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Integrated amp recommendation around 3k (I need more power!)

Hi everyone,

Yep, another of those "which amp would you recommend" questions.  My system is settling in very nicely recently.  I've bounced around with speakers quite a bit, but I keep returning to little Harbeth P3esr.  They fit my room well and sound beautiful. However, they have a sensitivity of only 83db.  Right now, my system is comprised of the following:  VPI Traveler Turntable w/Clearaudio Maestro V2 cartridge, Croft RIAA phono stage, and the LFD LE V integrated.  As nice as the LFD is sonically, it just falls a bit short on power 65wpc into 8ohms) with the little Harbeths.

So, I'm looking to move to a more powerful integrated amp.  I'm certainly not a headbanger (or I'd have different speakers), but I would like to have ample headroom and current to maximize the P3s.  I'm looking at a budget of around $3k, used or new.  As I have an all analog 2-channel rig, I don't need a DAC, subwoofer outs, tone controls, balance, etc.  Heck, don't even care about a remote.  Just good, clean, dynamic power. 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

Best, Scott
smrex13
almarg's avatar
almarg
8,673 posts
 
Hi Scott,

Glad I was helpful on the load capacitance/phono cable issue.

Best of luck with the new amp. A question, though. I see that the Wells Audio Majestic has a specified gain of 30 db, which is on the low side for an integrated amp. A gain spec or measurement doesn’t seem to be available for your present LFD amp, but I would suspect that it is somewhat higher. Therefore you’ll probably find yourself setting the volume control on the new amp to a somewhat higher position than you have been using on the LFD.

If with the LFD amp you don’t find yourself using settings above say 2 o’clock or so when you are listening with your Croft phono stage I’d feel pretty certain that there won’t be a problem. (And there certainly won’t be a problem with digital sources). But if you’ve used settings at 3 o’clock or more I’d have some concern.

Best regards,
-- Al

smrex13 OP
423 posts
 
@erndog - definitely - will have you over for some listening once I get it all dialed in.

@almarg - hadn't even thought about the issue you raise.  I don't often see gain specs for an integrated amp, so it didn't cross my mind.  With the LFD I didn't listen above 12 o'clock, but that wasn't due to volume.  Rather, the sound started to deteriorate (clipping, I guess) beyond that.  However, 12:00 was a reasonable volume level, so I'm hoping that the Wells will not be a problem.  Fingers crossed...

Scott
tbg
5,263 posts
 
With my Tidal speakers initially I had a Reimyo 300B amp. It have too little power. I got an LSA Statement Plus integrated amp and was quite happy. There are several for sale on the internet.

smrex13 OP
423 posts
 
Just as a follow up- the Majestic arrived today, and apart from the odd feature that you can't turn it on without the remote, it is a beautiful piece in every respect - visually and sonically.  I'm sure it will sound even better after it's powered up for a few days, but even right out of the box it sounds great.  The gain is more than sufficient with my Croft phono stage.  Looking forward to some long listening sessions over the next few days...

Thanks again to everyone for their input!
Best, Scott
smrex13 OP
423 posts
 
@almarg - (and anyone else who wants to chime in) Just wanted to follow up on the question of gain, as I'm a bit confused by the whole gain structure of my set up and how much gain I should be looking for in an integrated amp.  I did find the Wells to provide a little less gain than I would have liked.  I have some general questions about the issue:

-How much more gain (above the 30db) would make a significant difference?  For example, I see the Creek 100A has a gain spec of just over 33.  Is that enough to matter.

-Would a higher gain preamp/power amp combo give me more options to address the issue?

-Is the Croft phono stage contributing to the problem?  Would a different phono stage with different specs help the matter?  

Thanks for any thought you all might have.

Best, Scott
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