comparing power amps

J

johnny33

Audiophyte
I am currently looking at 2 power amps, a nad c 275bee and a elac alchemy series dpa-2. the elac has more power but outside of that I don't have a lot of experience to look for any real differences- any help/advice would be nice
 
J

johnny33

Audiophyte
elac uni 5 floor speakers, nad preamp/dac/nad cd player
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Of all the amps out there, why are you only considering these two? Where are you?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Is there a reason for spending so much on the electronics vs the speakers?
 
J

johnny33

Audiophyte
the elacs are power hungry and I am more of a 2 channel guy getting back into the audio scene-
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
4 ohm speakers, max power listed as 140w. 85dB sensitivity.

What makes these "Power Hungry?" :)
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
These speakers?

https://hometheaterreview.com/elac-uf5-floorstanding-speakers-reviewed/?page=2

How big is your room?
How far away do you sit from the speakers?
How loud are your listening levels?
What amp are you using now? Is it showing signs of strain?
Phase isn't horrible (not great), impedance is definitely low (lower than 6).
These speakers aren't meant to play loud, that's for certain. At 1 meter they can just clear reference level peaks, and that pretty much maxes out their capabilities.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
the elacs are power hungry and I am more of a 2 channel guy getting back into the audio scene-
Yes, I think they are power hungry. I used these speakers in an installation I did recently. The budget did not allow for separates. They were driven by a mid level Marantz receiver.

They sounded I thought good a low volume. But when pushed they had a distinctly "gritty" sound and the receiver that was well ventilated got pretty warm, so I resisted pushing them. The impedance is 4 ohms and a little below in that in the real power band region of 250 to 700 Hz.

So I do think those speakers require beefy amplification and not receivers. I told them not to push that rig hard. I think it will have to be revisited and separates installed. I did measure the FR and will report on this later.

I got this FR from the mains.



That rise at 3 to 7 KHz made them sound a little bright. The experience did confirm my opinion that receivers are basically miserable.

I would not advise driving those speakers from a receiver. I really would like to hear those speakers driven from a decent amp.

I would get and amp of at least 150 watts per channel and comfortable with 4 ohm loads. I really regard those speakers as 4 ohm and not 6.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
do you like/prefer any of the two I have listed?
I don't think I would choose either. NAD gear has a tendency to be unreliable. Elac is not a major amp manufacturer. I do not know either amp though.
I have used Quad amps for over fifty years and stick with them.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Might consiider the Outlaw M-2200, or rather a pair (actually right now they have a sale for three of them for what normally is the cost of two).
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
If you opt to use a rack mount pro audio power amplifier, you could save money as compared with some audiophile power amps. I agree with HD on the suggestion of the Outlaw product which is another good option.

If you are sitting at a distance over 7 feet from the amp, the QSC DCA 1222, a 2 channel Digital Cinema series amp, would be able to drive your speakers without any effort, and is future proof should you have in the future speakers requiring more power. It has power rating of 325 watts/ch at 4 ohms and it will drive loads as low as 2 ohms without a hitch. It has a variable speed cooling fan which you can hear if you are too close. In my HT, I am using three of them and I have never been annoyed with the fan noise. These amps are solidly built and you can't kill them:


These amps are only available through theater equipment distributors. You can find a list of distributors on QSC's website. Also, one of them is known to offer it at a 20% discount: https://socalcinetech.com/product/qsc-dca-1222-amplifier/
 
WaynePflughaupt

WaynePflughaupt

Audioholic Samurai
Someone on ebay is currently selling several used DCA 1222 amps dirt cheap. These are a great choice for a used pro amp because they are typically only used in installations and not subjected to the abuse of touring.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Yes, I think they are power hungry. I used these speakers in an installation I did recently. The budget did not allow for separates. They were driven by a mid level Marantz receiver.

They sounded I thought good a low volume. But when pushed they had a distinctly "gritty" sound and the receiver that was well ventilated got pretty warm, so I resisted pushing them. The impedance is 4 ohms and a little below in that in the real power band region of 250 to 700 Hz.

So I do think those speakers require beefy amplification and not receivers. I told them not to push that rig hard. I think it will have to be revisited and separates installed. I did measure the FR and will report on this later.

I got this FR from the mains.



That rise at 3 to 7 KHz made them sound a little bright. The experience did confirm my opinion that receivers are basically miserable.

I would not advise driving those speakers from a receiver. I really would like to hear those speakers driven from a decent amp.

I would get and amp of at least 150 watts per channel and comfortable with 4 ohm loads. I really regard those speakers as 4 ohm and not 6.
It's all relative, I agreed with Ryan's point that the specs of 85 dB/2.83V, max power 140 W would indicate they are not capable of playing very loud(eg ref level) other than for near field use in a small room.

As such, using a 150 W 4 ohm rated amp seems pointless, and I disagree with the notion that a receiver cannot do the job. If the OP thinks he needs one and has to choose between the two power amps he mentioned, I would take the C275 Bee that to me, is a known quantity. I know nothing about any Elac power amps.

If he is open to other suggestions, then I think Pogre's suggestion of the M2200 probably is the best bang for the $ right now. Get 3 M2200 for $799 and then sell the one not needed for potential a small profit, easily.
 
Last edited:
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
As for pro amps, the Crown XLS 1502 would also be a great choice. No fan noise in normal operation....
 

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