Amp for AAD 2001s 86 dB ; Do I need more power?
So it's been quite a long time coming, but I was finally able to not only track down a pair of AAD 2001s, but also able to locate the dedicated stands on the used market. After only a few days and about 20 hours of listening under my belt I am very happy that I persisted in finding this setup.
There are enough reviews of these out there that I don't feel compelled to talk at length about the many virtues of this speaker, and I think that others have accurately described their character better than I could. One of the often sighted drawbacks of these speakers is the very low sensitivity of 86 dB. This has lead almost every reviewer to claim that these require at least 100 strong watts to come alive. I'm currently running them with a Bryston B60r, and although the Bryston needs to be cranked a little bit, it seems that even these 60 watts are getting a lot out of the AADs in terms of low-end and dynamic impact. Only on rare musical passages does it seem that there could be room for improved control of the low-end. I very much like the overall sound of the Bryston and am wondering if I am really missing out on that much by only giving them 60 watts. Does anyone who has used these or a similarly low sensitivity speaker before have any thoughts on the matter? Are there huge gains to be made by giving them more juice?
My room is 14' x 24' and I listen at loud but not concert hall levels.
A few of the integrated amps I was considering "upgrading" to if necessary are listed below.
Creek Destiny
DK Design
Bryston B100
McIntosh 6?00
The AADs have a little brightness or "tipped-up" character to them, so I wouldn't want an amp with similar attributes, which might result in harsh or fatiguing sound.
Thanks for your thought,
Best regards,
JMl
There are enough reviews of these out there that I don't feel compelled to talk at length about the many virtues of this speaker, and I think that others have accurately described their character better than I could. One of the often sighted drawbacks of these speakers is the very low sensitivity of 86 dB. This has lead almost every reviewer to claim that these require at least 100 strong watts to come alive. I'm currently running them with a Bryston B60r, and although the Bryston needs to be cranked a little bit, it seems that even these 60 watts are getting a lot out of the AADs in terms of low-end and dynamic impact. Only on rare musical passages does it seem that there could be room for improved control of the low-end. I very much like the overall sound of the Bryston and am wondering if I am really missing out on that much by only giving them 60 watts. Does anyone who has used these or a similarly low sensitivity speaker before have any thoughts on the matter? Are there huge gains to be made by giving them more juice?
My room is 14' x 24' and I listen at loud but not concert hall levels.
A few of the integrated amps I was considering "upgrading" to if necessary are listed below.
Creek Destiny
DK Design
Bryston B100
McIntosh 6?00
The AADs have a little brightness or "tipped-up" character to them, so I wouldn't want an amp with similar attributes, which might result in harsh or fatiguing sound.
Thanks for your thought,
Best regards,
JMl