In article
,
wrote:


Woody wrote:
It largely depends on the efficiency of your loudspeakers, the type of
music to which you listen and (perhaps to a lesser extent) how loud
you like to listen to it and the size of your listening room .


Focal JMLab Chorus 714V

Power handling 130W max Sensitivity 91dB

OK


Above all, if you listen to music that requires details - such as
classical or jazz,

I do

OK

You haven't said anything about the size and acoustics of your room. This
matters as the room can have a large effect on how much power you may
need. Ditto for how loud you play the music.

What amp do you use at present? Does it give obvious signs of clipping peak
levels? Does it overheat? If neither, then the present power level is
likely to be adequate.

Also, if curious about the levels you use, buy a cheap sound pressure
meter from someone like CPC or Maplin (much cheaper than a fancy amp)
and do some measurements near your speakers and your normal listening
position. Tell us the results.


as against heavy metal or rock - then do try to at least listen to the
amp in the shop before you buy it. Although they are all designed to
achieve the same sonic end they do sound different.

But do they?

See elsewhere. As you will have discovered, some people are convinced that
amps can be 'wine tasted' and generally produce audibly different sounds.
However the experimental evidence - when gathered in ways designed to make
people judge by sound, not name-label - tends show this belief to be
unfounded in general, albeit with exceptions.


And even if they do, the trouble with listening in shops is
that the listening room is very different from where I will be using the
amplifier.

Indeed. However that is a vastly harder problem when choosing speakers than
amplifiers. And you seem to have chosen your speakers, so this can't be
impossibly difficult. :-)

Slainte,

Jim

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

On Oct 13, 9:10*am, Jim Lesurf wrote:
As you will have discovered, some people are convinced that
amps can be 'wine tasted' and generally produce audibly different sounds.
However the experimental evidence - when gathered in ways designed to make
people judge by sound, not name-label - tends show this belief to be
unfounded in general, albeit with exceptions.

And even if they do, the trouble with listening in shops is
that the listening room is very different from where I will be using the
amplifier.

Indeed. However that is a vastly harder problem when choosing speakers than
amplifiers. And you seem to have chosen your speakers, so this can't be
impossibly difficult. *:-)

Well, the room in which I compared the speakers was quite a bit bigger
than my actual listening room (11'x13'x8') so I'm not sure really
whether I chose the best of the three I compared. They are probably
too big for my room but then I don't need to have them very loud to
"fill" it.

This is the difficulty with comparing in shops.

Phileas

In article
,
wrote:
On Oct 13, 9:10 am, Jim Lesurf wrote:

And even if they do, the trouble with listening in shops is that the
listening room is very different from where I will be using the
amplifier.

Indeed. However that is a vastly harder problem when choosing speakers
than amplifiers. And you seem to have chosen your speakers, so this
can't be impossibly difficult. :-)

Well, the room in which I compared the speakers was quite a bit bigger
than my actual listening room (11'x13'x8') so I'm not sure really
whether I chose the best of the three I compared. They are probably too
big for my room but then I don't need to have them very loud to "fill"
it.

This is the difficulty with comparing in shops.

Yes. And it tends to matter far less when choosing an amplifier than
speakers. If in doubt, make sure they have a larger room than yours, and
try to get them to play the amp with speakers that have a lower efficiency
and lower impedance. This will make it likely the amp has enough power for
you if OK in the shop.

However if your audiolab seems to you not to clip or overheat I doubt you
will have a problem with most other = 50Wpc amps in terms of power unless
your speakers drop to low impedance. The 8000 series tends to have pokey
small heatsinks[1], but can IIRC deliver reasonably high peak currents.

Above said, I haven't yet seen you say anything that makes me feel you
would benefit from a new amp. Except perhaps in the way of feeling pleased
to own and use a newer and - allegedly - 'better' one.

Slainte,

Jim

[1] The 8000A I have in bits has heatsinks smaller than my old Armstrong
626s. Both designs have tiny heatsinks by 'super fi' standards. (Although
the 8000 disguises this by hiding them inside the box.) Yet generally they
work fine for classical or other acoustic and uncompressed music without
overheating.

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Jim Lesurf wrote:
However if your audiolab seems to you not to clip or overheat I doubt you
will have a problem with most other = 50Wpc amps in terms of power unless
your speakers drop to low impedance. The 8000 series tends to have pokey
small heatsinks[1], but can IIRC deliver reasonably high peak currents.

Above said, I haven't yet seen you say anything that makes me feel you
would benefit from a new amp. Except perhaps in the way of feeling pleased
to own and use a newer and - allegedly - 'better' one.

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an
amp with sockets which don't self destruct.

Phileas

In article
s.com, scribeth thus


Jim Lesurf wrote:
However if your audiolab seems to you not to clip or overheat I doubt you
will have a problem with most other = 50Wpc amps in terms of power unless
your speakers drop to low impedance. The 8000 series tends to have pokey
small heatsinks[1], but can IIRC deliver reasonably high peak currents.

Above said, I haven't yet seen you say anything that makes me feel you
would benefit from a new amp. Except perhaps in the way of feeling pleased
to own and use a newer and - allegedly - 'better' one.

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an
amp with sockets which don't self destruct.

Phileas

Wonder if that was a poor batch none of mine are duff at all!...
--
Tony Sayer

tony sayer wrote:
In article
s.com, scribeth thus

Jim Lesurf wrote:
However if your audiolab seems to you not to clip or overheat I doubt you
will have a problem with most other = 50Wpc amps in terms of power unless
your speakers drop to low impedance. The 8000 series tends to have pokey
small heatsinks[1], but can IIRC deliver reasonably high peak currents.

Above said, I haven't yet seen you say anything that makes me feel you
would benefit from a new amp. Except perhaps in the way of feeling pleased
to own and use a newer and - allegedly - 'better' one.

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an
amp with sockets which don't self destruct.

Phileas

Wonder if that was a poor batch none of mine are duff at all!...

I believe it's a common problem with 8000As.

In article , Anton Gÿsen
scribeth thus
tony sayer wrote:
In article
s.com, scribeth thus

Jim Lesurf wrote:
However if your audiolab seems to you not to clip or overheat I doubt you
will have a problem with most other = 50Wpc amps in terms of power unless
your speakers drop to low impedance. The 8000 series tends to have pokey
small heatsinks[1], but can IIRC deliver reasonably high peak currents.

Above said, I haven't yet seen you say anything that makes me feel you
would benefit from a new amp. Except perhaps in the way of feeling pleased
to own and use a newer and - allegedly - 'better' one.

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an
amp with sockets which don't self destruct.

Phileas

Wonder if that was a poor batch none of mine are duff at all!...

I believe it's a common problem with 8000As.

Well I've got Four of them and their all fine;!...

Funnily enough we've got four Band 1 transmitters , yes those
frequencies are still used, and the cores in one have all disintegrated
away whereas in the other their fine all about the same age!..

What is it that fails, the plastic moulding?..
--
Tony Sayer

wrote:

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an
amp with sockets which don't self destruct.

It's time hi-fi started using XLR connectors and balanced interconnects
nowadays. The marginal cost (esp on high end gear) is pitifully low.

You'll pay 30-40c for a PCB mount XLR in China in manufacturing quantities.
Probably less and it'll likely be gold plated too.

Graham

In article , Eeyore rabbitsfriendsandrel
scribeth thus


wrote:

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an
amp with sockets which don't self destruct.

It's time hi-fi started using XLR connectors and balanced interconnects
nowadays.

Yes please)...

The marginal cost (esp on high end gear) is pitifully low.

You'll pay 30-40c for a PCB mount XLR in China in manufacturing quantities.
Probably less and it'll likely be gold plated too.


Dunno .. Russ Andrews will have Rhodium plated ones for a couple of
grand each;!..

Graham




--
Tony Sayer

In article
,
wrote:


Jim Lesurf wrote:
However if your audiolab seems to you not to clip or overheat I doubt
you will have a problem with most other = 50Wpc amps in terms of
power unless your speakers drop to low impedance. The 8000 series
tends to have pokey small heatsinks[1], but can IIRC deliver
reasonably high peak currents.

Above said, I haven't yet seen you say anything that makes me feel you
would benefit from a new amp. Except perhaps in the way of feeling
pleased to own and use a newer and - allegedly - 'better' one.

Well the phono sockets needed replacing 18 months ago - I'd like an amp
with sockets which don't self destruct.

I'm not sure that phono-socket lifetime is a spec you will find quoted for
most amps. :-) Why did they need replacing? The 8000 I have was given to
me by a colleague as one of the drivers had blown, but the sockets seem
fine.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Change 'noise' to 'jcgl' if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html