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Looking for amp advice (punk, rock & reggae edition)

My current amp isn’t doing it for me. Marantz pm6005 which is class D @45 wpc. Speakers are Focal Chorus 807V. It’s very detailed but a little clinical, my biggest gripe is a lack of midbass. According to Stereophile the impedance curve dives to 4 ohm between 100 and 200 hz which is where I think I the problem lies. All indications are that more power is needed to corrrct this which seems plausible as the more volume I give it the more it fills in in that range. The problem is that apartment living doesn’t allow 100db listening sessions.

So, I’m looking for an amplifier (separates or integrated) that has the current needed to round out the sound. The speakers are staying for many more years so replacing them isn’t a viable option, plus I love the sound.

Im interested in going tube but I have no experience with tubes. I have so many questions regarding tubes it could probably be it’s own thread but it seems to me that people love these more than SS on the whole. I’m open to any suggestions though.

My budget is $2500 (used ok but prefer new)

I listen to punk, post punk, lots of reggae (specifically dub), some electronic, a little jazz and some jangle pop (think REM).

Im looking for a warm side of neutral sound with good detail that can keep its composure with fast music yet be gentle enough for jazz. I like bass, if there’s an 808 or that dubby bass guitar, I want to hear it. These speakers do a nice job when the signal is right.

My analog front end is a PDC with a 2M Blue through a Lounge LCR MKIII. All interconnects are AQ Evergreen.

Thanks
gochurchgo
cleanrodney
5 posts
 
Huge punk and reggae fanboy and here is what rocks my office daily for about 6 hours a day (get ready to laugh but it works):
- TubeCube 7 _roughly 7 WPC from the 4ohm taps ($180 standard tubes & power cord)
- Energy A3+2 (free from a body of mine)
- Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 ($250 with upgraded tube and OpAmps)

When the weather is cool enough, I break out the Dynakit ST-70 for a few hours (KT 88s). Both setups hit the mids you are looking for. 
gochurchgo OP
144 posts
 
It may simply be that you don't like how your amp sounds on this speaker, but the idea that it does not drive the speaker correctly is simply not true.


So the fact that the speaker impedance is at its lowest in the midbass (4.2ohms at 118hz) and that I am not getting the mid bass I feel I should be getting is not related?
kosst_amojan
2,095 posts
 
I would say it's not related. That's not even a tough load for an AV receiver. Maybe that's the voice of the amp, a lump in the damping factor, or some odd convergence of interactions. 
gochurchgo OP
144 posts
 
Interesting. Well if anyone will
pick the one single amp that sucks with their speakers it will definitely be me.

Working on new amplification now. TIme to give that Marantz a new home.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
7,068 posts
 
So the fact that the speaker impedance is at its lowest in the midbass (4.2ohms at 118hz) and that I am not getting the mid bass I feel I should be getting is not related?
Yes. As I mentioned earlier, the speaker is an easy load for a tube amp, and I would *expect* that a solid state amp would be able to handle low impedances better than a tube amp...  IME experience many less expensive class D amps like the Marantz just don't do bass very well so its my opinion that is what you are hearing.

The Big Clue is that it starts to sound better when you turn it up. If it really couldn't handle the load, if anything it would get worse as you turned it up.
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