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Are more watts or tubes the answer?

Engel

Engel

Active Member
At a crossroads with my set up and looking for some ideas, opinions, experiences to help me decide which way to go next. My chief area of concern is my amp and speakers combo.

I have had my trusty Luxman L85V integrated amplifier now for about 25 years. Had it serviced once in that whole time about 5 years ago when it was recapped and a new power cord installed. It's rated at 80 watts per channel into 8Ω (according to the specs at HiFi Engine) and it does a good job to my ears. Have run it with different sets of speakers over the years.

My speakers are Castle Acoustics Richmond 7i. Lucky enough to receive them from a friend's deceased estate and they sound nice. They are 2 way, 3 driver with 8Ω impedance, 90dB sensitivity and recommended amp rating of 15 to 150w.

As a combo, they sound nice. A little like a comfortable pair of jeans :). I know room acoustics and source matter a lot, but putting that aside for a moment could I be getting something more than "nice" from my system or is that good enough? On the right record or CD the set up sounds great. Should I just be happy with where I'm at and enjoy the ride?

Could the Castles work better with a different kind of amp? Would more power bring them to life? Or would they really benefit from a nice valve amp? Or is it the other way around? Does my Luxman need different speakers?

I listen about 50/50 between vinyl (Lenco L75 w/ATVM95e) and CDs (Sherwood CDP 300R w/TDA1540 dac and Philips CD482 w/TDA1543). Mainly listen to jazz and 70s rock but fairly broad tastes. Not in a rush to change things but I am always on the lookout for used and vintage bargains that might take my system up a notch.

Budget is limited. Probably around $1500 (Australian) = approx $2000 US.

Cheers
 
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Try adding a powered subwoofer.

According to HiFi Review, they are light in the bass. A pair of 5" woofers is not ever going to be able to provide true foundation bass.

Try a sub of at least 10". Anything smaller isn't going to go much deeper than the 5" woofers.
 
JoeESP9 said:
Try adding a powered subwoofer.

According to HiFi Review, they are light in the bass. A pair of 5" woofers is not ever going to be able to provide true foundation bass.

Try a sub of at least 10". Anything smaller isn't going to go much deeper than the 5" woofers.
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I feel like this is on the money. The bass is lacking something and I do switch on the Luxman's "subsonic" setting to give the bottom end some meat, especially on CD playback. This is well worth investigating. Thanks.
 
wmgwizard said:
What is it that you wished your system did better ?
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That's hard to answer. But JoeESP9 hit on the bass being a possible issue and that resonates. Having said that I listened to a couple of albums tonight and it really did sound good. Maybe I'm looking for a little more depth to the sound field. The sound is a little flat and two-dimensional. Again, is that possibly the room acoustics? It's not an ideal room but not terrible either. I would like to get the best out of what I have before buying a new component.
 
Your question mixes amplification type with power.

You would appear to have plenty of power, for those speakers, unless you listen at very high volumes, or at a long distance from them.

Some people prefer the sound of tube amplifiers, and some prefer solid state amplifiers.

Either way, you need enough power to achieve desired loudness and provide enough headroom to keep clipping to a minimum.

Generally, changing the speakers will yield a bigger change in the sound of your system
...but as @wmgwizard said, what is it you find lacking with your current system?

You said it sounds great sometimes. Recording quality varies widely, so perhaps this is at least part of your issue?

Playing a recording that sounds great to you, what is it that you find lacking?
 
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Engel said:
That's hard to answer. But JoeESP9 hit on the bass being a possible issue and that resonates. Having said that I listened to a couple of albums tonight and it really did sound good. Maybe I'm looking for a little more depth to the sound field. The sound is a little flat and two-dimensional. Again, is that possibly the room acoustics? It's not an ideal room but not terrible either. I would like to get the best out of what I have before buying a new component.
Click to expand...

Yes, the room can have a greater effect on sound quality than your components.
 
The "Subsonic" filter generally WILL NOT improve bass response. If there is a lot of subsonic information eating up valuable amplifier power then the filter MAY improve your bass response.

The subsonic filter's job is to remove extreme low frequency information typically caused by feedback through your turntable, usually caused by placing the TT too close to your speakers.
 
If you've done all you can with speaker placement and room treatment and still want something different, I would be looking at new speakers. I'm sure the Castles are detailed and stunning in their own right, but if I were wanting a more expansive sound, I'd be looking at speakers with something bigger than those 5" cones... JBL L82, Klipsch Heresy, Wharfedale Linton, KLH Model 5...better yet, save up a few more bucks and look at something like Tannoy Cheviot.
 
A subwoofer designed for music, not a surround system is a good idea.
10" to 15" is a good choice. Maybe a sealed cabinet design?
 
Get a sub and use the high pass crossover to your mains. This will free up your Castles to shine on the mids and highs. Not all subs have a high pass, so you may have to get separately.

A tube preamp can be added if you wanna add some of that color. One of those Maverick Tube DAC/pre is one cheap option to consider.
 
Thanks all. Lots of great perspectives and advice to think upon. I've got to remember I'm blessed to have a decent system in the first place and a beautiful wife who puts up with the futzing around (record cleaning, etc). I love the look of the Luxmans and have a nostalgic tie to them so don't think I could ever get rid of them. The Castles also hold a certain emotional pull having come from an old friend.

As I mentioned, the system can really sound very good. Was listening to Doobie Brothers "Minute by Minute" and then Pat Martino's "Joyous Lake" on vinyl and both knocked my socks off. For what I've paid (close to zero), my set up is fantastic. The talk of a tube amp is kind of a red herring - I'm intrigued by them because they are cool and a bit exotic to my ears. We also have a couple of well-reputed tube amp makers here in Australia who make gear at a reasonable price. One of them - Weston Acoustics - is a pleasant country drive from where I live. Think I'll book in a session to actually hear what all the fuss is about.

Hoytis said:
If you've done all you can with speaker placement and room treatment
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Probably not. I think some of my issue might lie here. Probably like a lot of you, my listening space is compromised. It's a shared lounge area that opens onto the kitchen and is bordered on one side by large windows. It also shares a thin wall with a laundry and I know for sure the washing machine when it's on messes with the sound quality! There are also only so many spots to place the speakers. It's a small space and we have little kids. Buy a bigger home and ship the kids off to boarding school? The thought has crossed my mind :p

BMC said:
Get a sub and use the high pass crossover to your mains. This will free up your Castles to shine on the mids and highs. Not all subs have a high pass, so you may have to get separately.
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The suggestions about a sub are making a lot of sense. I've always sensed a certain bass shyness about the speakers and I think Castles have a reputation for this. They do sound very good in the mids and highs. Think I'm going to keep an eye on the various market sites and see what comes up at a sensible price. Any recommendations for a musical sub that fits the bill and doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
 
^Personally, I have always liked Velodyne. I’ve had excellent luck buying used Velodyne’s for $100 that retailed for over a $1,000 in the 90s.

REL, Rythmik and HSU are others I’ve heard that are very musical.
 
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