How far can an amp upgrade take you with you speaker?
32@fa.com -- Sun, 05/02/2010 - 20:21
Dear Editors and Forum Particpants,
Does it make more sense to upgrade an amp to a "cost no object" level to get the most out of your speaker, or does it make more sense to upgrade the speaker? I am wondering how much more I will be able to get out of Martin Logan Prodigies with an amp like Arc Ref 610 or Atmasphere m2 vs. putting $$$$$ into a new speaker such as a newer Martin Logan and keeping my more "modest" amp. Cheers.
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It's a called "stereo system" for a reason - all components matter and the weakest one will have the most negative effect.
If you love the speakers, an amplifier upgrade would be appropriate, BUT there will be a point of diminishing returns for money spent.
Also you didn't mention how well the speaker fits your room. If it's an ideal fit then upgrading electronics would make sense, but if the speakers don't fit your room as well as a larger or smaller footprint speaker, then a speaker change might yield more beneficial results.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
Dear Mr. Stone,
Thank you for your response and clarifications. I am currently driving the Prodigies with McCormack DNA 500. The room is 23x17. I like the speakers a lot, but I know ther is better. I am wondering how much more I can get out of them with a great amp. How much more amp would I get spending 4 or 5 times the price of my amp? Also, per your clarification, I am wondering if I would overcome the law of diminishing returns by getting a great amp or upgrading the Prodigies to Martin Logan CLX or Soundlabs A-3.
If it were me, I would try another amplifier to see if there was a noticeable improvement.
If there is a noticeable and definite improvement I'd look at upgrading the amp.
If there is no improvement either your speakers aren't responding to the newer amp or the amp is no better.
Also another consideration - it's much easier to resell an amp on the used market than a pair of speakers.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
I own Dynaudio Confidence C1 speakers and prior to that I owned B&W 805 Signatures. In both cases it never ceased to surprise me how the sound of my system improved everytime I "upgraded" ANYTHING upstream. Personally, I think the quality of the music signal is by far the limiting factor in most systems. I heard the Magnepan 1.7 speakers ($2000) driven by Bryston 28B SST2 amplifiers ($18,000) and the results were nothing short of "why did I just spend $6,000 on speakers?!"
I have to agree with JLeeMD. I was always a proponent of getting the best speaker possible, and spending less on electronics, especially sources. I recently upgraded my CD player from a tweeked Sony SCD-1 to a ARC CD-7, and could not believe the difference in the sound of my Nola Viper Reference III speakers. It truely took them to another level!
It's important to balance the quality between all the components in a system. While the "source first" idea has merit (after all, a signal never gets any better as it moves through the chain), it's true that loudspeakers exhibit vast variations in behavior and performance, and thus exert a considerable effect on the sound. I think an ARC Ref 610t would be overkill on the MartinLogans; you would get a better overall result by spending less on the amp upgrade and putting that money into better speakers (the MartinLogan CLX, for example).
Mr. Harley is right, and I believe somewhere in the archives is an article on what percentage of a budget one should spend on each component. Above all creating a synergy between components is the most important thing. Talk to the people at MartinLogan, and ask them what amps they used to voice their speakers.
That the tonal balance between amp and speaker should be maintained is a given. Also not to connect low efficient speakers to any low output amp.
But when we excluded such obvious combinations I can easily recommend putting the best available speakers to your electronics.
It is after all the speakers that provide the sound!
Yes I know this go against the wishes of many, especially those who want to have one fancy amp for the showoff factor. =)
So I basically agree with ChrisR and what mr Robert Harley said. So you cannot go wrong by having the best speakers your amp can handle.