[SMOKEYoriginal]

Hello guys, Im not skilled in this branch so I would like to ask for a help. Im planning to buy some nice speakers and Im looking for these Wharfedale Evo 4.4 but Im not sure if power amp is all I need for these or do I have to invest even more and get pre-amp for these as well?

 

[Alcophone]

Hello guys, Im not skilled in this branch so I would like to ask for a help. Im planning to buy some nice speakers and Im looking for these Wharfedale Evo 4.4 but Im not sure if power amp is all I need for these or do I have to invest even more and get pre-amp for these as well?

I have them, but they are just passive speakers like many others. That means you need a speaker amp for them, they don't have a built-in amplifier (basically like regular wired headphones). If you use them with a power amp, you can use some existing volume control you already have (say a DAC with built-in volume control or maybe the OS volume setting into your DAC), or a preamp to control the volume with (which could be as simple as a Schiit SYS or a headphone amp with pre outs). Alternatively you could use an integrated amp (essentially preamp + power amp in one box). Either way, you need something to control the volume with, a power amp typically has a fixed amount of amplification and at best a difficult to reach gain adjustment that's more intended for volume matching with other amplified components (like a subwoofer or another amp in a bi-amping scenario).
They can get really loud, though, so I'd avoid something with a pure software volume control that some software could reset to 100% without you realizing it before you blow your ears and annoy your neighbors.

What gear are you planning on using them with? Nice choice, BTW, I love mine.

 

[SMOKEYoriginal]

I have them, but they are just passive speakers like many others. That means you need a speaker amp for them, they don't have a built-in amplifier (basically like regular wired headphones). If you use them with a power amp, you can use some existing volume control you already have (say a DAC with built-in volume control or maybe the OS volume setting into your DAC), or a preamp to control the volume with (which could be as simple as a Schiit SYS or a headphone amp with pre outs). Alternatively you could use an integrated amp (essentially preamp + power amp in one box). Either way, you need something to control the volume with, a power amp typically has a fixed amount of amplification and at best a difficult to reach gain adjustment that's more intended for volume matching with other amplified components (like a subwoofer or another amp in a bi-amping scenario).
They can get really loud, though, so I'd avoid something with a pure software volume control that some software could reset to 100% without you realizing it before you blow your ears and annoy your neighbors.

What gear are you planning on using them with? Nice choice, BTW, I love mine.

Hey, thanks for the clarification. I have headphones set from Sennheiser. It's HD800s & HDV820 now I'm thinking if HDV820 would be a good amp for speakers?


I don't really know which power amp exactly but from some videos I've been watching it looks like this brand works well with Cambridge amps (for example 851W). What would you recommend? What power outpit should I aim for a good performance on these? I assume it should be 8ohm at 150W at least on a channel?

 

[Alcophone]

It's HD800s & HDV820 now I'm thinking if HDV820 would be a good amp for speakers?

No, it's primarily a headphone amplifier, though you can use it as a DAC and preamp (I checked the manual to confirm the XLR outputs are volume controlled and not just line level). That means the power amp needs to be balanced as well, which is limiting, but they exist.

I don't really know which power amp exactly but from some videos I've been watching it looks like this brand works well with Cambridge amps (for example 851W).

That should work, plenty of power and balanced inputs so you could use the HDV820 as a preamp. I have no personal experience with Cambridge, unfortunately.

What would you recommend?

I haven't paired mine with many amps. I like them a lot with my Schiit Ragnarok 2, also enjoyed them with the XTZ Edge A2-300 (single ended only, using the Ragnarok 2 as a preamp), but didn't enjoy them with the Schiit Vidar power amp, even just for the bass section (since they support bi-amping).

What power outpit should I aim for a good performance on these? I assume it should be 8ohm at 150W at least on a channel?

Difficult to answer, Wharfedale recommends 30-200W and calls them 8 Ohm compatible, so I'm assuming they mean at 8 Ohm although it dips down to 4.3 Ohm. But different manufacturers measure power differently, so those numbers aren't always comparable (some 30W amps probably outperform some 200W amps), and it depends on your room size and preferred listening volume.
With the Schiit Ragnarok 2 and high dynamic range content (often movies) I'm reaching close to the maximum volume at low gain, but there are two more gain settings that are considerably louder. That's driven balanced with a Bifrost 2 DAC. Medium sized room, I do like it loud on occasion but am mindful of potential hearing loss.

 

[SMOKEYoriginal]

No, it's primarily a headphone amplifier, though you can use it as a DAC and preamp (I checked the manual to confirm the XLR outputs are volume controlled and not just line level). That means the power amp needs to be balanced as well, which is limiting, but they exist.

Ah, so that sucks then. Guess I gotta invest into some pre-amp thats made for speakers. I will get in touch with the seller and ask them for some recommendation which pre-amp and power amp would they advise to use. Lets see what they say.

Difficult to answer, Wharfedale recommends 30-200W and calls them 8 Ohm compatible, so I'm assuming they mean at 8 Ohm although it dips down to 4.3 Ohm. But different manufacturers measure power differently, so those numbers aren't always comparable (some 30W amps probably outperform some 200W amps), and it depends on your room size and preferred listening volume.
With the Schiit Ragnarok 2 and high dynamic range content (often movies) I'm reaching close to the maximum volume at low gain, but there are two more gain settings that are considerably louder. That's driven balanced with a Bifrost 2 DAC. Medium sized room, I do like it loud on occasion but am mindful of potential hearing loss.

My room is 4x4 meters and I would be on the opposite side of the room on the bed. That would be preferred listening position. I love to listen to music on higher volumes on my headphones since the sound quality is not ear twisting and also the louder the more you hear and enjoy some aspects. So Im sure I would definitely go for higher volumes from time to time on the speakers.