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McCormack pres/amps and Steve's mods

I have a DNA .5 Rev A and absolutely love it. I may never part with it. Right now, 100wx2 should be plenty for the nOrh mini 9.0's I have coming. But what happens when I want or need more power? Do I go with a matched pair of DNA .5 monoblocks, or a DNA-1 Rev. A?

On that note, does a DNA.5 Rev A sound the same as the DNA-1 Rev A or DNA-2 Rev A?

And what should be the next upgrade based on the nOrh speakers - having Steve upgrade my stock RLD-1, or adding/upgrading the amp?

It's nice to get an idea of where my upgrading will go so I can set appropriate savings goals. :)
aggielaw
phd
1,008 posts
 
Steve McCormack, it is always excellent to hear from you! The mono blocks really do make alot of sense. I would think they would be the final solution to an great sounding system, as many audiophiles will agree. In regards to the vertical bi-amping, I have a question. I have biampable speakers. Once the bridging straps are removed the maximum output power to the high frequency drivers cannot exceed 50 watts & the low frequency drivers 100 watts. Can I safely drive these different drivers with the same output power? If not what are your recommendations? Thanks
stevemcx
159 posts
 
Hi Phd -

I suspect you mean to say that your speakers are "bi-wireable." This simply means that separate inputs are provided for the high-pass and low-pass sections of the internal crossover network. To say that they are "bi-ampable" suggests that they have a separate set of inputs that bypass the internal crossover and connect directly to the drivers, and this is very unusual.

If they are bi-wireable as I suspect, the maximum power the drivers can absorb stays the same whether-or-not the jumpers are installed.

Speaker power ratings are notoriously vague. To say "the high frequency drivers cannot exceed 50 watts" doesn't really provide much useful information. We need to know if they are talking about peak or average power, under what conditions, and for how long in order to have some understanding of what the limits actually are. If the manufacturer is suggesting that the tweeters can handle up to 50 Watts RMS for any appreciable length of time, that is a *LOT* of power for a tweeter!

In any event, the answer to your question is yes - you can safely drive both inputs from the same amplifier. The vast majority of our listening is done at relatively low *average* power - just a few Watts, typically. Peak power may be quite high, but only for a fleeting instant. Your speakers will handle this without any problem.

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
www.SMcAudio.com
phd
1,008 posts
 
Hi Steve, thanks for your response.
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