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Post by Sebastian on Dec 2, 2017 12:18:48 GMT -5
Hi Dan,
Nowadays, I’m looking forward to buy an TA-100 but I’m not sure if the power delivered by the unit would be sufficient to drive my old speakers branded by Dynaudio Audience 122, which comes as 200 W RMS.
Do you think this amifier is sufficient to drive the speakers in a room with around 25 square metters?
I have no doubt avout the sound quality though.
Many thanks in advance,
Sebastian.
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Post by garbulky on Dec 2, 2017 13:15:19 GMT -5
Sebastian - the Dynaudio is rated at 86db which is on the more inefficient side of the spectrum. Now this would power them and sound fine. But you may have some limits to the volume you can reach. For instance I've seen 90 db speakers powered by a 5 watt tube amplifier to healthy volumes. But you're not going to be able to have a house party with it.
However for more optimum performance, something like that would benefit from say a used UPA-2 or XPA-200 or a basx A-300 amplifier. Ideal would be a used XPA-2 gen 2 unit. But that's going to run you about $550. And only if you are after that last bit of sound quality.
For the most part - this amp will do okay unless you're a sound quality afficianado at higher volumes. If you're just looking for something that works - this will do fine.
For most speakers - you are running at about a watt or less of power at normal life size volumes. It's the peaks that you need to consider which can be ten to 15 times that. And by life size I mean hearing a person sing at the volume they would if they were in your living room.
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Post by Sebastian on Dec 2, 2017 13:51:10 GMT -5
Sebastian - the Dynaudio is rated at 86db which is on the more inefficient side of the spectrum. Now this would power them and sound fine. But you may have some limits to the volume you can reach. For instance I've seen 90 db speakers powered by a 5 watt tube amplifier to healthy volumes. But you're not going to be able to have a house party with it. However for more optimum performance, something like that would benefit from say a used UPA-2 or XPA-200 or a basx A-300 amplifier. Ideal would be a used XPA-2 gen 2 unit. But that's going to run you about $550. And only if you are after that last bit of sound quality. For the most part - this amp will do okay unless you're a sound quality afficianado at higher volumes. If you're just looking for something that works - this will do fine. For most speakers - you are running at about a watt or less of power at normal life size volumes. It's the peaks that you need to consider which can be ten to 15 times that. And by life size I mean hearing a person sing at the volume they would if they were in your living room. Thank you for you inputs. I really appreciate it the time you taken to come back with some useful details. In the same time, sorry for the typ-o, the post has been written from my mobile phone  Well, what can I say, I don't want to make parties in my living room. From time to time, I want to have some good quality audience along with my family, and sometimes, having the friends invited for a bottle of wine Thus, I don't want to increase to volume to much. Have a sensitivity of 86 dB and delivering 200 W RMS at 6 Ohms, I was worry about the potential of the amplifier. Unfortunately, I don't have the privilege to test the amplifier having a similar environment set into a dedicated store or something similar. That's why I'm spending some time to make some small research on the internet asking for some educated opinions. The amplifier is appealing to me because it has some digital interfaces and the Bluetooth could be a useful asset. I would go up a few bucks if the alternatives would offer me the same sound quality and interfaces that I could benefit of. Many thanks in advance for any other suggestions coming from anyone else who would read the post. |
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Post by garbulky on Dec 2, 2017 13:57:25 GMT -5
Sebastian - the Dynaudio is rated at 86db which is on the more inefficient side of the spectrum. Now this would power them and sound fine. But you may have some limits to the volume you can reach. For instance I've seen 90 db speakers powered by a 5 watt tube amplifier to healthy volumes. But you're not going to be able to have a house party with it. However for more optimum performance, something like that would benefit from say a used UPA-2 or XPA-200 or a basx A-300 amplifier. Ideal would be a used XPA-2 gen 2 unit. But that's going to run you about $550. And only if you are after that last bit of sound quality. For the most part - this amp will do okay unless you're a sound quality afficianado at higher volumes. If you're just looking for something that works - this will do fine. For most speakers - you are running at about a watt or less of power at normal life size volumes. It's the peaks that you need to consider which can be ten to 15 times that. And by life size I mean hearing a person sing at the volume they would if they were in your living room. Thank you for you inputs. I really appreciate it the time you taken to come back with some useful details. In the same time, sorry for the typ-o, the post has been written from my mobile phone Well, what can I say, I don't want to make parties in my living room. From time to time, I want to have some good quality audience along with my family, and sometimes, having the friends invited for a bottle of wine Thus, I don't want to increase to volume to much. Have a sensitivity of 86 dB and delivering 200 W RMS at 6 Ohms, I was worry about the potential of the amplifier. Unfortunately, I don't have the privilege to test the amplifier having a similar environment set into a dedicated store or something similar. That's why I'm spending some time to make some small research on the internet asking for some educated opinions. The amplifier is appealing to me because it has some digital interfaces and the Bluetooth could be a useful asset. I would go up a few bucks if the alternatives would offer me the same sound quality and interfaces that I could benefit of. Many thanks in advance for any other suggestions coming from anyone else who would read the post. From what you said, I see no reason why this device won't please you. It is a high quality unit for its entry level price and will give you an edge in sound quality because its DAC decoder unit is quite good. I'm not sure if bluetooth comes in built or if you need to purchase the add on bluetooth module from Emotiva. I'm sure the product page will let you know. Though a more powerful amp can do better, the improvement isn't going to be some sort of night and day difference and depending on your setup and preferences . Heck it may not make any difference at all. Though it can. That's why I own the XPA-1 gen 2 and think it's worth every dollar I spent for it. But I know many people who hear no differences in solid state electronics like monkumonku and that's a good thing because their wallet is not lighter at the end of the day. If you do want to step up I believe the TA-100 has preamp outputs which can allow you to step up to a different amp. But I think overall from what you said you will be just fine with this amp I have powered my own speakers - 90 db plus effficient from the Bas-x a-100. Well it was a very similar model - its predecessors. My speakers are Axiom m80 tower speakers meant for 400 watts of power. The Basx A-100 (80 watts of power) did better imo than the Crown XLS drivecore unit that puts out something like 400 watts of power. So hope that tells you something about Emotiva's amps. What you get from more expensive bigger emotiva amps is more control, some bass extension and quicker dynamics - microdynamics and macrodynamics. Basically all their amps will get very loud including your ta-100. But some will get louder "quicker" than the others. The sound will appear more "instantaneously" with less smear. So more speed if you will. The XPA-1 and the XPA-2 gen 2 ups the ante by providing startlingly good room ambience - the dimensions of the room in the recording and depth in audio. But it requires a good setup to be able to reproduce that capability and not everybody has it. I.e. room treatments careful optimization of speaker positioning. |
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Post by Sebastian on Dec 2, 2017 14:12:08 GMT -5
Your inputs and details offered so far put me on the road towards this amplifier. What I heard so far, TA-100 does better than many other more powerful and expensive solutions on the market.
For the future, in case that more power is required, I'm sure that the preamp will do fine accompanied by a more powerful amplifier.
As for the Bluetooth dongle, indeed, I need to order separately. Well, a company decision and we should respect this if some sort of quality is expected for a certain amount of money.
Soon I will make a decision which might be hardly influenced by your inputs.
Thank you very much.
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Post by monkumonku on Dec 2, 2017 16:28:45 GMT -5
Though a more powerful amp can do better, the improvement isn't going to be some sort of night and day difference and depending on your setup and preferences . Heck it may not make any difference at all. Though it can. That's why I own the XPA-1 gen 2 and think it's worth every dollar I spent for it. But I know many people who hear no differences in solid state electronics like monkumonku and that's a good thing because their wallet is not lighter at the end of the day.
Gar, I just did a partial quote of your post. I just don't hear differences in solid state electronics that aren't there.  I own or have owned the XPA-1, XPA-2, XPA-3, XPA-5 and UPA-2 but never really compared them side by side. The XPA amps have the oomph, especially the XPA-1 and XPA-2, but I have to say I really haven't noticed any difference in HT/movies between the different models, or between them and the Crown amps I am using now. The Emo amps are all excellent and have better build quality than the Crown amps. When it comes to two channel, the ST-120 tube amp I'm using now is my favorite. No plans on getting anything else. |
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Post by vneal on Dec 2, 2017 17:03:24 GMT -5
I bought a TA100 to use in a dedicated 2 Ch room with Elac speakers. Long story short after many experiments with different equipment I have on hand, I ended up buying a A300 amp and run it through the TA100 and use my main speakers the B&W CM10s. The sound is wonderful. I have heard 100,000 systems that do not sound better than my 2 Ch system. Granted it is a small room 12 X 14.
My only *bleep* is I have to do +3 on the right ride of the preamp to get a satisfying balance. One more--adjusting tone controls or tuner presets is not user friendly. I have cables connecting the system that cost more than the TA100 or A300
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Post by novisnick on Dec 2, 2017 17:53:05 GMT -5
Though a more powerful amp can do better, the improvement isn't going to be some sort of night and day difference and depending on your setup and preferences . Heck it may not make any difference at all. Though it can. That's why I own the XPA-1 gen 2 and think it's worth every dollar I spent for it. But I know many people who hear no differences in solid state electronics like monkumonku and that's a good thing because their wallet is not lighter at the end of the day.
Gar, I just did a partial quote of your post. I just don't hear differences in solid state electronics that aren't there. I own or have owned the XPA-1, XPA-2, XPA-3, XPA-5 and UPA-2 but never really compared them side by side. The XPA amps have the oomph, especially the XPA-1 and XPA-2, but I have to say I really haven't noticed any difference in HT/movies between the different models, or between them and the Crown amps I am using now. The Emo amps are all excellent and have better build quality than the Crown amps. When it comes to two channel, the ST-120 tube amp I'm using now is my favorite. No plans on getting anything else. But there are differences in the sound signature of different amps. Ive heard them, and I too have owned many different amps in the exact same service. Just because you cannot hear it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Some people are color blind, it doesn’t mean that the colors aren’t there. Tongue and cheek, but true. The difference is much more profound in two channel then in HT. I enjoy my XPR-1’s and VTA ST-120 in different ways. Ill keep both. 😁 |
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Post by mtwhickory on Dec 7, 2017 17:41:22 GMT -5
I am looking for a high res DAC/integrated amp and am interested in the TA-100. How does the DAC and high res music sound and compare to other brands? I’m trying to do everything for under $500 so I’ve mainly been looking at Marantz Onkyo and Denon networking receivers.
To me, the biggest drawback of the TA-100 is the lack of WiFi. Instead of a radio tuner, perfection would be dual-band WiFi antennas.
Questions. Can the BT input accept standard usb? I have an iPhone (no APTx) and would rather plug it in via USB for better sound quality. In the regular USB input, I am thinking of adding Chromecast or Roku.
What options/experience have you had with high res audio streaming, NAS, HD radio, Tidal, Spotify, etc?
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Post by garbulky on Dec 7, 2017 18:56:26 GMT -5
mtwhickory The PT-100 which is VERY similar ...sounds pretty good. That's what I tried. I would say it's priced right. It does sound better than the old XDA-2 and similar but not the same as the DC-1. It should sound better than the networking receiver. Unless you are spending big bucks, I wouldn't expect wifi units to sound that fantastic. I don't think chromecast or roku will work for you. It needs an SPDIF input like RCA digital coax or TOSLINK optical. However you can get an amazon fire tv first generation which has an optical output. For the wifi radio, you may have to look at a digital radio with optical SPDIF output like this. Note I haven't tried this unit. www.amazon.com/Sangean-HDT-20-Radio-FM-Stereo-Component/dp/B01BY02C5K/For high res- look I'm going to tell ya. You may not hear any difference. The important thing is good speakers not the format. At this price level, I doubt you'll hear any difference - if there is any. the high res I've heard sounds pretty good, but also so does good CD's.
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Post by jason05216 on Dec 8, 2017 9:20:48 GMT -5
mtwhickory The PT-100 which is VERY similar ...sounds pretty good. That's what I tried. I would say it's priced right. It does sound better than the old XDA-2 and similar but not the same as the DC-1. It should sound better than the networking receiver. Unless you are spending big bucks, I wouldn't expect wifi units to sound that fantastic. I don't think chromecast or roku will work for you. It needs an SPDIF input like RCA digital coax or TOSLINK optical. However you can get an amazon fire tv first generation which has an optical output. For the wifi radio, you may have to look at a digital radio with optical SPDIF output like this. Note I haven't tried this unit. www.amazon.com/Sangean-HDT-20-Radio-FM-Stereo-Component/dp/B01BY02C5K/For high res- look I'm going to tell ya. You may not hear any difference. The important thing is good speakers not the format. At this price level, I doubt you'll hear any difference - if there is any. the high res I've heard sounds pretty good, but also so does good CD's. I use a Chromecast Audio with my PT 100. I've got it connected with a Mini Toslink cable like this one link . Works great. |
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Post by creimes on Dec 8, 2017 10:06:40 GMT -5
mtwhickory The PT-100 which is VERY similar ...sounds pretty good. That's what I tried. I would say it's priced right. It does sound better than the old XDA-2 and similar but not the same as the DC-1. It should sound better than the networking receiver. Unless you are spending big bucks, I wouldn't expect wifi units to sound that fantastic. I don't think chromecast or roku will work for you. It needs an SPDIF input like RCA digital coax or TOSLINK optical. However you can get an amazon fire tv first generation which has an optical output. For the wifi radio, you may have to look at a digital radio with optical SPDIF output like this. Note I haven't tried this unit. www.amazon.com/Sangean-HDT-20-Radio-FM-Stereo-Component/dp/B01BY02C5K/For high res- look I'm going to tell ya. You may not hear any difference. The important thing is good speakers not the format. At this price level, I doubt you'll hear any difference - if there is any. the high res I've heard sounds pretty good, but also so does good CD's. I use a Chromecast Audio with my PT 100. I've got it connected with a Mini Toslink cable like this one link . Works great. I had no idea they had toslink out, thats a great option then for ease of audio streaming while retaining the use of the DAc in the PT-100 and TA-100. Chad |
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Post by James O on Feb 4, 2018 14:11:58 GMT -5
I am debating this over the Yamaha A-S700.... Please help me
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Post by btnvideos on Apr 17, 2018 10:42:36 GMT -5
Looking for opinions from the rabble here.
My setup today is a project debut carbon with Orto blue MM to Cambridge azur phono amp to Yamaha RX a1030 (functioning as a pre) to an outlaw 5 channel amp. The main speakers are B&W 683 s1 towers and also Sennheiser hd650 headphones.
Well the Cambridge failed and I briefly used the internal phono amp on the Yamaha and it's just atrocious. Harsh and muddled.
I was planning on getting the emo Xps phono amp but decided to go with the TA. This is because I plan on eventually setting up a dedicated 2 channel room so hoping to get ahead of the curve. Here are my questions:
1. Considering I have MM cartridge, is the the built in phono stage on the TA substantially similar to the discreet XPS, or am I losing something going internal?
2. I feel like my headphones are a little under powered. I imagine Yamaha didn't invest much voltage into the headphone amp. I plan on using the TA headphone jack. Should I expect performance similar to a moderately priced discreet head amp?
3. Since I will be using the TA volume controlled integrated as a preamp that goes into a Yamaha volume controlled preamp, eventually to the outlaw amp, what volume should I set the emotiva to? I would prefer to set that and leave it, and use the Yamaha to control the volume I'm actually hearing.
Thanks!
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Post by mgbpuff on Apr 17, 2018 11:11:45 GMT -5
Looking for opinions from the rabble here. My setup today is a project debut carbon with Orto blue MM to Cambridge azur phono amp to Yamaha RX a1030 (functioning as a pre) to an outlaw 5 channel amp. The main speakers are B&W 683 s1 towers and also Sennheiser hd650 headphones. Well the Cambridge failed and I briefly used the internal phono amp on the Yamaha and it's just atrocious. Harsh and muddled. I was planning on getting the emo Xps phono amp but decided to go with the TA. This is because I plan on eventually setting up a dedicated 2 channel room so hoping to get ahead of the curve. Here are my questions: 1. Considering I have MM cartridge, is the the built in phono stage on the TA substantially similar to the discreet XPS, or am I losing something going internal? 2. I feel like my headphones are a little under powered. I imagine Yamaha didn't invest much voltage into the headphone amp. I plan on using the TA headphone jack. Should I expect performance similar to a moderately priced discreet head amp? 3. Since I will be using the TA volume controlled integrated as a preamp that goes into a Yamaha volume controlled preamp, eventually to the outlaw amp, what volume should I set the emotiva to? I would prefer to set that and leave it, and use the Yamaha to control the volume I'm actually hearing. Thanks! Nix on the two volume controls, get the XPS-1. I bet the phono circuitry in the TA is identical. As for phones, I would get a separate headphone amp. |
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Post by novisnick on Apr 17, 2018 11:13:33 GMT -5
Looking for opinions from the rabble here. My setup today is a project debut carbon with Orto blue MM to Cambridge azur phono amp to Yamaha RX a1030 (functioning as a pre) to an outlaw 5 channel amp. The main speakers are B&W 683 s1 towers and also Sennheiser hd650 headphones. Well the Cambridge failed and I briefly used the internal phono amp on the Yamaha and it's just atrocious. Harsh and muddled. I was planning on getting the emo Xps phono amp but decided to go with the TA. This is because I plan on eventually setting up a dedicated 2 channel room so hoping to get ahead of the curve. Here are my questions: 1. Considering I have MM cartridge, is the the built in phono stage on the TA substantially similar to the discreet XPS, or am I losing something going internal? 2. I feel like my headphones are a little under powered. I imagine Yamaha didn't invest much voltage into the headphone amp. I plan on using the TA headphone jack. Should I expect performance similar to a moderately priced discreet head amp? 3. Since I will be using the TA volume controlled integrated as a preamp that goes into a Yamaha volume controlled preamp, eventually to the outlaw amp, what volume should I set the emotiva to? I would prefer to set that and leave it, and use the Yamaha to control the volume I'm actually hearing. Thanks! 4 posts and we’re all rabble! WOW! How to make friends and Influence people just jumps to mind! 😆 I FOUND THAT THE tA-100 has the same phono stage as the XPS-1 IMHO Your cans are rather difficult to drive from what I understand, so most units would have a herd time. A dedicated Headphone amp is usually the best route. I never cared much for daisy chaining preamps. YMMV Welcome to the nuthouse, now you’re one too! 😋 |
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Post by btnvideos on Apr 18, 2018 9:25:34 GMT -5
Looking for opinions from the rabble here. My setup today is a project debut carbon with Orto blue MM to Cambridge azur phono amp to Yamaha RX a1030 (functioning as a pre) to an outlaw 5 channel amp. The main speakers are B&W 683 s1 towers and also Sennheiser hd650 headphones. Well the Cambridge failed and I briefly used the internal phono amp on the Yamaha and it's just atrocious. Harsh and muddled. I was planning on getting the emo Xps phono amp but decided to go with the TA. This is because I plan on eventually setting up a dedicated 2 channel room so hoping to get ahead of the curve. Here are my questions: 1. Considering I have MM cartridge, is the the built in phono stage on the TA substantially similar to the discreet XPS, or am I losing something going internal? 2. I feel like my headphones are a little under powered. I imagine Yamaha didn't invest much voltage into the headphone amp. I plan on using the TA headphone jack. Should I expect performance similar to a moderately priced discreet head amp? 3. Since I will be using the TA volume controlled integrated as a preamp that goes into a Yamaha volume controlled preamp, eventually to the outlaw amp, what volume should I set the emotiva to? I would prefer to set that and leave it, and use the Yamaha to control the volume I'm actually hearing. Thanks! Nix on the two volume controls, get the XPS-1. I bet the phono circuitry in the TA is identical. As for phones, I would get a separate headphone amp. I think the problem with that setup is that I haven't figured out how I would use both the headphone amp and speakers to listen to records. The speakers route through the Yamaha and outlaw. |
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Post by btnvideos on Apr 18, 2018 9:28:48 GMT -5
Looking for opinions from the rabble here. My setup today is a project debut carbon with Orto blue MM to Cambridge azur phono amp to Yamaha RX a1030 (functioning as a pre) to an outlaw 5 channel amp. The main speakers are B&W 683 s1 towers and also Sennheiser hd650 headphones. Well the Cambridge failed and I briefly used the internal phono amp on the Yamaha and it's just atrocious. Harsh and muddled. I was planning on getting the emo Xps phono amp but decided to go with the TA. This is because I plan on eventually setting up a dedicated 2 channel room so hoping to get ahead of the curve. Here are my questions: 1. Considering I have MM cartridge, is the the built in phono stage on the TA substantially similar to the discreet XPS, or am I losing something going internal? 2. I feel like my headphones are a little under powered. I imagine Yamaha didn't invest much voltage into the headphone amp. I plan on using the TA headphone jack. Should I expect performance similar to a moderately priced discreet head amp? 3. Since I will be using the TA volume controlled integrated as a preamp that goes into a Yamaha volume controlled preamp, eventually to the outlaw amp, what volume should I set the emotiva to? I would prefer to set that and leave it, and use the Yamaha to control the volume I'm actually hearing. Thanks! 4 posts and we’re all rabble! WOW! How to make friends and Influence people just jumps to mind! 😆 I FOUND THAT THE tA-100 has the same phono stage as the XPS-1 IMHO Your cans are rather difficult to drive from what I understand, so most units would have a herd time. A dedicated Headphone amp is usually the best route. I never cared much for daisy chaining preamps. YMMV Welcome to the nuthouse, now you’re one too! 😋 I mean rabble in the nicest possible way... like Jefferson did when speaking of the House of Reps. Thanks for the feedback. Regarding daisy chain the pre amps, is there a risk or degradation of quality you would expect from that? Like I said earlier, I plan on splitting this whole system apart for dedicated 2 channel in the next year, so I'm trying to be strategic. For now, I need my speakers for 2 channel and home theater, leading to the daisy. |
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Post by mgbpuff on Apr 18, 2018 9:37:29 GMT -5
Nix on the two volume controls, get the XPS-1. I bet the phono circuitry in the TA is identical. As for phones, I would get a separate headphone amp. I think the problem with that setup is that I haven't figured out how I would use both the headphone amp and speakers to listen to records. The speakers route through the Yamaha and outlaw. You could use Zone2 to the headphone amp or get Y connector RCAs for L and R preouts (just turn 5 channel amp off in this case). |
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Post by btnvideos on Apr 18, 2018 9:54:37 GMT -5
I think the problem with that setup is that I haven't figured out how I would use both the headphone amp and speakers to listen to records. The speakers route through the Yamaha and outlaw. You could use Zone2 to the headphone amp or get Y connector RCAs for L and R preouts (just turn 5 channel amp off in this case). I'm already using z2 for speakers on the other side of the room, but a splitter may work. I worry about signal loss though so will need to research. But I guess the basis for you advice is that the emo hp amp that's built in is either inferior or under powered. Is that right? |
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