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Need opinions on Power for Cerwin Vega AT-15's

OldSkoolVega

OldSkoolVega

New Member
I recently purchased a Marantz SR 5011 Receiver fully knowing it would not power my AT-15's to the level i would like but to have a solid platform to build off of. I am now looking for a power amp to run these 4 ohm power hungry speakers. The SR 5011 is 4 ohm capable but does not have the 4 ohm power rating published. I was looking at the Marantz MM 7025 power amplifier but it appears as though it is only 6-8 ohm capable , and I also wonder how much of a difference the 140 watt rating compared to the SR 5011 100 watt rating would make if it was 4 ohm capable. My options are kind of limited as I am a rural Canadian and we get the short end of the stick when it comes to buying anything. So now I am looking at the Cerwin Vega CV-900 pro audio amp which can probably be had for around 450 maple bucks. Looking for opinions and options that would meet or exceed expectations that won't cost 1500+
 
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damacman said:
McIntosh MC2300 sir.
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Well I definitely like your taste and I would love anything Mcintosh but those amps still command a good price for being around 30 years old. I have been checking local garbage sale sites and have yet to see the likes of any used Mcintosh gear
 
Cylontymany said:
I don't like the Pro Amp Sound!
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Can I ask what it is about the pro amp sound you don't like? Too bright? too much distortion? I can't say I have heard pro audio sound outside of a few concerts and I would say that that isn't really a comparison for in the home.
 
MarZutra said:
Personally, I would save your money and not go with McIntosh due to your speakers would never get the best out of those amps. I'd probably keep with the CV and look toward their vintage American Made muscle: CV-15tr, CV-M200, CV-A400...heck even a big SAE 2600... My opinions solely.
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I can agree with your reasoning and will check into the models you have mentioned , I am a bit hesitant to buy used amps off of places like ebay but thank you for suggestions to look out for!
 
OldSkoolVega said:
Can I ask what it is about the pro amp sound you don't like? Too bright? too much distortion? I can't say I have heard pro audio sound outside of a few concerts and I would say that that isn't really a comparison for in the home.
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Pro amps, generally speaking, tend toward the "straight wire with gain" type of sound. If you are looking for warm or laid back or anything like that then a pro amp probably isn't for you.

I have several different pro amps from QSC and Crown. Wouldn't have them if I thought they sounded like crap.
 
What am I missing here? Sensitivity, 1W at 1M: 102dB for your speakers right? Just how are they power hungry?


Barney
 
What level do you want to get the CV's to? Their sensitivity is102db/watt/1meter. Let's see, with a 100wpc Marantz that gets you to 122db/watt/meter, but wait that's 2 speakers so with 3db extra you're up to 125 db. Doubling the distance to 2 meters takes it all the way down to 119db. These are all well above the threshhold of hearing loss. It's your ears, but at least before you spend money for an external amp you might want to make sure "it would not power my AT-15's to the level i would like".
 
I had an older Sony 80 watt receiver powering my AT-15s. My teenage daughter and friends tested it quite well for hours. I'm surprised the police didn't show. Turning those things way up is like getting punched in the chest.
 
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Oerets said:
What am I missing here? Sensitivity, 1W at 1M: 102dB for your speakers right? Just how are they power hungry?


Barney
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I was using an old technics receiver from the mid 90's that was worth like 300 brand new up until it's capacitor started bulging. The AT-15's are 4 ohm speakers and i was running them on an 8 Ohm receiver which i will admit was plenty loud and shook the whole house awesome. It didn't go puff yet but it is just a shadow of its former self so i bought the Marantz SR5011 because it is 4 ohm capable, the marantz at 8 ohm setting sounded very clear and powerful but would limit how loud it would go and would get hot fast so i switched it to the 4 ohm setting and although it is alright , it does not shake the house the way these 15's should , in fact it doesn't shake it at all really. I still need my powered sub woofer to get bass. The marantz which i thought would power them decent enough until i got a proper power amp is clear and more defined than the technics but there is no shaking the house.
 
Putterman said:
What level do you want to get the CV's to? Their sensitivity is102db/watt/1meter. Let's see, with a 100wpc Marantz that gets you to 122db/watt/meter, but wait that's 2 speakers so with 3db extra you're up to 125 db. Doubling the distance to 2 meters takes it all the way down to 119db. These are all well above the threshhold of hearing loss. It's your ears, but at least before you spend money for an external amp you might want to make sure "it would not power my AT-15's to the level i would like".
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I would like to shake the house again lol
 
onepixel said:
I had an older Sony 80 watt receiver powering my AT-15s. My teenage daughter and friends tested it quite well for hours. I'm surprised the police didn't show. Turning those things way up is like getting punched in the chest.
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That sounds like the old technics i had hooked up , but running my 8 ohm receiver with the 4 ohm speakers the light in the room literally strobed faintly with the bass as it was sucking way more power out of that technics than it was comfortable running. Old cheap amp , i didn't care , rocked the **** out of it!
 
OldSkoolVega said:
I was using an old technics receiver from the mid 90's that was worth like 300 brand new up until it's capacitor started bulging. The AT-15's are 4 ohm speakers and i was running them on an 8 Ohm receiver which i will admit was plenty loud and shook the whole house awesome. It didn't go puff yet but it is just a shadow of its former self so i bought the Marantz SR5011 because it is 4 ohm capable, the marantz at 8 ohm setting sounded very clear and powerful but would limit how loud it would go and would get hot fast so i switched it to the 4 ohm setting and although it is alright .
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Actually, the 4 ohm setting limits the power.
 
OldSkoolVega said:
That sounds like the old technics i had hooked up , but running my 8 ohm receiver with the 4 ohm speakers the light in the room literally strobed faintly with the bass as it was sucking way more power out of that technics than it was comfortable running. Old cheap amp , i didn't care , rocked the **** out of it!
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It was the "family system" it sounded good and they could abuse it without me worrying.
 
At 8 ohms with the marantz it is supposed to be 100 watts , yes i know 4 ohm setting limits the power but it was getting hot fast at mid levels and i wasn't comfortable with how hot it got so i switched it to the 4 ohm setting. These speakers can take up to 400 watts and to my ears they sound under powered . The mids and highs are definitly more crisp but the 15's dont have the bottom end anymore like they did with the technics which was rated at 6 ohm 100 watts so at 8 ohm probably like 80 watts or something
 
The 4 ohm setting is probably why the mids and highs are running away from the lows.

I used a set of D9s on an older Sony AVR for a while. At low levels it was fine but cranking it up the 4 ohm setting was a clear restriction. Set it to 8 and never looked back. I got rid of the receiver long ago but it was still working then.
 
McIntosh MC2200/MC2205, MC2250/MC2255, or MC7270 are other "affordable" McIntosh offerings that would drive those CVs nicely. Nothing at all wrong with good pro amps - look at the Crown K1/K2. Fan noise can be an issue for pro amps without thermostatically controlled fans - K1/K2 lack them.

Buy an amp once and don't look back.
 
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