Simple Amp

[Kyngfish]

Hi All,

I'm sorry if this is redundant - I ran a few searches - but I didn't find anything on this particular topic - so if I didn't search the right terminology, apologies.

A few months ago I was asking about speakers - well, that problem was solved for now. I have a friend giving me a set of Fostex 206s in a horn enclosure. I am sure there are plenty of pros and cons, but...."free" sounds pretty good.

So now I'm looking into amps. The last thread recommended just getting a Denon or Marantz. The Fostex are pretty sensitive in that enclosure (~96db/w), so I don't need a bunch of power. I do have some asks.

• Sub 1000 bucks - and preferably around 500 - but my budget depends on value - my intention is to upgrade within 12-18 months so it's really a place-holder. But if 1000 will buy me something that I'll probably just keep. Fine.
• Should work well with these full range speakers, but eventually I'll upgrade to Salk or something similar and want something to drive those.
• Compact packaging. I saw the Denon, Marantz and Yamaha offerings at my price-point and they're pretty big. I'm really only looking to drive 2 speakers..ever. 3.1 - 5.1 doesn't interest me in the least.
• Music - classical, acoustic, bluegrass, blues, preferably live, or nice studio cuts. Classic rock, the most modern I'll probably go is Smashing Pumpkins on a regular basis.

As a starting point, I've looked at the TEAC 501B which seems like an interesting option at 900, but I thought it might be a bit high if I'm looking to eventually upgrade. Also saw a PS Audio Sprout, which looked nice, at around 500, but people said it was a bit boosted on the lower end, and I prefer a flatter response. Also looking at the Cambridge CXA60.

Am I asking too much? Open to recommendations.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi All,

I'm sorry if this is redundant - I ran a few searches - but I didn't find anything on this particular topic - so if I didn't search the right terminology, apologies.

A few months ago I was asking about speakers - well, that problem was solved for now. I have a friend giving me a set of Fostex 206s in a horn enclosure. I am sure there are plenty of pros and cons, but...."free" sounds pretty good.

So now I'm looking into amps. The last thread recommended just getting a Denon or Marantz. The Fostex are pretty sensitive in that enclosure (~96db/w), so I don't need a bunch of power. I do have some asks.

• Sub 1000 bucks - and preferably around 500 - but my budget depends on value - my intention is to upgrade within 12-18 months so it's really a place-holder. But if 1000 will buy me something that I'll probably just keep. Fine.
• Should work well with these full range speakers, but eventually I'll upgrade to Salk or something similar and want something to drive those.
• Compact packaging. I saw the Denon, Marantz and Yamaha offerings at my price-point and they're pretty big. I'm really only looking to drive 2 speakers..ever. 3.1 - 5.1 doesn't interest me in the least.
• Music - classical, acoustic, bluegrass, blues, preferably live, or nice studio cuts. Classic rock, the most modern I'll probably go is Smashing Pumpkins on a regular basis.

As a starting point, I've looked at the TEAC 501B which seems like an interesting option at 900, but I thought it might be a bit high if I'm looking to eventually upgrade. Also saw a PS Audio Sprout, which looked nice, at around 500, but people said it was a bit boosted on the lower end, and I prefer a flatter response. Also looking at the Cambridge CXA60.

Am I asking too much? Open to recommendations.

Well, I would not apologize for that Fostex system. A good full ranger beats a poor design with crossovers any day.

What horn is the driver loaded in? Do you know the plan or anything about it? That is key. If it is a well regarded design, then it may have a very adequate bass response and you won't need a sub. It will be very hard to match that very low Q design to a sub.

You only need an amp of 20 to 30 watts per channel.

If you want to use a sub, then it will mean an AV receiver or separates, with premap and amp.

Is there an amp you can borrow? I would see how it sounds. If you are not going to use it with a TV, then I would get a little integrated amp, or a pre and power amp. There are probably a lot of good used options on eBay and Audiogon.

You might really like what you have.

The Fostex are poor man's Lowthers. It is likely the horn you have would work with one of the Lowther drivers. They are very well regarded speakers, and they are the world's oldest high fidelity speaker company by far.

 

[Kyngfish]

Thanks for the feedback. It's actually the back loaded enclosure recommended by Fostex. The plans are at this link. Except I actually have to amend my original statement and I think they are the 8 inch and not 6. Same enclosure.

http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/speaker_components/pdf/FE206En.pdf

I don't really have any friends here into audio so I don't have much I can borrow...

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the feedback. It's actually the back loaded enclosure recommended by Fostex. The plans are at this link. Except I actually have to amend my original statement and I think they are the 8 inch and not 6. Same enclosure.

http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/speaker_components/pdf/FE206En.pdf

I don't really have any friends here into audio so I don't have much I can borrow...

OK. So it has a properly designed horn. I think you will like these speakers. Get a nice little integrated amp or pre and power amp and forget the sub.

By the way set the speakers deep in corners, and the bass response will be much better than shown in the graph. This is because the corner will greatly enlarge the effective area of the mouth of the horn. It is the horn mouth that determines the LF response of a horn.

 

[slipperybidness]

Hi All,

I'm sorry if this is redundant - I ran a few searches - but I didn't find anything on this particular topic - so if I didn't search the right terminology, apologies.

A few months ago I was asking about speakers - well, that problem was solved for now. I have a friend giving me a set of Fostex 206s in a horn enclosure. I am sure there are plenty of pros and cons, but...."free" sounds pretty good.

So now I'm looking into amps. The last thread recommended just getting a Denon or Marantz. The Fostex are pretty sensitive in that enclosure (~96db/w), so I don't need a bunch of power. I do have some asks.

• Sub 1000 bucks - and preferably around 500 - but my budget depends on value - my intention is to upgrade within 12-18 months so it's really a place-holder. But if 1000 will buy me something that I'll probably just keep. Fine.
• Should work well with these full range speakers, but eventually I'll upgrade to Salk or something similar and want something to drive those.
• Compact packaging. I saw the Denon, Marantz and Yamaha offerings at my price-point and they're pretty big. I'm really only looking to drive 2 speakers..ever. 3.1 - 5.1 doesn't interest me in the least.
• Music - classical, acoustic, bluegrass, blues, preferably live, or nice studio cuts. Classic rock, the most modern I'll probably go is Smashing Pumpkins on a regular basis.

As a starting point, I've looked at the TEAC 501B which seems like an interesting option at 900, but I thought it might be a bit high if I'm looking to eventually upgrade. Also saw a PS Audio Sprout, which looked nice, at around 500, but people said it was a bit boosted on the lower end, and I prefer a flatter response. Also looking at the Cambridge CXA60.

Am I asking too much? Open to recommendations.

Don't bother with that PSA Sprout! The frequency response has intentionally been tweaked! It is not a ruler-flat FR, and that should be the goal of any well designed amp.

If this were me, my $, and this situation, I would buy this and never look back!
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2160.html

Or if you needed to save a few bucks, pick up the previous RR2150 for $650 B Stock
https://www.outlawaudio.com/mofcart/bstock.html

Either of those is likely more than needed for that Fostex, but you did mention possible speaker upgrades later, so this one still makes a lot of sense.

 

[TLS Guy]

I would buy this for $150. You will have a nice bargain system then. You will always get what you paid for that amp if you don't like it. That amp has at least three times the power you need so you will never push it.

I have a feeling you will really like it. In addition with those older amps it will be easy to tame the high end a little.

With those speakers you do not need to spend a lot on amps.

 

[Kyngfish]

I would buy this for $150. You will have a nice bargain system then. You will always get what you paid for that amp if you don't like it. That amp has at least three times the power you need so you will never push it.

I have a feeling you will really like it. In addition with those older amps it will be easy to tame the high end a little.

With those speakers you do not need to spend a lot on amps.

That's a nice option. But is it possible to get something that sounds as nice with a smaller footprint? Also that one is local pickup only....

 

[Kyngfish]

OK. So it has a properly designed horn. I think you will like these speakers. Get a nice little integrated amp or pre and power amp and forget the sub.

By the way set the speakers deep in corners, and the bass response will be much better than shown in the graph. This is because the corner will greatly enlarge the effective area of the mouth of the horn. It is the horn mouth that determines the LF response of a horn.

As far as I understand, the Lowthers could be dropped into that cabinet - maybe at some point the upgrade is worth it? Lowthers aren't cheap but they are cheaper than new speakers...

 

[slipperybidness]

That's a nice option. But is it possible to get something that sounds as nice with a smaller footprint? Also that one is local pickup only....

Are you familiar with A4L? Some of these may be refurbs, dunno how you feel about that?
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/integratedamp/home-audio/receivers-amps/integrated-amps/1.html

 

[lovinthehd]

That's a nice option. But is it possible to get something that sounds as nice with a smaller footprint? Also that one is local pickup only....

Where are you located? Sometimes browsing craigslist can yield bargains....

 

[Kyngfish]

Where are you located? Sometimes browsing craigslist can yield bargains....

Miami - usually not a good place to find bargains for anything, but I'll look!

 

[Kyngfish]

Are you familiar with A4L? Some of these may be refurbs, dunno how you feel about that?
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/integratedamp/home-audio/receivers-amps/integrated-amps/1.html

Yeah, I checked them out, refurbs don't bother me, I just honestly have no idea which is best at 500, 700, 1000, etc.

Also, my apartment is fairly big, but narrow, so the shelf space I have is limited, hence the emphasis on having something smaller. Really don't want something that's your typical, VCR or double VCR size if I can avoid it, but if I'm sacrificing a bunch of quality by going smaller...

 

[Pogre]

Well, I would not apologize for that Fostex system. A good full ranger beats a poor design with crossovers any day.

Is this the enclosure op is talking about? Is this what could be considered a TL speaker? Or just a horn loaded speaker?

 

[lovinthehd]

Maybe this? Might not have the power you want down the line, tho...https://treasure.craigslist.org/ele/6132528907.html

 

[Kyngfish]

View attachment 21394

Is this the enclosure op is talking about? Is this what could be considered a TL speaker? Or just a horn loaded speaker?

That's the enclosure, as far as I understand, it's a horn. I remember back when my friend built it I did some reading, and for the full range drivers you really needed a horn to fill out the bottom end.

Back then, say 10 years ago, you could buy the setup built for 1200 or so. NO idea how it compares to 1200 setups right now.

 

[TLS Guy]

View attachment 21394

Is this the enclosure op is talking about? Is this what could be considered a TL speaker? Or just a horn loaded speaker?

That is a horn loaded enclosure and not a TL. Drivers like we are talking about are very low Q and very sensitive. So innately they have virtually no bass response. So they need a highly efficient horn to pull up the bass to match the mid and high end. This approach can sound very good indeed, especially the Lowthers. These have undergone continuous development since the 1930s when the concept was developed by Paul Voight who founded the company. His design is widely recognized as the world's first truly high fidelity speaker.

 

[TLS Guy]

That's a nice option. But is it possible to get something that sounds as nice with a smaller footprint? Also that one is local pickup only....

Yes, but it will cost you. I would watch this, but it may go crazy high.

This would also work well with your set up.

 

[KEW]

Both Yamaha and Marantz make "network receivers with CD players" with small footprints.
If this is a priority, maybe one of these would work?

Marantz - $600. Roughly 12" square:

https://www.amazon.com/Marantz-M-CR611-Receiver-Bluetooth-Internet/dp/B013647DN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497988741&sr=8-1&keywords=marantz+m-cr611+network+cd+receiver



Yamaha - $500. 8.5x11.5":

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-CRX-N560BL-Micro-Component/dp/B00FNK8SY2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497989398&sr=8-1&keywords=YAMAHA+CRX-N560

Unfortunately you pay a premium for the low volume production niche markets of these units as compared to mainstream AVRs at the same price.

 

[Bucknekked]

Yes, but it will cost you. I would watch this, but it may go crazy high.

This would also work well with your set up.

your replies never cease to amaze me. in a good way.

 

[Verdinut]

If you prefer a new product at a reasonable price, the new Yamaha A-S501 Integrated Amp would be a good option.
It has both coaxial and Toslink inputs. It also has an output for a powered subwoofer. Power rating of solid and clean 85 watts per channel for an 8 ohm load. It would also easily drive 4 ohm speakers, which means it will not be obsolete for the future. It seems to be very well built. Available in black or silver finish.

Audioholics have recently reviewed the top A-S801 Model of the same amplifier series:
http://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/yamaha-a-s801-amplifier-review