amplifier vs loudspeakers

[concept]

Hello,

My question is one of the utmost basics, so not starting a giant flame war would be greatly appreciated. And before you wisenoses start reply-ing use the search function, i did, and i wasnt able to find any comprehensive answer to my question.

A friend of mine has a Yamaha 1978 CR 620 Amplifier, and 2 B&W DM 4 Loudspeakers ( also from 1978 ). They where booming then, and somewhate antique now. He is opting for replacing his loudspeakers for 2 B&W 603 S3 ( pricerange: 500 euro p/s ), and states that he doesnt need to renew his amplifier. I daresay that his amplifier is a 25 year old piece of hardware, and therefore unable to compete with modern day amplifiers.

Is it really nescecairy to buy a new amplifier, and, ( and this is a fairly general question, sorry for that ) if i want to spend 1500 euro's on both speakers and amplifiers, would 2 B&W 603 S3's and a pioneer VSX-815-K ( from the 1k system set-up ) be a good choice?

Is it better to spend money on a amplifier, or can a 100 euro amplifier and a 1400 euro Speaker outrun a 500 euro amplifier and a 1000 euro Speaker?

 

[markw]

Your buddy is right.

Those "antique" amps preform at least as well as modern amps.

To equal or better it's performance with a modern amp will cost a pretty penny more than you would think.

 

[jaxvon]

There are a lot of vintage amps that will stomp the circuits out of newer amps. Take the Old Bose amp that MacManNM recently acquired....unlike the Bose crap you can buy now, this amp is a BEAST and sounds great. I have an old Yammie reciever and it too sounds great.

 

[JoeE SP9]

My vintage Hafler, Adcom and ancient Dynaco amps work quite well thank you. The Hafler and Adcom have driven any and every load that has ever been thrown at them. I don't have to worry about what impedence my speakers are. I just buy and use what I want and am never concerned if my speakers are 4ohm or whatever. My Dynaco tubes are a different case. They have only the input and output transformers and the output tube type in common with what they started as. Those transformers are now more than 40 years old.

 

[MacManNM]

Older amps.

I truly believe some of the best amps came from the 70's and 80's. I believe this because amplifier technology hasn't changed since then. Everyone had 2 ch back then and amps actually delivered what their specs said. The audio industry had honor then. I've fixed enough of the new and old stuff to know quality. I think the older stuff is of higher quality in general.

 

[concept]

Well i must admit that i am pretty amazed by these reply's. How is it possible that the hardware in amplifiers didnt change significantly in 25 years?

The specs of the Yamaha CR 620:

Continious RMS power 50 watt ( 4 ohm )
( both channels driven: 1 khz ) 40 watt ( 8 ohm )

Input sensitivity/Impedance 2
Phono: mV/5 kOhm
Aux: 120 mV 45kOhm

And some more figures, but i dont know wich ones to post.

Would this be enough to use fully exploit the 2 B&W 603 S3's ? Or is it wiser to spend 300 or 500 on a hefty CAD or Pioneer Amplifier?

 

[MacManNM]

Well i must admit that i am pretty amazed by these reply's. How is it possible that the hardware in amplifiers didnt change significantly in 25 years?

I never said that the hardware was the same. The basic design of an amplifier circuit is the same as it was 30 years ago. Some mfgrs have moved to switching power supplies to try and cut corners, but most everyone else still uses a full wave rect, and huge caps in the PS.

The specs of the Yamaha CR 620:

Continious RMS power 50 watt ( 4 ohm )
( both channels driven: 1 khz ) 40 watt ( 8 ohm )

Input sensitivity/Impedance 2
Phono: mV/5 kOhm
Aux: 120 mV 45kOhm

And some more figures, but i dont know wich ones to post.

Would this be enough to use fully exploit the 2 B&W 603 S3's ? Or is it wiser to spend 300 or 500 on a hefty CAD or Pioneer Amplifier?[/QUOTE]

Fully exploit? I'm not sure what you mean. It will drive those speakers. In a larger room you will notice the dynamic range limitations of the amp. Actually I just looked that up on e-bay. It is a pretty good unit. I'd try it and see how it sounds.

 

[philh]

There are a lot of vintage amps that will stomp the circuits out of newer amps. Take the Old Bose amp that MacManNM recently acquired....unlike the Bose crap you can buy now, this amp is a BEAST and sounds great. I have an old Yammie reciever and it too sounds great.

I absolutely hated parting with my old receiver. Didn't have the room to continue storing it. For two channel music it was awesome. Unfortunately it didn't make sense for HT.

 

[cornelius]

If I wanted to hang on to an amplifier, I'd lug it to my local store, hook it up to the speakers I'm interested in, and do an A/B comparison with the new amps. If the old amp stands up to the new gear, then your question is answered, and you can walk out with your new speakers.

I bought my latest integrated used. I asked the salesman if it would compare to my then new, Arcam. He said to try it and see. He was right, it buried the Arcam (but I will say the Arcam was a huge improvement over my old Yamaha receiver, so you need to listen to the gear).

 

[concept]

Hmm, i suppose thats indeed the most sensible thing to do. Thanks for your advices, they where extremely helpfull.

Greetings

Concept