[Mauricio]

You should be ok.  The amp could have a little more power, but the speakers are not exactly low sensitivity.  Impedance matching is fine.

 

[BenAdamson]

Ok, thank you. Is there any chance of clipping with this setup?

 

[Mauricio]

Sure, all systems run the risk of clipping if they have insufficient power on tap.  You may run into it on dynamic, uncompressed material when you turn up the volume.  But I wouldn't worry about it too much at this point.  Enjoy your new setup.

 

[BenAdamson]

Many thanks everybody

 

[Buttnose]

Hi, I'm new here! Thought I'd bump this as I've got a similar budget/question, the difference being that I'd like to build my speaker system around my Xonar D1 soundcard (quite confused as to how a passive system would work/plug into this) and see if you guys can give me any alternatives to a receiver for something to easily switch between my headphone/speakers.
 
I'd prefer an active setup for deskspace, but if the difference in sound quality can be that great with 2nd hand passive setups I'll happily buy some stands and go passive.
 
Currently looking at M-Audio AV40, Swan M10 (can't find 'em in the UK), Audioengine A2, Wharfdale Diamond 9.1, B&W DM601

 

[BenAdamson]

Buttnose, I'd go for the A2 speakers, they have excellent reviews, and as you will be wanting to switch from the speakers to your headphones easily you could make this very simple little DPDT output selector - the A2s are active, so using the same output as your headphones shouldn't be an issue. A passive setup is better for upgradeability, for obvious reasons. The choice is yours, but remember that many passive speakers are larger than active ones, and are not as desk-friendly, or designed to be listened to at such close distances.
 
I have to say, now that my DM601s have been delivered, I can see that they're not designed as desktop speakers, more living room ones - they are massive! I'll need to make up/buy some stands to get them angled upwards slightly to my ears. I haven't had a chance to listen to my setup as of yet because I'm still waiting for my amp to be delivered from the other side of the world, but I have a feeling that it will be worth the wait to listen to these beauties. I'll probably be upgrading my amp and DAC as soon as I can justify the cost - good receivers cost a lot of money!

 

[Mauricio]

Basic guidance and reminder about speaker selection:
 
Larger speakers or lots of drivers is not necessarily better.  In fact, the larger the speaker enclosure and the more the drivers, the more potential problems when it comes to spurious resonance and phase/time coherence issues.  The only area where a larger enclosure is better is for sound pressure levels (loudness).
 
A well-designed small two-way speaker can rival any multi-driver monstrosity out there.  Remember, the fewer the crossovers, the better.  Remember, the ideal is a single full-bandwidth driver with no crossover, not a handful of drivers with several crossovers.  Don't let the marketing and "audiophile" hype distract you from that fact.  KISS!

 

[Headzone]

 
Quote:

Fostex PM0.4n ($200)
Active, biamplified monitors
 
Forget passive or powered
 
 

Mauricio, active speakers are good(BEST), and you seem to have a fetish with them, like do I, but if the overall speaker is just decent, it won't beat passive speakers on the price range. Esp. those B&W's at that price are a bargain vs. quality.
 
Quote from PMC's website:

While it's hard to better a well-engineered set of active speakers, passive monitors, when designed with care and respect like PMC's range, will always outperform inferior active designs.

I could say that his B&W DM601's are even better than those Fostex's.
 
 
And Ben, congrats on your purchase! I'm sure the B&W's are great. When I was looking for a pair of used speakers on my desk, I actually bidded on a pair of DM601's too. However I didn't win them, but later got a summer job and could afford some "better"(subjective) speakers.
 
Your B&W DM601's will DESTROY the M-Audio AV40's. For sure.

 
 

Spoiler: Your%20tripath%20amplifier%20specs

 
 
P.M.P.O: 2 x 180W 
R.M.S: 2 x 20W
Input power: 12V 6A DC
Input sensitivity: 200mv
Input impedance: 47k
Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Speaker impedance: 4 - 8ohm
Minimum THD: <0.05%
Signal noise / ratio: >100db

 
Will this amp drive these speakers well? Are they well matched electronically, and should I be aware of any dangers using this amp with these speakers, i.e. could clipping occur?
 

That tripath amp is powerful enough to "run" those speakers, but it will start clipping at higher listening levels. If it's delivering 20watts at 4ohm load, that would mean ~10-15 watts into a 8ohm load. That would give you approx. 98dB of SPL @1 meter. That will be enough for most in near-field, but with a bit more distance you will run out of power very fast. So be careful, clipping amp will break the tweeter of the speaker (very) easily. Also, does the tripath amp come with a power supply?
 
You could have bought a vintage integrated amp for quite cheap too, and a quality one will have more power than that tripath easily. I actually have one amp lurking around in the corners, I would give it for you free but you live in a different country so it's a meh
 
Quote:

Larger speakers or lots of drivers is not necessarily better.  In fact, the larger the speaker enclosure and the more the drivers, the more potential problems when it comes to spurious resonance and phase/time coherence issues.  The only area where a larger enclosure is better is for sound pressure levels (loudness).

Larger speaker benefits are for example:
 
-Higher sensitivity. (more SPL with less watts)
 
-Better bass extension.
 
-Better directivity. (More direct sound from the speaker to the listening position)

 

[BenAdamson]

Very thorough and true there Headzone! The amp just arrived today, and the DM601s sound absolutely fantastic, I honestly think they are the best speakers I have ever heard. The Tripath amp can drive them to very loud volumes, though personally I only listen at low to mid, as the rest of my family wouldn't appreciate the noise! I have noticed that if I go past the 12 o'clock on the volume dial (lowest is @ 7 o'clock) I can hear noise through the speakers, which worries me. As the speakers would be 'party-loud' by about the 11 o'clock mark, I have not actually turned them up past about 10 o'clock with music playing, though I expect that it would clip horribly. This is very worrying as if I do decide to have a party, chances are that some drunk friend will decide to turn the music up and destroy my very expensive new speakers! 

 
The UCA202 has performed perfectly well in my brief headphone & speaker testing, and I don't expect to upgrade that in the near future. For now, I'm on the lookout for a good amp (or maybe somebody has designs for a DIY amp, I am reasonably good with a soldering iron & have decent facilities @ school).

 

[Headzone]

 
Quote:

Very thorough and true there Headzone! The amp just arrived today, and the DM601s sound absolutely fantastic, I honestly think they are the best speakers I have ever heard. The Tripath amp can drive them to very loud volumes, though personally I only listen at low to mid, as the rest of my family wouldn't appreciate the noise! I have noticed that if I go past the 12 o'clock on the volume dial (lowest is @ 7 o'clock) I can hear noise through the speakers, which worries me. As the speakers would be 'party-loud' by about the 11 o'clock mark, I have not actually turned them up past about 10 o'clock with music playing, though I expect that it would clip horribly. This is very worrying as if I do decide to have a party, chances are that some drunk friend will decide to turn the music up and destroy my very expensive new speakers! 

 
The UCA202 has performed perfectly well in my brief headphone & speaker testing, and I don't expect to upgrade that in the near future. For now, I'm on the lookout for a good amp (or maybe somebody has designs for a DIY amp, I am reasonably good with a soldering iron & have decent facilities @ school).

I don't know if diy speaker amplifiers are good for the money. You might get best bang for the buck with commercial products, like NAD for example. Also keep an eye open on ebay, sometimes only few week old amps go for the half price of a new unit..
 
Btw, are the B&W's bi-amplifiable? You could maybe even use two tripaths to drive them.
 
 

 

[BenAdamson]

 
Quote:

 
I don't know if diy speaker amplifiers are good for the money. You might get best bang for the buck with commercial products, like NAD for example. Also keep an eye open on ebay, sometimes only few week old amps go for the half price of a new unit..
 
Btw, are the B&W's bi-amplifiable? You could maybe even use two tripaths to drive them.
 
 

 
They are indeed bi-amplifiable, that is a good idea with the 2x amps, however I'm not very happy with my amp, at low volumes the right channel goes a lot quieter than the left - any easy way to fix that, or could I just attempt to solder in a different pot?

 

[Headzone]

Quote:

 
 
They are indeed bi-amplifiable, that is a good idea with the 2x amps, however I'm not very happy with my amp, at low volumes the right channel goes a lot quieter than the left - any easy way to fix that, or could I just attempt to solder in a different pot?

I don't think you can do anything but replace the pot with a better quality one.. You could drop the output of your DAC, but then you would lose bit depth also.

 

[AlexP]

Glad to see that you like the DM601s, they're fantastic for the price.
Even if you don't really like the Tripath amp I wouldn't worry about it, it's really really cheap and you learned something out of it.
Don't bother with replacing the UCA202 for now. Be on the lookout for cheap vintage amps in your area on Gumtree, sooner or later something nice from the 70s or 80s is bound to crop up for a low price.
You could also be on the lookout for a Behringer A500, it sometimes shows up for 60 pounds or so and it's a LOT of amp for the money. I haven't heard it with the 601s but I'd like to (or even better, the EP1500).
 
Most of all though, enjoy the music
Quote:

Very thorough and true there Headzone! The amp just arrived today, and the DM601s sound absolutely fantastic, I honestly think they are the best speakers I have ever heard. The Tripath amp can drive them to very loud volumes, though personally I only listen at low to mid, as the rest of my family wouldn't appreciate the noise! I have noticed that if I go past the 12 o'clock on the volume dial (lowest is @ 7 o'clock) I can hear noise through the speakers, which worries me. As the speakers would be 'party-loud' by about the 11 o'clock mark, I have not actually turned them up past about 10 o'clock with music playing, though I expect that it would clip horribly. This is very worrying as if I do decide to have a party, chances are that some drunk friend will decide to turn the music up and destroy my very expensive new speakers! 

 
The UCA202 has performed perfectly well in my brief headphone & speaker testing, and I don't expect to upgrade that in the near future. For now, I'm on the lookout for a good amp (or maybe somebody has designs for a DIY amp, I am reasonably good with a soldering iron & have decent facilities @ school).

 

[Mauricio]

Quote:

 
Mauricio, active speakers are good(BEST), and you seem to have a fetish with them, like do I, but if the overall speaker is just decent, it won't beat passive speakers on the price range. Esp. those B&W's at that price are a bargain vs. quality.
 
Quote from PMC's website:
I could say that his B&W DM601's are even better than those Fostex's.
 
 
And Ben, congrats on your purchase! I'm sure the B&W's are great. When I was looking for a pair of used speakers on my desk, I actually bidded on a pair of DM601's too. However I didn't win them, but later got a summer job and could afford some "better"(subjective) speakers.
 
Your B&W DM601's will DESTROY the M-Audio AV40's. For sure.

 
 

Spoiler: Your%20tripath%20amplifier%20specs

 
 
P.M.P.O: 2 x 180W 
R.M.S: 2 x 20W
Input power: 12V 6A DC
Input sensitivity: 200mv
Input impedance: 47k
Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Speaker impedance: 4 - 8ohm
Minimum THD: <0.05%
Signal noise / ratio: >100db

 
Will this amp drive these speakers well? Are they well matched electronically, and should I be aware of any dangers using this amp with these speakers, i.e. could clipping occur?
 

That tripath amp is powerful enough to "run" those speakers, but it will start clipping at higher listening levels. If it's delivering 20watts at 4ohm load, that would mean ~10-15 watts into a 8ohm load. That would give you approx. 98dB of SPL @1 meter. That will be enough for most in near-field, but with a bit more distance you will run out of power very fast. So be careful, clipping amp will break the tweeter of the speaker (very) easily. Also, does the tripath amp come with a power supply?
 
You could have bought a vintage integrated amp for quite cheap too, and a quality one will have more power than that tripath easily. I actually have one amp lurking around in the corners, I would give it for you free but you live in a different country so it's a meh
 
Larger speaker benefits are for example:
 
-Higher sensitivity. (more SPL with less watts)
 
-Better bass extension.
 
-Better directivity. (More direct sound from the speaker to the listening position)

 
Sensitivity and frequency extension are in the first instance a function of the driver itself, and only indirectly a function of the enclosure.
 
Directivity is primarily a function of enclosure shape and of the driver, not of the enclosure size.