LevA
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2008
- Posts
- 762
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- 12
Hi all,
been away from head-fi these last few months due to move to japan and would really appreciate some advice..
after slowly settling into life in japan and work (and buying an apartment), I finally had the chance to dive into the speaker world, which I have wanted for so long. these last two weeks I have slowly put together my audio system which are:
sonus faber concertino speakers -
the original models, not the dome home. I really like the sound these speakers give out, nice and smooth and with good tonal balance. although small bookshelf model, they have nice low end, though not so deep. they really match well with classical music, which is what I listen most of the time. while they do exceptionally well with smaller ensembles, symphonies with full orchestra sound would probably be better with a floor standing speakers, but nevertheless still very enjoyable to listen to. while my living room is small when compared to western standards, Its pretty decent for japanese apartmant size (16 tatami mats), and the concertinos serve well for my purposes.
luxman L-570 integrated amp-
always wanted to try vintage luxman, and when I did, It didn't take me long to find and buy one. the amp gives out a wonderful, soft sound with plenty of details. I'm pretty ignorant about specs, but its a 50 watt per channel pure class A amp - whatever pure means..?
I also auditioned sansui au-707 which was 130 watt, and though I could feel it had more power to push the concertinos, It felt tonally wrong and had less separation than the luxman. also imaging was more forward, whereas the luxman has more depth. so in the end I opted for luxman.
marantz cd6003 -
after auditioning denon and marantz, I chose marantz for my cd player. would have liked to have SACD playing option as I do have quite a few of them, my budget just didn't allow me. for its price, I think marantz house sound is very nice and dont have any complaints. compared to denon, the sound was more organic, wheres the denon, while having slightly better detail, just felt scratchy and harsh compared to marantz' smooth sound.
I really like this setup, but I have noticed that last few days I like to increase the volume a little and am concerned about clipping the speakers. I really dont know much about these things but after some reading I have found out that my speakers are not very effeicient (86db), and maybe I should have went for a more powerful amp?
how can one tell if ones volume level starts to clip? mind you I don't use even half the volume of the amp. the amp specs indicate 50 watts per channel at 8 ohms. if it helps here is some information on the amp:
http://audio-database.com/LUXMANALPINE-LUXMAN/amp/l-570-e.html
and some info on the speakers:
http://www.stereotimes.com/speak030800.shtml
the main reason for wanting more volume is when listening to classical music with some silent passages difficult to hear clearly. otherwise, with other genres such as rock, jazz etc, my usual listening volume level is quite enough.
should I have bought a more powerful amp? anyone have experience with either the amp or the speakers here? any advice would be greatly appreciated.
been away from head-fi these last few months due to move to japan and would really appreciate some advice..
after slowly settling into life in japan and work (and buying an apartment), I finally had the chance to dive into the speaker world, which I have wanted for so long. these last two weeks I have slowly put together my audio system which are:
sonus faber concertino speakers -
the original models, not the dome home. I really like the sound these speakers give out, nice and smooth and with good tonal balance. although small bookshelf model, they have nice low end, though not so deep. they really match well with classical music, which is what I listen most of the time. while they do exceptionally well with smaller ensembles, symphonies with full orchestra sound would probably be better with a floor standing speakers, but nevertheless still very enjoyable to listen to. while my living room is small when compared to western standards, Its pretty decent for japanese apartmant size (16 tatami mats), and the concertinos serve well for my purposes.
luxman L-570 integrated amp-
always wanted to try vintage luxman, and when I did, It didn't take me long to find and buy one. the amp gives out a wonderful, soft sound with plenty of details. I'm pretty ignorant about specs, but its a 50 watt per channel pure class A amp - whatever pure means..?
I also auditioned sansui au-707 which was 130 watt, and though I could feel it had more power to push the concertinos, It felt tonally wrong and had less separation than the luxman. also imaging was more forward, whereas the luxman has more depth. so in the end I opted for luxman.
marantz cd6003 -
after auditioning denon and marantz, I chose marantz for my cd player. would have liked to have SACD playing option as I do have quite a few of them, my budget just didn't allow me. for its price, I think marantz house sound is very nice and dont have any complaints. compared to denon, the sound was more organic, wheres the denon, while having slightly better detail, just felt scratchy and harsh compared to marantz' smooth sound.
I really like this setup, but I have noticed that last few days I like to increase the volume a little and am concerned about clipping the speakers. I really dont know much about these things but after some reading I have found out that my speakers are not very effeicient (86db), and maybe I should have went for a more powerful amp?
how can one tell if ones volume level starts to clip? mind you I don't use even half the volume of the amp. the amp specs indicate 50 watts per channel at 8 ohms. if it helps here is some information on the amp:
http://audio-database.com/LUXMANALPINE-LUXMAN/amp/l-570-e.html
and some info on the speakers:
http://www.stereotimes.com/speak030800.shtml
the main reason for wanting more volume is when listening to classical music with some silent passages difficult to hear clearly. otherwise, with other genres such as rock, jazz etc, my usual listening volume level is quite enough.
should I have bought a more powerful amp? anyone have experience with either the amp or the speakers here? any advice would be greatly appreciated.