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Power amp for new to me power hungry speakers

ryanward84

ryanward84

Well-Known Member
I recently scored some LSA 2 standard speakers!

89dB sensitivity
6ohm
50-250w power recommended

I currently have an Adcom gfa 535ii that puts out around 75w. Im wondering what amp or integrated that is more like 150w- 200w I could pair with them. Pretty tight budget of around $500. A bit more for an integrated would be cool.

Suggestions welcome!
 
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ryanward84 said:
I recently scored some LSA 2 standard speakers!

89dB sensitivity
6ohm
50-250w power recommended

I currently have an Adcom gfa 535ii that puts out around 75w. Im wondering what amp or integrated that is more like 150w- 200w I could pair with them. Pretty tight budget of around $500. A bit more for an integrated would be cool.

Suggestions welcome!
Click to expand...
If you're happy with your Adcom but want more power there are several 555s on Ebay right now in your price range.
 
not 500, but if you want an amp that will power most anything, the Parasound A21s are good amps for a multitude of reactive or not loads.
 
The sensitivity of the LSA 2's is 88 dB which is about average but in my book is kind of low. As far as speakers in general, most are between 84 and 92. My speaker have a sensitivity of 87 dB so I share your dilemma.

Sensitivity is the SPL in dB measured 1 meter from the speaker with 1 Watt input.

The 535 is rated at 60 W/ch. I can see why you might find the 535 a bit under powered with an 88 dB speaker.

I never want to run an amp at even 1/2 of it's rated output to give the system dynamic range without getting into the compression range of the amplifier. The amp I have is conservatively rated at 500 watts/channel. I'm not sure I have ever seen the needle on the meter move. :)

I would never push any amp to the limit lights. That indicates clipping the tops off the waveform. That is how you blow speakers. They do not like square waves.
 
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I’ve decided that i am moving on from the Adcom. the adcom has to be cranked up to over 50% to get decent volume for my liking.

So now I’m considering a nice integrated amp. Possibly a used Rogue Audio Sphinx or a higher power vintage integrated like an Onkyo A-10 or Yamaha CA 1010.
 
The Onkyo A-7090 still flies under the radar and outperforms the A10 by a little bit. I wanted one very badly but ended up finding a Citation 16 first.
 
ryanward84 said:
I’ve decided that i am moving on from the Adcom. the adcom has to be cranked up to over 50% to get decent volume for my liking.

...
Click to expand...

The position of the volume control is primarily a matter of gain, not power.

Again the question is, are the distortion indicators lighting up when you're playin' the jams?
 
Onkyo A-10... yes...
Yamaha CA-1010... yes...
If both are in good condition...

And actually neither will be a huge difference in sound output. Maybe just a 2 to 3 dB gain...

whoaru99 is asking about those distortion indicators to see if you are clipping the amp at all.
 
ryanward84 said:
I’ve decided that i am moving on from the Adcom.
Click to expand...

I have a 535. Nice power amp.

I really like 60watt amps and have many power amps in that size.

Too bad you are not closer. I'd let you try some bigger 150-200 watt Yamaha or Kenwood power amps. Or other 60 watt gems.

You could decide if a bigger amp is what you need.
 
As with most anything there are a lot of reasons why the Adcom is great and reasons why I’d like something different. I just don’t get moved by it’s sound with my speakers. So on to something different.

I used to have a Yamaha CR 1020 that I really liked. That’s why I mentioned the Yamaha.
 
ryanward84 said:
I’ve decided that i am moving on from the Adcom. the adcom has to be cranked up to over 50% to get decent volume for my liking.
Click to expand...
What is decent volume for you? I had that same amp and pre with my DIY speakers I use to have I did not have any issues with volume. My speakers were rated somewhere around the same sensitivity as yours maybe lower. How big is your room?
 
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