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Amp current - how much high current to go for

Hi All,

        Some of you may remember me from a while back talking about my NuPrime IDA-8.   After three months of break in and a fat ass Silnote power cord it's significantly better but still not where I need it to be to drive my pair of Kudos C2.   I think it's time to move on to a better high current amp.  My question is, how much current do I need to go for.  For example, I've been eyeing

Parasound Halo Integrated - 45 amperes max

NAD M3 - 50 amperes max

Parasound Halo A21 - 60 amperes max

B&K EX-440 (vintage) - 70 amperes max

Mark Levinson No331 - ? amp max

Thank you ahead for the education.

P.S.  I missed out on a deal with Cullen's Cable or else would've got with Patrick instead of Silnote.  Patrick is really a nice guy, highly recommend talking to him if anyone is interested in a power cable.

hifineubee
almarg's avatar
almarg
8,673 posts
 
I’ll second the comment by Rhljazz. Also, this thread will be of interest. It explains why the current specifications that are often provided by amplifier manufacturers are misleading and worthless.

And to provide some perspective, 1000 watts into 8 ohms, which would undoubtedly be enough power to blow those speakers to smithereens, corresponds to about 11 amps!

Good luck in your search. Regards,
-- Al

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
I must agree with the two wise posts above. Your speakers don’t present a difficult load for most amplifiers. Determine what type of sound character moves you and connects you to the music that you enjoy. It may possibly take some time but should result in long term satisfaction. Don’t fixate on isolated specifications like current.
Good luck,
Charles
mesch
1,679 posts
 
I heard the Kudos C2s driven by a Mystere (sp?) tube integrated amp, a 35 wpc amp I believe. That combination sounded wonderful to me. 
hifineubee OP
51 posts
 
Thanks all for your thoughts.  I bought the Kudos C2 based on my listening experience of the X2.  In between I did live with a B&W 805N for six weeks before i had to give it up due to woofer distortion.  Maybe I simply got too used to the B&W sound characteristics.
hifineubee OP
51 posts
 
However, I do notice that with the NuPrime I loose clarity the higher volume I go.  At 55 volume (the amp has 1-99 volume settings in 0.5db increments) setting the sound quality is good but going past 65 the sound starts to get muffled, could it be because of sound wave resonance in my small listening area of 11 x 14 x 9?  Also when I play classical music or John Williams orchestra music, I have to raise the volume setting to around 85 to get just same sound volume as I play pop song at 55 volume setting.  It baffles me why I have to raise the volume setting so much higher but my real issue is that still then I don't get much oomph when playing Beethoven 5th or Davrok New World symphony.  Is it an amp issue or speaker issue you guys think?  I would think with 100RMS and 7in woofer it'd blow my ear drums but I'm not getting that listening experience.
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