[Ableza]

Welcome to a typical price point of the "high end." This is one reason it is dying.

 

[earnmyturns]

Welcome to a typical price point of the "high end." This is one reason it is dying.

I thought I was already in the stratosphere with >$2K DACs and >$1K streamers, but clearly I don't appreciate the need to get to outer space to keep those magical circuits at below 3 Kelvin

 

[valiant66]

Are there A/V receivers that get good marks when used for two-channel music listening? Or should I find him a decent sound bar for his digital TV, declare that we are divorcing his video and audio worlds, and then suggest Saga+Vidar+somebody's FM tuner for the music listening side of his world? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Alan

Yamaha actually make good-sounding A/V receivers. I've had a couple over the years (I'm using Emotiva separates now) and was always happy enough with the two-channel behaviour. Their background in pro audio gear really helps (I've used their rack amps and their guitars are well-regarded). If you're budget is between $1000 and $1500 you should be able to get something with enough power to drive the Snells and sound good in stereo. They're also pretty good at surround. They're not a "designer" brand, but their broad experience in the music world means they don't want to make anything unmusical and risk sales to musicians. Anthem is a great Canadian brand, but the sheer economies of scale mean Yamaha can provide more at any given price point than a boutique operation.

Yamaha is also broadly available, which makes it easy to audition.

[Edit] FWIW my local hi-end store, K&W Audio (https://www.kandwaudio.com), carries Yamaha alongside all their stratospheric offerings...
.

 

[artur9]

The notion of getting an A/V receiver and running in 2.nothing mode, so that he could switch his audio and video sources at the receiver and handle the audio for devices which only have HDMI outputs seems compelling,

Do you actually need HDMI switching? Only if you upgrade to a BluRay player or maybe DSD player. And HDMI is pretty terrible because of HDCP and slow switching etc. Unless you spend a good chunk of change or don't care too much about audio quality the best HDMI switch might be the one in the TV.

What I'd suggest is an older non-HDMI high end preprocessor like a used Cary Cinema 11 (link to manual). It sounded fantastic when I had it. A*gon has a dozen or so older units from all kinds of brands for sale.

Or a new thing like a Parasound P5 or P7 (parasound.com). Then power the speakers with Vidar or other cost effective stereo amp.

All in you'd be looking at anywhere from 699 (for vidar) + 100-1000 for something from A*gon. (There's a Cinema 11 there for 710). I can't really express how much I enjoyed the sound of my Cary Audio Cinema 11 for 2ch.

 

[artur9]

I thought I was already in the stratosphere with >$2K DACs and >$1K streamers, but clearly I don't appreciate the need to get to outer space to keep those magical circuits at below 3 Kelvin

You have no idea. One thing I like about The Absolute Sound's recommended product list is how it os sorted by price. OMG, the last 2-3 things in each category make me cry.

How many starving children we could feed for the price of Zellaton speakers! Or desks for schoolchildren via Lawrence O'Donnell's KIND charity.

And, on that thought, Merry Christmas for one and all!

 

[13DoW]

I would expect for the new amp:

Stereo 25 Watts into 8 Ohms, 50 Watts into 4 Ohms, 100 Watts into 2 Ohms.
Mono 50 Watts into 16 Ohms, 100 Watts into 8 Ohms, 200 Watts into 4 Ohms.

All pure Class A as per Jason’s definition of class A.

Makes sense to me.

With Jason’s new analog IP I think this is very probable. The biggest risk is Class A heat dissipation from the Vidar heat sinks.

For a little perspective .....
25W into 8ohms requires a +/-20V peak voltage swing so the output supply must be at least +/-20V (assuming no losses). A 20Vpeak voltage across 8 Ohms is a current of 2.5A. For class A the output stage must be biased with at least 2.5A.
So, the power dissipation of the output stage is 2 x 20V x 2.5A x 2channels = 200W. Following the same calculations the power dissipation for 50W into 4 Ohms = 400W and 100W into 2 Ohms = 800W.
That is a lot of heat to vent and there are two important considerations:
1. How hot is acceptable for the heatsinks to be to the touch? If we allow a 25C rise above room temperature then the thermal resistance of the heatsink must be 25/200 = 0.125W/C. That is a decent sized heatsink, maybe Vidar can handle that but I doubt more.
2. If we allow the heatsink to reach 50C then how hot do the output transistors get? There will be a minimum of four output devices in a stereo amplifier each dissipating 50W of the 200W total. The best case thermal resistance from transistor die to heatsink is 1.5C/W so the transistor die will be at least 50W x 1.5C/W = 75W above the heatsink temperature i.e. 125C, which is at the very limit for reliable operation. A solution is to use parallel devices, doubling the number of output transistors means each dissipates 25W and will have an operating temperature < 90C. Even if the Vidar heatsink can keep below 50C at 200W then parallel transistors will be required (maybe Vidar already does this).

Perhaps 25W/8Ohm class-a is do-able but no more unless you get into Passlabs-sized chassis.

Regards
13the Duke of Wymbourne.

ps. Merry Christmas all !!

 

[rkw]

I thought I was already in the stratosphere with >$2K DACs and >$1K streamers

You have no idea.

Exactly. At the high end you can spend thousands for one cable.

 

[ScottFree]

Exactly. At the high end you can spend thousands for one cable.

If you're looking to connect your new Magni 3 and Modi Multibit together and you want a cable that just screams "I'm A Classy Guy " then try the Audioquest Wel Signature Interconnect RCA-RCA cable. Just £5,250 for 0.5m.

Or perhaps you just want some balance in your life. And are therefore are going for the Mjolnir 2/Gungnir Multibit combo. Then don't forget to buy the Audioquest Wel Signature XLR-XLR cable at £5,599 for 0.5m

And finally. If you're on the installment plan and are just wanting to start out with the Magni 3, why not try our bargain cable, the Audioquest Angel 3.5mm to 2xRCA interconnect cable. Just starting at £799 for 0.6m

 

[wink]

Mark Levinson became part of Harmon International many years ago, and last year Harmon was purchased by Samsung. ML still exists, but they are now the high-end of the Samsung behemoth. (By the way, those of you looking for a whiz-bang all-in-one digital source for your network, for Internet streaming, playing CD, etc. should check out their model 519. And only $17K US!)

The eye-watering never stops in Hi-Fi and Audiophoolery.
btw, the Sennheiser HE-1 retails for just over 80,000 Australian pesos.
I had a listen a month ago, and I can honestly say that although it sounded superb, I like my system better.

 

[Anavel0]

The eye-watering never stops in Hi-Fi and Audiophoolery.
btw, the Sennheiser HE-1 retails for just over 80,000 Australian pesos.
I had a listen a month ago, and I can honestly say that although it sounded superb, I like my system better.

We’ve just found the luckiest man alive.

Glad you enjoy your current system so much.

 

[Vtsailor]

I have some relatively inefficient speakers that I believe would benefit from using two Vidar's. However I only have single ended outputs on my preamp. I understand that a transformer can do the SE to balanced conversion. While I understand the principles involved, I am not savvy enough to know what to order. Could someone please help me by making a recommendation for an affordable SE to balanced transformer?
Thanks and a happy New Year to all.

 

[Rowethren]

Probably not the answer you want but how about getting a Freya? Full balanced all the way through

 

[Ableza]

IEC’s 60950-1 says the max consumer product touch temperature for a metal surface is 70C (158F). Just FYI.

 

[RCBinTN]

I've used Yamaha receivers for years.
My favorite was a 2-channel (model 800?) driving original Advent speakers, way back in the day.
It had a nice, somewhat warm sound for a SS amp.

They are an interesting company. Make all kinds of musical instruments. Great quality control.
I just bought a trombone for my granddaughter's Christmas gift. It's very fine...

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/winds/trombones/ysl-882o/index.html

 

[AudioBear]

I always found it an odd mix that they make ATVs, jet skis, motorcycles, boats, and musical instruments.