Hello everyone,
I've recently purchased a pair of PSB Imagine T3 and I'd like to understand if I need more power than I already have do drive them properly. The funny problem I have is what follows. I've auditioned (blind tested) 3 amps that are 2-3 times the price of the unit I currently have. What I've blind tested/auditioned was:
NAD M3 (new)
NAD C 375BEE (new)
Musical Fidelity A308 (used)
The issue is that the differences between them are not obvious (to me) and I have really struggled to pick them apart. After doing 2 sessions (2 weeks apart) of "blind" listening, I've always picked the NAD 375BEE and the MF once. However, the differences are not there and all could sound the same to me anyway. My current amp which is 8 years old can be found used for as little as 400. All the other 3 from above cost way way more.
What I currently have is a Marantz PM7001 and I love how it sounds.
However, it's specs are:
Marantz PM7001:[1]
70Watt/Ch Into 8 ohm /100 Watts/Ch Into 4 ohm
Output Power/Channel (20Hz - 20kHz) @ 8 70W
THD (20Hz - 20kHz, 8Ω) 0.02%
Input Sensitivity/Impedance 200mV/20k
Frequency Response 5Hz - 100kHz (+/- 3 dB)
S/N Ratio 88dB (CD, Line)
PSB T3's [2]
Sensitivity: Anechoic Chamber 89dB, Listening Room 91dB
Impedance: Nominal 8 Ohms, Minimum 4 Ohms
Input Power (RMS, Clipping <10% Time):
Recommended 20 - 300 Watts
Program 300 Watts
Extract from PSB series manual:
"For playing at a consistently room-filling volume minimum of 50 watts is usually a good idea. We recommend a maximum of 80-150 watts for sustained program material as for instance, with organ pedal tones for long duration, or minutes-long subterranean special effects in movies." [3]
I'm listening from a computer through an Arcam rDac into the Marantz CD-line.
My room size: ~ 16x16 ft
The Marantz at a very good room-filling volume (about 11 o'clock if that means anything) gets a little warm while driving the T3's. I'd like to understand if my current Marantz has enough power to properly drive the T3's and if having more power can improve the sound at comparable volume levels. I can't fully "decode" the specs of the amp in relation to what the speakers require to make an informed decision. I have them from about 2 weeks now and they sound great. I'd be curious if another amp could definitely make the T3's sound better. As I said, I've listened the other 3 above and couldn't tell if they sound better one from another or better than the Marantz I currently have. Another issue is that I don't want to drive the Marantz into clipping. Does it have enough power to safely drive the T3's?
[1] http://us.marantz.com/DocumentMaster/US/DFU_PM7001_Final_eng.pdf
[2] http://www.psbspeakers.com/content/141110160844-14-062_PSB_Imagine_T3_C3_Data_Sheet.pdf
[3] http://www.psbspeakers.com/content/141219140635-PSB_OM-200ImageImagine_English.pdf
Thanks for reading the long post.
Regards,
AlexM
Hello everyone,
I've recently purchased a pair of PSB Imagine T3 and I'd like to understand if I need more power than I already have do drive them properly. The funny problem I have is what follows. I've auditioned (blind tested) 3 amps that are 2-3 times the price of the unit I currently have. What I've blind tested/auditioned was:
NAD M3 (new)
NAD C 375BEE (new)
Musical Fidelity A308 (used)
The issue is that the differences between them are not obvious (to me) and I have really struggled to pick them apart. After doing 2 sessions (2 weeks apart) of "blind" listening, I've always picked the NAD 375BEE and the MF once. However, the differences are not there and all could sound the same to me anyway. My current amp which is 8 years old can be found used for as little as 400. All the other 3 from above cost way way more.
What I currently have is a Marantz PM7001 and I love how it sounds.
However, it's specs are:
Marantz PM7001:[1]
70Watt/Ch Into 8 ohm /100 Watts/Ch Into 4 ohm
Output Power/Channel (20Hz - 20kHz) @ 8 70W
THD (20Hz - 20kHz, 8Ω) 0.02%
Input Sensitivity/Impedance 200mV/20k
Frequency Response 5Hz - 100kHz (+/- 3 dB)
S/N Ratio 88dB (CD, Line)
PSB T3's [2]
Sensitivity: Anechoic Chamber 89dB, Listening Room 91dB
Impedance: Nominal 8 Ohms, Minimum 4 Ohms
Input Power (RMS, Clipping <10% Time):
Recommended 20 - 300 Watts
Program 300 Watts
Extract from PSB series manual:
"For playing at a consistently room-filling volume minimum of 50 watts is usually a good idea. We recommend a maximum of 80-150 watts for sustained program material as for instance, with organ pedal tones for long duration, or minutes-long subterranean special effects in movies." [3]
I'm listening from a computer through an Arcam rDac into the Marantz CD-line.
My room size: ~ 16x16 ft
The Marantz at a very good room-filling volume (about 11 o'clock if that means anything) gets a little warm while driving the T3's. I'd like to understand if my current Marantz has enough power to properly drive the T3's and if having more power can improve the sound at comparable volume levels. I can't fully "decode" the specs of the amp in relation to what the speakers require to make an informed decision. I have them from about 2 weeks now and they sound great. I'd be curious if another amp could definitely make the T3's sound better. As I said, I've listened the other 3 above and couldn't tell if they sound better one from another or better than the Marantz I currently have. Another issue is that I don't want to drive the Marantz into clipping. Does it have enough power to safely drive the T3's?
[1] http://us.marantz.com/DocumentMaster/US/DFU_PM7001_Final_eng.pdf
[2] http://www.psbspeakers.com/content/141110160844-14-062_PSB_Imagine_T3_C3_Data_Sheet.pdf
[3] http://www.psbspeakers.com/content/141219140635-PSB_OM-200ImageImagine_English.pdf
Thanks for reading the long post.
Regards,
AlexM