Nord power amplifiers

[anonymous-user]

Thinking of getting a power amp to go with my Yamaha AV receiver and came across this which looks good value:

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/product-page/012e5195-...

Anyone know if these are any good?

Also, my speakers recommend amplifiers "up to 150 watts" but this amp is rated as 400 watt into 8 ohms, which I guess means 200 watts per channel, will an amp of this power melt the speakers?

[legzr1]

Digital amps with very, very clean sound that some find a little too edgy while others love them.

That 400W into 8 Ohms is the per channel figure and will provide enough power for most speakers - ignore the 'up to' rating on your speakers - a lower powered amp driven hard and into clipping will cause far more damage than a more powerful amp operating well within its parameters as long as you're sensible.

There's someone selling a very similar amp on Hifiwigwam for around E950 - around £795 which is a fair saving.

[Crackie]

legzr1 said:

ignore the 'up to' rating on your speakers - a lower powered amp driven hard and into clipping will cause far more damage than a more powerful amp operating well within its parameters as long as you're sensible.

This /\

[anonymous-user]

Depending on your current speaker set up you may well be better off (as in, getting a dramatic or noticeable improvement in sound quality at typical listening levels) spending less on the power amp and more on upgrading the speakers.

[anonymous-user]

Spumfry said:

Depending on your current speaker set up you may well be better off (as in, getting a dramatic or noticeable improvement in sound quality at typical listening levels) spending less on the power amp and more on upgrading the speakers.

Thanks. I currently have ProAc studio floor standers which (to me) are very detailed and I'm very happy with, my primary concern is sometimes I find myself listening with the amp at almost full volume or with very little in reserve so I think I'll get better results with more headroom. Bass management is already taken care of by the sub.

Don't really "need" a new amp, just curious if it will improve things. This could also explain the tinnitus!

[anonymous-user]

Fair enough - not sure if you were joking about the tinnitus but as someone with mild hearing problems I find 'clean' but high volume sound easier to deal with than distorted sound at lower levels, so you could well be on the right route with the amp.