s at a different time.  If you like the sound, you may find yourself disappointed using the DAC as a preamp into a different amp.  It will definitely sound different.  If it's financially feasible, I would hold on to the LFD while auditioning other amps.  You may find that you prefer it to the DAC-to-Amp set up.

In any event, enjoy the journey!
Scott   
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