Amp for NHT 2.5i - suggestions?

[105sixteen]

Hi guys, so I just picked up a pair of NHT 2.5i towers last night, but I don't have an amplifier for them yet. Just wondering if you had any suggestions, especially if any of you are currently running these speakers or have had them in the past.

From what I've read, these speakers tend to be slightly on the bright side, and they like lots of power to perform optimally. Some people seem to use them with tube amps to decrease the brightness, but many others seem happy with solid-state as well. While many suggest bi-amping them, I don't think I would have the funds to do so currently.

I got a good deal on these on Craigslist and probably wouldn't have bought them if they were too expensive, as I am on a pretty tight budget. For this reason I feel like I would probably buy a used amp (so older amps are definite options), but I'm open to anything I suppose. Also, I will probably be using my computer for music so I would plan on buying a DAC at some point as well, if you have suggestions for that also, or if that would affect the choice of amp. Again, I am on a budget, so I'm not sure how low I could go with price to still have an amp worthy of these speakers, but I guess that is why I am posting here

Any suggestions or information would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot!

 

[chris357]

Congratulations!!! these are great speakers, I use them myself. I have gone from using a Denon AVR(avr3200), to using my current amp, and they keep getting better. They are greedy though so the more power the better it seems. I think alot of people on here might suggest going with a pro amp that would be pretty cheap, something like a berhinger ep2000 or smaller? if you dont like the looks of those I had great results from B&K and some of there used stuff you can get cheap.

enjoy

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I bought a pair of these a few months back and really like how they sounded. I swapped them out with my 100's for a few days and ran them off my Rotel 1098.

They now reside with my brother in law and he drives them with a Denon 2310 and it seems to do a good job.

I agree that a pro amp would work just fine.

 

[chris357]

but if you really want to be cool and drain your bank account you can do what i did and get a krell

 

[105sixteen]

interesting, thanks a lot for all of the responses! i will be taking these over to my friend's place on sunday I believe and hooking them up to his components for the day to see how they sound. he is running a pair of B&W 683s with an NAD amp and i'm not sure what type of DAC. I'm excited to hear them with this setup, especially compared to his speakers which i've heard many times.

as far as myself, i think that i will take my time in getting an amp because i do want something that will pair well with these speakers as i probably will not plan on replacing the amp for the next few years. so i will be on the lookout on craigslist and audiogon and what not until i find a solid deal on something nice (and until i have some more money in my pocket haha)

if anybody is curious i will let you guys know how these sound hooked up to the NAD after i listen to them on Sunday! Thanks again for the help! (and any more info or suggestions are of course welcomed)

but if you really want to be cool and drain your bank account you can do what i did and get a krell

^i'm sure that must sound pretty amazing chris!

 

[chris357]

these speakers sound way better than their cost would suggest

you are going to love them..

 

[105sixteen]

Excellent...I posted a similar question on audiogon and got a bunch of responses there also. i may look into the Peachtree Decco dac, paired with a cheaper power amp - B&K was suggested (ST-140 perhaps)

I was able to audition these before purchase, but not for too much time, and they were being run with a somewhat weak integrated amp. They still sounded awesome from what little I heard. I am so excited to hear how they sound on my friend's setup now just to get an idea of what exactly they are capable of!

*BTW, currently trying to sell my Audioengine A5 bookshelves (which I bought ~5 months ago) to get some extra money (only using Craigslist for now). Anybody interested by chance? Maybe I should post them in the classifieds on this forum and see if anybody would be interested there?

 

[105sixteen]

Also, to whoever else has owned these speakers, have you ever cleaned the speaker cabinets by chance? I found the manual online, which says to use a damp cloth or non-abrasive cleaner to clean the cabinets if necessary, but I'm not sure what exactly to use and don't want to damage the finish or anything. They are covered with smudges and what not and I wanted to see how nice I can get them looking.

I dusted them off with a microfiber cloth just recently, but I'm not sure how I should go about cleaning them (which cleaner (or water)/type of cloth). For reference I have the high gloss black finish. I'm sure the procedure would be the same for other speakers with similar finish, but I couldn't find much information online. Thanks!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Meguiar’s® “NXT Tech Wax” and Meguiar’s Microfiber Detailing cloths.

I used these for my JL F113 and for my SVS Ultra. Works great.

Always get the dust off first with a Swifter so the dust doesn't scratch the surface.

Also, to whoever else has owned these speakers, have you ever cleaned the speaker cabinets by chance? I found the manual online, which says to use a damp cloth or non-abrasive cleaner to clean the cabinets if necessary, but I'm not sure what exactly to use and don't want to damage the finish or anything. They are covered with smudges and what not and I wanted to see how nice I can get them looking.

I dusted them off with a microfiber cloth just recently, but I'm not sure how I should go about cleaning them (which cleaner (or water)/type of cloth). For reference I have the high gloss black finish. I'm sure the procedure would be the same for other speakers with similar finish, but I couldn't find much information online. Thanks!

 

[105sixteen]

Thank you for the quick reply! So I'm assuming those speakers (subs, it looks like) have similar finishes as the NHTs? Also, do you just wipe the dust off and go straight for the wax? Or do you have to wipe them down with water or some sort of cleaner first before waxing?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Yes, I cleaned and waxed my 2.5's with it too.

Dust off, wipe with damp rag (water), let dry and wax away. You will need sunglasses from that point on.

 

[105sixteen]

Oh wow that looks great, I will definitely have to pick up some wax and try that out! Probably won't be too soon, but I'll try to post some pictures when I do.

Not to harp on this somewhat minor topic or anything, but I had one last question. Not sure if you noticed or not, but did you have any very light scratches on your speakers? I mean more like "swirl marks" (if you are into car detailing at all), as opposed to deeper single scratches. The finish on my speakers looks great in general, but on the tops of the speakers, when I shine a flashlight on them I can see that I do have these swirl marks. It's not really a big deal, but I was just wondering if something could be done about these (I am somewhat OCD ).

Would a product like this be safe to use? Or would this be damaging to the finish? I feel like the wax alone may be able to sort of fill in these blemishes to some degree also (or at least make them look less prominent)?
http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G10307-Scratch-X-2-0/dp/B0002UNON8

Thanks a lot for all of this great advice, and for taking the time to post those pictures (looking good), I really appreciate it!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Now you are getting over my head.

I guess it would depend on how deep the finish is on the speakers. Swirl marks are common on this type of finish if people, that owned before you, didn't clean them properly and never waxed them.

Oh wow that looks great, I will definitely have to pick up some wax and try that out! Probably won't be too soon, but I'll try to post some pictures when I do.

Not to harp on this somewhat minor topic or anything, but I had one last question. Not sure if you noticed or not, but did you have any very light scratches on your speakers? I mean more like "swirl marks" (if you are into car detailing at all), as opposed to deeper single scratches. The finish on my speakers looks great in general, but on the tops of the speakers, when I shine a flashlight on them I can see that I do have these swirl marks. It's not really a big deal, but I was just wondering if something could be done about these (I am somewhat OCD ).

Would a product like this be safe to use? Or would this be damaging to the finish? I feel like the wax alone may be able to sort of fill in these blemishes to some degree also (or at least make them look less prominent)?
http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G10307-Scratch-X-2-0/dp/B0002UNON8

Thanks a lot for all of this great advice, and for taking the time to post those pictures (looking good), I really appreciate it!

 

[105sixteen]

Haha ok I see. Well thanks a lot for the great info, I will definitely try to wax these at some point and I'm sure they'll turn out great!

 

[Boerd]

I'd recommend a few:

Marantz PM5004 < < NEW ! ! > > Integrated Amplifier | $449.99
Parasound A23 (850 $)
Marantz PM8003 Integrated Amplifier | $999.99

 

[105sixteen]

I'd recommend a few:

Marantz PM5004 < < NEW ! ! > > Integrated Amplifier | $449.99
Parasound A23 (850 $)
Marantz PM8003 Integrated Amplifier | $999.99

Interesting. I had posted my question on another site as well and have got lots of different responses. I think that I will probably end up going with a DAC with volume control (perhaps the Peachtree Decco which has a tube pre-amp) coupled with a power amp.

Now I had looked at the B&K ST-140, but another highly recommended amp for my speakers was the McCormack DNA-0.5. This amp is fairly high priced, but can be had used for around $500-$600, and would be a huge improvement over the B&K. These McCormacks don't seem TOO hard to find, though I haven't found the Decco used as often. However, from what I've seen, these can be had for around $400-$500, and they are actually selling it refurbished for $499 on the Signal Path website currently..

Looks like it would be ~$1,000 for both of these, which is more than I had originally planned on spending, but I think that it would probably be the best option and I would probably not feel the need to upgrade for a while.

Also, one thing that I know nothing about is speaker wire. Anybody care to enlighten me? Any solid, moderately priced brands? What do you guys like to use..I know a bunch of people use blue jeans cable?

*edit: Also, if anybody has any other ideas for USB DACs with volume control (to be used as pre-amp w/ power amp) please let me know

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Wire is wire, just use the proper gauge for the length of the run.

These are about the coolest DIY speaker cables I have seen.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52023

I use these.
http://www.bestdealcables.com/p-151-click-here-for-full-range-speaker-cable-banana-banana-lengths-singles.aspx

Here is what they look like up close.

Anything from Monoprice or BJC will work too.

 

[Boerd]

Wire is wire, just use the proper gauge for the length of the run.

These are about the coolest DIY speaker cables I have seen.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52023

I use these.
http://www.bestdealcables.com/p-151-click-here-for-full-range-speaker-cable-banana-banana-lengths-singles.aspx

Here is what they look like up close.

Anything from Monoprice or BJC will work too.

Cannot agree more - wire is wire. Don't get suckered into spending more than change (50-150$) on speaker wire.

 

[105sixteen]

Cannot agree more - wire is wire. Don't get suckered into spending more than change (50-150$) on speaker wire.

cool, thats what I figured. you guys usually use banana plugs or what? if i was to bi-wire i'm assuming i could put two wires into one banana plug for the amp end?

 

[Boerd]

cool, thats what I figured. you guys usually use banana plugs or what? if i was to bi-wire i'm assuming i could put two wires into one banana plug for the amp end?

If you have the jumper straps then use them - best IMHO (NHT 2.5i manual page 4 figure 3)...
My speakers came with cables (banana plugs) 4 wires of 10 AWG for satelites and XLR for subs.