Getting an Amp for My Apartment

[delarocha420]

Hello! I'm a broke college student looking to buy an amp to power my two monitor speakers. I'm looking for something that will be loud enough so I can have friends over to party and for future use. I built these speakers in high school so they aren't name brand. I don't know the specs of em but they are about 1 ft high, and are currently hooked up to my parents' Kenwood KM-106 power amp. I can hear em through the whole house when the volume is just a quarter up.



I kinda lost trying to find a decent power amp for around $100. I want something that I can plug my ipod/laptop into using a Y cable. Here are some options I was considering. Sorry I can't post links, my post count is under 5

Polk Audio PSW Series PSW10 Black 10-inch Powered Subwoofer
I'm not entirely sure if this setup would work without a power amp. I assume so because it is a powered subwoofer, but I may be wrong. This got pretty good reviews and if I can get a decent sub without a power amp, I'd be happy.

LP-2020A+ Lepai Tripath Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with Power SupplyThis got really good reviews, but I'm worried that it wont be loud enough.

Pyle PT3300 3000 Watt Power Amplifier or Pyle Home PTAU45 Mini 2x120 Watt Stereo Power Amplifier with USB/CD/AUX Inputs
Also considering these Pyle amps, though I haven't heard many good reviews of Pyle


Any input or recommendation is greatly appreciated!

 

[brianedm]

Hello! I'm a broke college student looking to buy an amp to power my two monitor speakers. I'm looking for something that will be loud enough so I can have friends over to party and for future use. I built these speakers in high school so they aren't name brand but here are the specs:



I kinda lost trying to find a decent power amp for around $100. I want something that I can plug my ipod/laptop into using a Y cable. Here are some options I was considering. Sorry I can't post links, my post count is under 5

Polk Audio PSW Series PSW10 Black 10-inch Powered Subwoofer
I'm not entirely sure if this setup would work without a power amp. I assume so because it is a powered subwoofer, but I may be wrong. This got pretty good reviews and if I can get a decent sub without a power amp, I'd be happy.

LP-2020A+ Lepai Tripath Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with Power SupplyThis got really good reviews, but I'm worried that it wont be loud enough.

Pyle PT3300 3000 Watt Power Amplifier or Pyle Home PTAU45 Mini 2x120 Watt Stereo Power Amplifier with USB/CD/AUX Inputs
Also considering these Pyle amps, though I haven't heard many good reviews of Pyle


Any input or recommendation is greatly appreciated!

Have no experience with amps really, but that sub won't be able to power any other speakers besides the sub.

 

[delarocha420]

Have no experience with amps really, but that sub won't be able to power any other speakers besides the sub.

ok cool. seemed too good to be true anyway haha

 

[ImcLoud]

Honestly, I would stay away from the tripath because it wont be enough power and you will not be happy with the volume levels it will or will not achieve...

I would look into a class a/b or class d amplifier, I think your best bet would be an apa150 Dayton Audio APA150 150W Power Amplifier 300-812

you will just need a 3.5mm x rca y cable this will go from ipod headphone jack to apa150s inputs Amazon.com: Monoprice 10ft Designed for Mobile 3.5mm Stereo to RCA Stereo Cable (Gold Plated) - White: Electronics
then an rca y cable {this will plug into your sub directly in both l and r on the back of the subwoofer} Amazon.com: Monster ILJRY-1 F Single Female RCA to Dual Male RCA Y-Adapter: Electronics

then an rca to go from the apa150s output {left } to that subs Y cable Amazon.com: Mediabridge 6 feet Ultra Series - Dual Shielded Subwoofer Cable - RCA to RCA Gold Plated Pro Grade Connectors: Electronics

you can buy which ever cables but that is generally it...

the apa150 is an ab class amp and IMO gives a the best sound for the money and isnt hard on components.. class D on the other hand I have only heard a couple I like and them are Crowns {behringer has made some nice ones too, but the xls crowns are really nice for the money}, so an xls1000 would be the cheapest one I would run and while its more power its also more money but sometimes you can find them used cheap http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crown-XLS1000-DriveCore-Power-/321047282849?pt=US_Pro_Audio_Speakers_Monitors&hash=item4abfe8c4a1 Now, most likely your speakers wont like the class d power and so much of it, like I said the 150w the apa150 puts out will serve you well, and control the volume for you with no further parts needed...

 

[delarocha420]

thanks for the advice. The Daytons look good, but still on the high end of my price range. I'm definitely going to consider those.

The crowns are way too expensive lol. They would be nice though! Do you remember which Behringers you liked? Also, what is the difference between class a,b,d speakers?

 

[ImcLoud]

thanks for the advice. The Daytons look good, but still on the high end of my price range. I'm definitely going to consider those.

The crowns are way too expensive lol. They would be nice though! Do you remember which Behringers you liked? Also, what is the difference between class a,b,d speakers?

A/B and D as in A/b class and class D so 2 classes not three A/B is one class not a and B, sorry for making that way more confusing than it had to be...

Class D is kind of a proaudio amp, where they use horn tweets and are pretty resilient speakers... Now some people say they cook tweets, and others say they ran them on fragile dome tweets for decades, so who knows, I would rather not find out the hard way, but I like the xls amps, they have a good sound.... and a lot of power...

The dayton is $128 shipped, so only $28 over your budget is that really too much, skip lunch one day lol.... I own a few of them, they rock and sound clean.... I dont think you are going to find much for cheaper, and honestly even a diy d class is going to break $100 after you buy the power supply...

May be time to c-list it...

 

[Grador]

The dayton is pretty much the most cost effective option you're going to find, nothing cheaper will give you any amount of power.

Though I'd like to add that Imcloud is literally the only person I have ever heard talk about class D amplifiers being hard on tweeters.

 

[slipperybidness]

The dayton is pretty much the most cost effective option you're going to find, nothing cheaper will give you any amount of power.

Though I'd like to add that Imcloud is literally the only person I have ever heard talk about class D amplifiers being hard on tweeters.

I don't think class D is inherently hard on tweeters. I do see some info that may have pointed people to that conclusion, but I haven't ever seen anything that would convince me that they are hard on tweeters.

From wiki:
The switching frequency is typically chosen to be ten or more times the highest frequency of interest in the input signal.

This is the reason that the first generations of class D amps weren't as accurate in the high end as they needed to be. It took a while to get class D up to snuff to really compete with class A or A/B in terms of SQ. We are just recently really hitting that threshold.

Also, class D aren't necessarily intended for pro applications. It is just a different circuit topology that caught on with the pro crowd due to the inherent advantages of class D amplification.

 

[ImcLoud]

Though I'd like to add that Imcloud is literally the only person I have ever heard talk about class D amplifiers being hard on tweeters.

Than you should get out more.... or use google, I just searched class d and tweeters and found dozens of people saying the same thing...

quotes...
05-19-10: Stringreen
..careful...you can ruin some speakers with some Class D amps. (DC offset)


05-20-10: Spectron
DC offset can harm your tweeter, depending on the tweeter design and degree of DC Offset

DC offset present in class D amplifiers and all other amplifiers which do not use output capacitors e.g. Plinius.

eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com › ComputersClass D amplifier topologies range from very good to very bad, depending on ... buffering techniques, and can damage tweeters and small mid-range drivers

Planar Speaker Asylum
25 posts - 9 authors - Jun 27, 2011
(-incredible important as the tweeters are directly coupled and are fragile. ..... That said, class D amps are a little bad to horrible in this regard at ...

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/beginners-audiophytes/www.caraudiobuff.com/how-to-pick-the-right-amplifier-for-your-sys...Jan 6, 2009 – The problem with Class D amplifiers is that they are not so good (even bad) at powering midrange and tweeter speakers. As a result, most ...

thats just a few from the first page of a google search... sooooo..... As I said "some people say class d is bad for tweeters" I didn't say I said it, since I havent had much experience with them, and I said others have good luck with them... But what ever....

I just try to give the information that would concern me when Im purchasing a product, Since I heard they are bad for tweets from more than one source, I don't like to recommend them with out at least mentioning it, not a big deal, I like the crown xls2500, although I can not think of many ragular home speakers I would use it to run, I would mainly use it for Pro speakers but since I got the new ev's that are powered, its not an issue, but now that Emo came out with a 600x2 a/b if someday I even decide to buy a pair of opus 2-3's Ill probably power them with that... its late I'm rambling again, sorry...

 

[ImcLoud]

Also, class D aren't necessarily intended for pro applications. It is just a different circuit topology that caught on with the pro crowd due to the inherent advantages of class D amplification.

Most class d amps I see are either sub, car audio, or proaudio.. Just recently, I have started to see class d in home theater systems like the Pioneer 1222k avrs I have gotten to spend a little time with one and they sound good and make really good power....

But none of this matters much because the OP isn't in the budget for a decent class d anyway soooooo...........

 

[Grador]

All of those issues discussed are due to faulty design, not because they are class D. A good amplifier is a good amplifier, and a bad amplifier can be problematic in any class.

But none of this matters much because the OP isn't in the budget for a decent class d anyway soooooo...........

This is true but I'd rather not leave him fearing class D for the future.

 

[delarocha420]

haha thanks guys. You're right I am being cheap...that tends to get me in trouble when I make these kinds of purchases. I'm gonna go with the daytons...thanks!

 

[delarocha420]

Also, what speaker cables do you recommend? I would only have the two monitors and the amp in my setup to connect

 

[ImcLoud]

not sure how long you need but since you are at Parts express lol...
Dayton Audio SCP-6 Speaker Cable Pair w/Bananas 6 ft. 181-605

if you dont want them or need them long
Amazon.com: Karma Kable Twisted 16 Gauge Speaker Wire 50': Electronics is nice cable...

good luck the apa150 is a really nice amp, and you can easily incorporate it in future systems...

 

[slipperybidness]

All of those issues discussed are due to faulty design, not because they are class D. A good amplifier is a good amplifier, and a bad amplifier can be problematic in any class.



This is true but I'd rather not leave him fearing class D for the future.

You nailed it. The problems aren't inherent in class D design. It's faulty designing that gave the bad wrap. Any amp topology can have a poor design A, A/B, B or D.

The first generations weren't as good at high freqs, but the problems are mostly getting worked out and soon class D may be inherently better overall than A/B.

That is part of the reason that class D got a quick start in car subs, the low freqs didnt suffer the same problems.