Daelin Lis Posted November 8, 2023 Posted November 8, 2023 Hi all, sorry for the lengthy post but I needed some help with deciding on an amp! I have a set of Dali Ikon 8’s. They’re large floor-standing speakers. I currently have an Onkyo tx-sr608 which has about 100 watts rms and apparently 165 of dynamic power? Anyway, the amp has stopped working and I’m looking to replace it. I don’t need a 7.2 channel AV receiver, instead I want an integrated amplifier. I’m eying off a NAD C368. My maximum budget is about $1700aud and it’s pretty much impossible for me to afford anything higher at this stage. The amp is only 85watts RMS though. Is this too low to power my Dalis properly? I have a relatively large listening space and like my music loud (not ridiculously loud, but loud enough the room is filled with sound). Apparently, the Dalis have a recommended amplifier rating of 50-250watts. Is this RMS or dynamic? Will this amp be a good replacement for my Onkyo? Or would going from 100watts to 85watts a mistake? Or will the quality of a new amp be superior to my 11 year old Onkyo? And does anyone have experience with this amp? I’m open to any other good suggestions below the $1700 mark too Thanks guys!
Guest Posted November 8, 2023 Posted November 8, 2023 The NAD will be a far better fit for your speakers than the Onkyo was. If you are open to pre-loved, you should also consider these Naim https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/597726-naim-nait-xs2-integrated-amplifier/ Bigger NAD https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/597196-nad-c388-amplifier-with-bluos-2i-module/
cafe67 Posted November 8, 2023 Posted November 8, 2023 (edited) Seconded the NAD will be a much better match than the onkyo but these might be better again and spot in with your budget Edited November 8, 2023 by cafe67 1
Daelin Lis Posted November 8, 2023 Author Posted November 8, 2023 10 hours ago, Hydrology said: The NAD will be a far better fit for your speakers than the Onkyo was. If you are open to pre-loved, you should also consider these Naim https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/597726-naim-nait-xs2-integrated-amplifier/ Bigger NAD https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/597196-nad-c388-amplifier-with-bluos-2i-module/ Thanks for this! Definitely will look into the NAIMS as the bigger NAD is just too out of my budget at the moment. However, I did discover a new amp, that being the Cambridge AXR-100D with 100 watts RMS. It is quite a lot cheaper than the NAD C-368 at about $1000, but I want to make sure it’s still a quality amp and isn’t too “entry level” in the context of sound. It’s slightly more powerful than the NAD but is the NAD really $400-$500 better than the Cambridge?
Daelin Lis Posted November 8, 2023 Author Posted November 8, 2023 9 hours ago, cafe67 said: Seconded the NAD will be a much better match than the onkyo but these might be better again and spot in with your budget Thanks mate! Will definitely look into these but will need to wait a couple more weeks to get some $$$ together. I did also discover a cheaper Cambridge Audio AXR-100D with 100 watts RMS that’s quite a bit cheaper than the NAD C-368 despite having slightly more power? Just gonna research and seek some advice to see if it’s lesser quality than the more expensive NAD, or see if the NAD is really $400-$500 better than the Cambridge! I’m on a tight budget but my speakers are good quality so I want to make sure they’re being driven with something decent quality!
Guest Posted November 8, 2023 Posted November 8, 2023 10 minutes ago, Daelin Lis said: Thanks mate! Will definitely look into these but will need to wait a couple more weeks to get some $$$ together. I did also discover a cheaper Cambridge Audio AXR-100D with 100 watts RMS that’s quite a bit cheaper than the NAD C-368 despite having slightly more power? Just gonna research and seek some advice to see if it’s lesser quality than the more expensive NAD, or see if the NAD is really $400-$500 better than the Cambridge! I’m on a tight budget but my speakers are good quality so I want to make sure they’re being driven with something decent quality! The NAD will be far superior to the Cambridge, irrespective of the paper spec. You mentioned your budget was up to $1700 - the larger NAD I linked to is on sale on this very forum cheaper than your budget...???
Daelin Lis Posted November 8, 2023 Author Posted November 8, 2023 5 minutes ago, Hydrology said: The NAD will be far superior to the Cambridge, irrespective of the paper spec. You mentioned your budget was up to $1700 - the larger NAD I linked to is on sale on this very forum cheaper than your budget...??? Ahh! Thanks for your reply, I looked at price brand new not realising this is a second hand product! Thanks for that
Daelin Lis Posted November 10, 2023 Author Posted November 10, 2023 On 8/11/2023 at 11:01 PM, Hydrology said: The NAD will be a far better fit for your speakers than the Onkyo was. If you are open to pre-loved, you should also consider these Naim https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/597726-naim-nait-xs2-integrated-amplifier/ Bigger NAD https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/597196-nad-c388-amplifier-with-bluos-2i-module/ Just bit the bullet on a bigger NAD C-388 you suggested. Ex demo model from a stereo supplier in Brisbane, much cheaper than retail price. My bank account hates me but I think compared to my Onkyo, I should enjoy improved sound 2
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