Need Hi-Fi amp for this....

[analog414]

Any suggestions for a amp that would play my 24bit/192khz professional recorded music through this? I care about true sound, not price. With this said, I know generally the most expensive is not the better sound. Thanks in advance for your help. Class A amp?

 

Sony RSX-GS9 High-res digital media receiver (does not play CDs) at Crutchfield.com

Click to read more...

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Pick one. Don't buy some overrated flee market amp. Done

 

[pw91686 10+ year member]

I have an arc audio SE 4200 if you're interested

And a Phoenix gold ti21600.5

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

So long as you don't completely cheap out on the amp and plan to run it within its limitations you should be fine. Anything above the absolute bottom of the barrel will not color your sound. The higher end (higher priced) amps will use proprietary designs, have some better features, and probably last longer and be better build quality than the cookie cutter Korean stuff, but as far as sound you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference under real world conditions.

 

[analog414]

So long as you don't completely cheap out on the amp and plan to run it within its limitations you should be fine. Anything above the absolute bottom of the barrel will not color your sound. The higher end (higher priced) amps will use proprietary designs, have some better features, and probably last longer and be better build quality than the cookie cutter Korean stuff, but as far as sound you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference under real world conditions.

I can hear the difference in everything. Its cut and dry. It is either more musical or it is not! This whole business of hi fi is not as subjective as people make it out to be. Problem is, there are no more (have not found one yet) good switching stations to hear all the options like there once was. Here is my home stereo just to show where I am coming from.

 

[The_Quiet_One 10+ year member]

I can hear the difference in everything. Its cut and dry. It is either more musical or it is not! This whole business of hi fi is not as subjective as people make it out to be. Problem is, there are no more (have not found one yet) good switching stations to hear all the options like there once was. Here is my home stereo just to show where I am coming from.

Then you should know the importance of driver placement, signal processing, and other aspects of an install. A set of coaxes on a high end amp won't cut it if you're truly serious about an SQ build in a car environment where listening conditions are generally terrible.

Take the Richard Clark Challenge and buy a couple Audison Ventis with your winnings. Problem solved.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

There is no doubting you can hear resolution differences but that's not the issue here. It's the tonality, stage, and image

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Take the Richard Clark Challenge and buy a couple Audison Ventis with your winnings. Problem solved.

Absolutely this. If you cannot measure the difference in signal and you cannot tell two amps apart in blind listening test under laboratory conditions a watt is a watt.

That said, I buy high quality amps for other reasons but being able to "hear the difference" under normal conditions and in the absolutely nightmarish acoustic environment which is a car is really not happening.

SO, OP, if you have money to spend on a high quality amp: JL, Audison, Mosconi, Brax, Zapco, Arc (their higher end Zeff designs), Zed Audio, Tru, McIntosh, or Focal are all well regarded. Any of those should perform well, be cleanly designed and built, and should last a couple decades. Pick one at random or chose based on which company you believe will give you the best service and support.

 

[analog414]

Absolutely this. If you cannot measure the difference in signal and you cannot tell two amps apart in blind listening test under laboratory conditions a watt is a watt.

That said, I buy high quality amps for other reasons but being able to "hear the difference" under normal conditions and in the absolutely nightmarish acoustic environment which is a car is really not happening.

SO, OP, if you have money to spend on a high quality amp: JL, Audison, Mosconi, Brax, Zapco, Arc (their higher end Zeff designs), Zed Audio, Tru, McIntosh, or Focal are all well regarded. Any of those should perform well, be cleanly designed and built, and should last a couple decades. Pick one at random or chose based on which company you believe will give you the best service and support.

I need to hear these amps and the differences between them all in a quiet room! NOT a car. AFTER I decide which amp and/or speakers sound best I will then worry about the acoustics of the vehicle. You mention quite a few amps there. I need to find out the highest resolution one. They are definitely NOT the same. For me? One will be the cigar! I simply have to find a place to hear them or buy them all, listen and return the ones I don't want. I really should get off this forum as its not helping me.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

I'm a SQ competitor. I shot for the highest possible audio reproduction inside the car.

I've tried countless amplifiers and the absolute only audible difference has been power. Any decent amp will be +/-3db 20-20k.

Resolution is in the recording and the tuning. Color comes from distortion, no amplifier will distort unless you make it. They are dumb and will do as they are told.

I'm sorry you are not hearing us say what you want us to say. It just don't work that way.

The only plus side to having audiofool level amps are the wow factor. I've stomped a lot of people that think like you. They get very upset when they find out what they just got beat by.

The 2 highest scoring SQ scores to date when made with class D China made amps. One used McIntosh amps prior and his score went up.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

If you think you are super human go win $10,000. It hasn't been done in a decade. He sets up each amp to make the same power so the field is level.

Richard Clark Amplifier Challenge FAQ

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I need to hear these amps and the differences between them all in a quiet room! NOT a car. AFTER I decide which amp and/or speakers sound best I will then worry about the acoustics of the vehicle. You mention quite a few amps there. I need to find out the highest resolution one. They are definitely NOT the same. For me? One will be the cigar! I simply have to find a place to hear them or buy them all, listen and return the ones I don't want. I really should get off this forum as its not helping me.

After 20 years NOBODY has taken Richard Clarke's money and I can assure you that apart from power you will not be able to hear the difference either. If you find a forum where nobody has heard of his famous challenge they most certainly will not help you. I have listed most of the high quality brands of amps. The majority of shops don't carry even one of those brands, fewer still will carry more than one, I should expect any online shop would charge you a hefty restocking fee to just audition one. With any of those you buy modern technology, proprietary designs, high build quality, good reputation and solid resale value.

Trust and believe with all the variables you'll have to worry about to get even close to the sound of the listening room in your picture out of a car even if you used the cheapest amp on the market that would be low the list of things that will be audible. It's likely even with precision measurement equipment you wouldn't be able to find a difference in the higher end stuff. You might as well go buy yourself some of those 500$ a set RCA cables and tell yourself you can hear the difference by using them.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

If you think you are super human go win $10,000. It hasn't been done in a decade. He sets up each amp to make the same power so the field is level.
Richard Clark Amplifier Challenge FAQ

That challenge has existed for 20 years. That's just the last article that bothered discussing it from 10 years ago because the verdict is in nobody even seriously debates this any more.

 

[staan]

whats weird is that sony makes that head unit but I cant find any amps that have a toslink input with 24/96 capability. unless sony just assumes your goint toslink to an external processor.

 

[staan]

and that hu has a high end da convertor built into it so why would you want to use an external one when you paid 1500 to get a headunit with a good da converter in it? that product makes absolutely no sense to me.

sorry for the derail