Dryvadeum Posted August 28, 2013 Posted August 28, 2013 Hi guys, I wasn't sure where to post this but here goes. I'm looking at picking up a vintage integrated amp and wanted to know if anyone can compare the house sound of the Marantz PM450 to the Yamaha A-500. I'm going to be driving my LCD 2s with them and want a very neutral, clean and transparent sound with deep bass.
surprisetech Posted August 29, 2013 Posted August 29, 2013 For those phones I'd spend my money on a good headphone amp with a low output impedance. The headphone output on the vast majority of integrated amps (even the better ones) is a cheap and nasty afterthought. Typically just a 2 to 5 Watt resistor in series between the amp output and the headphone socket, somewhere in the 180 Ohm to 820 Ohm range, depending on the amp power. Not ideal for your 60 Ohm LS2s. Regardless of the quality of the amp (when driving speakers) you would be driving your phones with a high source impedance similar to that offered by a cheap portable player. As to whether the 2 amps you are looking at do it this way or not, I don't know for certain, but would be fairly confident that they would. 1
Dryvadeum Posted August 30, 2013 Author Posted August 30, 2013 Hey thanks for that info. Look like I'll be buying a Meier Concerto from a mate. I just thought that a vintage amp might be able to provide more current and wattage to the LCDS.
surprisetech Posted August 30, 2013 Posted August 30, 2013 Hey thanks for that info. Look like I'll be buying a Meier Concerto from a mate. I just thought that a vintage amp might be able to provide more current and wattage to the LCDS. Yes, you'd think so, but the amp manufacturers have to provide a one-size-fits-all headphone output, so they ere on the side of caution. The Concerto should be nice. I looked at some of the Meier units because I wanted something with crossfeed. You might find the crossfeed option handy when listening to material that was mastered with a wider soundstage or bass-heavy material. I settled on the O2 kit and added a variable crossfeed circuit later. I find I have the crossfeed switched on for about 60% of the material I listen to. Would be good if you can post an update in this thread and give us your thoughts once you've had a chance to have a good listen to the LCD 2/Concerto pairing.
Dryvadeum Posted August 31, 2013 Author Posted August 31, 2013 The Concerto pairs really well with the LCDs as its extremely clean and linear with very deep reaching bass. It reminds me a lot of my portable Meier Quickstep. The instrument seperation is excellent too. The crossfeed function works surprisingly well - usually Im not a fan of crossfeed - and actually seems to increase the bass impact and reduce the more stereo imaging of the LCDs. Overall I think they have great synergy as the LCDs are already quite lush and warm. The Concerto really tightens up the whole spectrum.
gavtron Posted September 4, 2013 Posted September 4, 2013 "Skylab" on headfi (well known reviewer) seems to recommend some of the old Marantz models for the LCD-2...
Dryvadeum Posted September 4, 2013 Author Posted September 4, 2013 Can you link me to the specific thread?
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