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Newbie looking for the perfect amp for ELAC Debut F5

OrphicTrench

OrphicTrench

New Member
Howdy aficionados,

I'm looking to upgrade from an old Rega system (Rega Brio clamshell, Rega Kyte speakers and Rega Planar 2). I tried the ELAC Debut B6.2 with the Rega Brio clamshell, and although they gave a tiny bit more bass extension compared to the Kytes, it still wasn't there quite yet. I kinda missed the Kytes after a while. The Kytes really had a sweet top end.

I found a local deal on the ELAC Debut F5 (first version) too good to pass and now I'm wondering if my old Rega Brio will be able to drive them properly. I will be receiving my F5s tomorrow and I'm looking through the classifieds for a proper amp to pair them with.

I'm at a time in my life where I would like to spend a bit of money on my hifi system. I'm a mixing/mastering engineer and I have a pair of ATC SCM20ASL Pro MKII that I complete with a Dynaudio 18S subwoofer, so I shell quite a bit of money on my active system as you can see. I'm not ready to do the same in my living room --though the time shall come--, but it would be nice to have something sweet to enjoy my music and relax.

The two amps I'm looking at right now are the Rotel RA-12 (400$CAD used) and the Marantz PM7005 (525$CAD used). Which one do you think will compliment the F5s best?

I listen to all kinds of music (from electronic to jazz and folk), so I don't want a system that's only good at one thing. I would also like an amp that I won't need to change if I choose to upgrade my floorstanding speakers later down the road.

You may say I took the cheaper route, but I'd like to save some money for a proper CD player as well.

Many thanks in advance for your precious advice!!
 
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The Debut F5s have a sensitivity rating in the 84-85 dB range and are 6 ohms nominal. Just from the specs, that doesn't appear to be a particularly easy load to drive. Am not familiar with either amp you are looking at, but you are going to need a decent amp to drive these speakers to their best fidelity.
 
You're totally right. The Brio just won't do it. Both amps I listed are rated at 60 watts per channel at 8 ohms. I'm hoping that's enough for the F5s. Fingers crossed.
 
OrphicTrench said:
You're totally right. The Brio just won't do it. Both amps I listed are rated at 60 watts per channel at 8 ohms. I'm hoping that's enough for the F5s. Fingers crossed.
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If there is much of a weight difference between the two amps, buy the heavier one. . That usually is indicative of a better power supply.
 
So I brought the Marantz PM7005 home yesterday. Will be doing lots of A/B tests in the next couple of days. I'm not in a hurry to sell any of my stuff so luckily, that will give me some time to compare. I wish I could buy the Rotel RA-12 amp too just for the sake of comparison.
 
For the record, I finally got the time to compare the Marantz PM7005 and the Rega Brio side by side. The Brio sounded clearly better when there wasn't any bass. It sounded a bit more spacious and clear/punchy. But as soon as the bass kicked in, everything became mushy. Like they didn't have enough power to keep the clarity and make the bass happen at the same time. It seemed like it simply didn't have enough power for the F5s. It was a bit unsettling though, when there was no bass. The Brio did sound better. I wasn't expecting that.
 
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BmWr75 said:
The Debut F5s have a sensitivity rating in the 84-85 dB range and are 6 ohms nominal. Just from the specs, that doesn't appear to be a particularly easy load to drive. Am not familiar with either amp you are looking at, but you are going to need a decent amp to drive these speakers to their best fidelity.
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Do you think my old Brio would be able to drive a pair of Paradigm Premier 800F speakers? Their sensitivity rating is 92 dB in the room and recommended power range is 15-250 watts at 8 ohms. The Brio is not getting well with the Elacs when there's a lot of bass going on.
 
OrphicTrench said:
Do you think my old Brio would be able to drive a pair of Paradigm Premier 800F speakers? Their sensitivity rating is 92 dB in the room and recommended power range is 15-250 watts at 8 ohms. The Brio is not getting well with the Elacs when there's a lot of bass going on.
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The higher sensitivity Paradigm speakers should do better.
 
Quick update: I'm baffled. After bringing a pair of Paradigm Premier 800F home (which sound amazing, just pure joy to listen to), I compared the Rega and the Marantz once again. The difference is much, much more subtle. The Rega is able to drive the 800Fs correctly, which is nice. No difference there at normal volumes. And both amps sound great, with the Rega being a tiny bit more bright and punchy, the Marantz a tiny bit more relaxed and maybe a tiny tiny bit more low-end extension. I've yet to decide if that is something I like or not.

I wonder if the real choice between the two will lie on the phono preamp. I have a tiny bit of bias favorable to the Rega only because my turntable is a Planar 2. But I would prefer to keep the Marantz because of the integrated DAC and remote control.

This might take weeks of testing!!
 
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