Watts Per Channel

[Philip H G]

I currently have the following gear:
McIntosh MX160
NAD Master Series 7 channel 180 WPC Class D amp
B&W 803 D3 speakers - LRC and 607 surrouinds

I am thinking of using a new NAD M22 V2 Class D 300 WPC to power the mains.

But, will I get improved audio or wasting my money.

 

[lovinthehd]

Do you need the extra 2.2 dB or so? Don't know why it would "improve" the audio otherwise. Have you figured out how much power you typically use? Might try an spl calculator http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

 

[Philip H G]

Do you need the extra 2.2 dB or so? Don't know why it would "improve" the audio otherwise. Have you figured out how much power you typically use? Might try an spl calculator http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

 

[Philip H G]

I guess that is my point. I like listening at reference levels. I get plenty of volume now. What I am after is cleaner sound. Would the sound at 300 wpc appear less stressed - like an 8 cylinder engine vs a 4 cylinder. I have a large listening room. 35 x 20 with 10 ft ceiling.

 

[lovinthehd]

I guess that is my point. I like listening at reference levels. I get plenty of volume now. What I am after is cleaner sound. Would the sound at 300 wpc appear less stressed - like an 8 cylinder engine vs a 4 cylinder. I have a large listening room. 35 x 20 with 10 ft ceiling.

Maybe. How far away are the speakers from your primary listening position? Did you estimate current needs with the spl calculator? The extra headroom may not yield any audible benefits....and unused power is just that, unused.

 

[Verdinut]

I guess that is my point. I like listening at reference levels. I get plenty of volume now. What I am after is cleaner sound. Would the sound at 300 wpc appear less stressed - like an 8 cylinder engine vs a 4 cylinder. I have a large listening room. 35 x 20 with 10 ft ceiling.

I strongly doubt you would get a difference in sound quality with any good capable amplifier. You already have good amps. Have you tried the SPL Calculator suggested by HD?

 

[Philip H G]

I am about 12 feet away from the speakers. Would I drive the speakers deep moire easily and wouild the highs be more detailed and cleaner? My thought is the speakers would not be pushed at higher levels. If you know the MX160, my volumes is set at 14 to 18 depending on the content.

 

[Verdinut]

I am about 12 feet away from the speakers. Would I drive the speakers deep moire easily and wouild the highs be more detailed and cleaner? My thought is the speakers would not be pushed at higher levels. If you know the MX160, my volumes is set at 14 to 18 depending on the content.

With the SPL Calculator, how many watts do you need to obtain the maximun SPL which you usually listen to? If the power required falls within the power rating per channel of your existing amps, they don't distort at those levels and you won't hear any difference with a more powerful amp.

 

[lovinthehd]

Hard to know what your pre-amp volume dial indicators mean, nor what you mean by reference level unless you're talking about movies that follow the THX standard. Using the spl calculator I get a peak range of 104-107 dB with 180wpc (using 2 speakers, no boundary reinforcement). The speakers seem to have the power handling capability in any case. Does all content sound dirty/non-detailed now?

 

[Philip H G]

SPL is about 80 at primary listening position.

 

[lovinthehd]

SPL is about 80 at primary listening position.

I doubt the additional power will do anything for you if you have average level of 80, even allowing for 20dB peaks....

 

[Philip H G]

I like to listen to music at the level I would hear in a concert. I am a musician, old school, and I like hearing the sounds as though they were right in the room with me. Having played in various musical groups to symphony orchestra, I am trying to get as close to that as I can. I love the sound I now get out of my system, but I am trying to get more of that real instrument quality. I get closer to it at higher volumes, depending on the quality of the content, but I have heard these speakers with 500 watt amps and there is a difference, not just in volume. There is a more complete sound. By complete, I mean closer to the real instrument live. That is what I am trying to reach. Sometimes to play louder, the sound appears stressed - too far a reach. Also in my gear I have an Aurender server. I have move my cds to that and listen to 2 channel through that setup using a USB audio cable connected to my McIntosh.

 

[Movie2099]

I wo

I currently have the following gear:
McIntosh MX160
NAD Master Series 7 channel 180 WPC Class D amp
B&W 803 D3 speakers - LRC and 607 surrouinds

I am thinking of using a new NAD M22 V2 Class D 300 WPC to power the mains.

But, will I get improved audio or wasting my money.

You should check ATI 54 series class D amps. You can’t go wrong with these amps and they will give those B&W’s plenty of juice to crank it up.

 

[Truthslayer]

Part of it is as you stated the quality of the recording.
The other is, the 300 watt amp you speak of isn't going to add much as Lovinthehd said.
So to achieve what you are wanting, you may need to step up to a higher powered amp like the 500 watts you said you had already heard them on. But the 300 watts isn't going to het you where you want, it would be wasting money only leaving you wanting more.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you think a 500W amp is the difference in what you heard somewhere else.....that's an expensive bet but if you want to erase your doubts, even if it turns out only to be a placebo, get the 500W amp.....

 

[Philip H G]

That was my answer. The 300 might not be enough to make the difference I am looking for. I will check out ATI . The 500 WPC amp really opened up the sound but I wasn't sure I needed to go that far. Thanks for the conversation.

 

[highfigh]

I guess that is my point. I like listening at reference levels. I get plenty of volume now. What I am after is cleaner sound. Would the sound at 300 wpc appear less stressed - like an 8 cylinder engine vs a 4 cylinder. I have a large listening room. 35 x 20 with 10 ft ceiling.

If you like it loud, kiss your hearing goodbye because hearing loss isn't avoidable.

I would like B&W to provide long term power handling capability, though- I only see an amplifier power recommendation.

In order to think you don't have clean sound, you need to know if/how distorted it is- if you don't know this, I think it's safe to assume that something else is cause issues, like the room's acoustics. If the room has a lot of reflective surfaces, more power/higher SPL will cause longer reflections and that's a problem.

 

[PENG]

I am about 12 feet away from the speakers. Would I drive the speakers deep moire easily and wouild the highs be more detailed and cleaner? My thought is the speakers would not be pushed at higher levels. If you know the MX160, my volumes is set at 14 to 18 depending on the content.

The MC303 should be able to do a good job but may as good with the MC462+MC301 so you won't be second guessing after the fact. Or the MC257 to bi-amp the LCR. Regardless, I won't use those class D NAD amp for the 803 D3, that's just me.. I do trust Bryston's can do a good job with the B&W Diamonds too.

 

[eljr]

I currently have the following gear:
McIntosh MX160
NAD Master Series 7 channel 180 WPC Class D amp
B&W 803 D3 speakers - LRC and 607 surrouinds

I am thinking of using a new NAD M22 V2 Class D 300 WPC to power the mains.

But, will I get improved audio or wasting my money.

Don't do it.

Save your money an get 500 watts from someone like McIntosh.

It's just me but I don't like to mix mid-fi and high-fi. The decibel differance from the Nad's is of little consequence so why waste the money?

 

[lovinthehd]

Don't do it.

Save your money an get 500 watts from someone like McIntosh.

It's just me but I don't like to mix mid-fi and high-fi. The decibel differance from the Nad's is of little consequence so why waste the money?

Save money and get McIntosh doesn't make a lot of sense, watts are watts, and mid-fi is an idiotic marketing terms the 'phool reviewers came up with to somehow say less expensive gear isn't as "hi-fi" which is patent nonsense. I'd rather have most any other amp myself, no desire to have output transformers in play.