2. amps-preamps
  3. 169457-145771

High end high quality int. amp for low level listening

Hello to all Audigon members.  I'm quite in a dilemma weather I should upgrade my amplifier. Currently I own Pathos classic one MK3 driving Sonus Faber Sonetto's speakers, and I must say I'm very happy with sound filling my 35 square meters room. However, it's known that the speakers are power hungry as they rated at 86db sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance and I think they will surely benefit from a bigger power supply. With all that being said I'm not sure if I will hear any improvement mostly because 90% of the time I listen at ~60dBs SPL. My budget is around 5k $ and these are the amplifiers I've been considering:  Hegel H390, Anthem STR, Cambridge Audio Edge A, McIntosh MA5300/MA252, Accuphase e280, Rotel Michi x3 or used Pass Labs INT 25, Mark Levinson 5805.

What do you think guys, will any of the amplifiers make ay difference at 60dB SPL ? 
celestial__sound
mofojo
2,170 posts
 
Wow just did my spl meter in my phone. 60 db is really pretty low volume. On the cheap you could try a Schiit Loki. 
knotscott's avatar
knotscott
796 posts
 
More power doesn’t necessarily equate to improved sound. The sound will likely change a bit, but there’s no guarantee you’ll like it better. I’ve run the gamut of 55 wpc, to 70, 255, 150, 100, 35, and have settled on 20 wpc as my best sounding amps. It’s subjective, but I’ll gladly give up wall shaking volume levels for a sound I love....and they still play loud enough to annoy my family!
pingvin
46 posts
 
I had Sonus Fabers once and they didn't "wake up" until about 75 or 80 db I'm guessing. I suggest that you at least listen to your Pathos with more sensitive speakers. If you don't want to, then consider the new Audio Research I50, which is in your budget -- ARC is known to be synergistic with SF. Or, of those you list, my guess is that Hegel is the best bet; I would otherwise go for the Accuphase or Pass, but I suspect that they are too naturally warm to work well with the smoothed-over SF sound.
jond's avatar
jond
5,657 posts
 
More sensitive speakers make a lot more sense than a more powerful amp.
dill
2,424 posts
 
Consider buying another Pathos Classic MKIII. There is a switch on the bottom of the unit to convert them to mono blocks. You can control both amps with one remote.
More to discover