will a power amp NAD 216 add any improvement (1 Viewer)

[PlamenZLatev]

I have a NAD T753, and as you can see from my previous threads, I am not very happy with the front l&r speaker’s performance.
I am wondering if I add a NAD 216 THX power amp for the front speakers, would I get any significant improvement of the quality of the sound.
I read few articles stating that the best way to improve performance is to add a power amp for the front speakers. Any ideas? Is the NAD THX 216 worth it ($200 - $300 from ebay if you get lucky)? Is it going to be much better than the NAD T753 build in amp?
thanks!
p.s.
I have Linn Index front speakers.

 

[Tom D]

According to some reviews these speakers were bass shy when they were not placed near side walls. as a matter of fact they were said to be forward sounding. A silly question, but are your speakers in phase? Other than that adding a power amp will not increase bass performance but rather give you more dynamic range for loud passages especially if you are running the front speakers full range. If you can test drive the Linn Ninka at home you may be pleasantly surprised. The Trikans is the mathing centre channel for these speakers. good luck.

 

[PlamenZLatev]

The problem is that I have not removed the speakers from their locations (they are in a corner location). When connected to my old NAD 302 integrated amp they are working great. When I connect them to the new NAD T753, they do not sound as good - the bass is lacking. So now I am thinking of buying a power amp in order to improve the sound. I checked all settings in the NAD T753 receiver - I set them to large and removed the sub altogether - no results.

 

[PlamenZLatev]

.. and yes I am considering the Ninkas - a bit expensive, but maybe I can get them used. I got the trikan already.
Thanks,

 

[FeisalK]

If bass is the issue, why not a subwoofer?

 

[PlamenZLatev]

Yes, I got a sub - Linn Afekt, but this is not the point - with the sub the crossover is at 80 hz and it works fine - the sound is great. The problem is that when I remove the sub and set the speakers to large (full range) the main l&r speakers perform better on a 10 years old 30W integrated amp (NAD 302) than on a brand new 70W amp (NAD T753). This does not make sense to me and it means that the speakers perform better under the old amp. That't why I am thinking of probably upgrading my speakers or/and a power amp.

 

[FeisalK]

if you still have the 302, maybe you can try this - hook up the front L/R to the 302, then feed the 302 from the pre-outs of the 763. You can use one of the inputs (need to match volume) or if the 302 has a pre-in use that and bypass the preamp section altogether.

maybe the receiver doesnt deliver as much continuous clean power as a simple integrated amp

 

[PlamenZLatev]

so what you are saying is to use the pre-amp of the receiver (NAD T753) with the power amp of the integrated amp (NAD 302) and see if I will get a better result. I will try that, but my guess is that It will and that's what I am afraid of... like someone told me today: if it sounds better, then it is better - so why did I spend 1k on a new receiver? - just to find out that my 10 years old int. amp works better than the new one (for music that is).
I guess I messed up something, and now it will take even more money to fix it - upgrading my front speakers to Linn Ninka maybe, buying a power amp for the front speakers...

 

[FeisalK]

Not necessarily a waste.. think of it as adding DD/DTS decoding and multichannel capability to your stereo system

In fact most times when people ask about keeping their good sounding two channel system and they want a home theatre, I would suggest doing exactly this.

let us know how it sounds

 

[John Garcia]

Integrateds will frequently sound better than most receivers, so I am not surprised at what you are saying. Just because the integrated was only rated at 30W does not mean that is it's limit; I'd suspect it has a huge power reserve. It probably has as much or more dynamic output than the 753.

How do you have the two of them connected? Are you comparing them both via analog with the same source?

 

[Aaron Howell]

I know this is really basic, but have you played with the phase? Physically and in the NAD's speaker config software?

 

[FeisalK]

aaron... haha! someone i read about spent 3 days tearing his hair out at the apparent imbalance between the L/R channels output from his amplifier. turns out they were out of phase

 

[Aaron Howell]

I've done it many times also. If something doesn't sound right it is the first thing I check.

 

[PlamenZLatev]

that means that I have to make sure that the speakers cables are correct: + to + - to - (from the amp to the speakers). I do not have a phase setting in my receiver.
Am I missing something here?

I just picked some extra cable (Linn k20) from e-bay for bi-wiring and will re-wire everything tonight.

 

[Chu Gai]

Something other than the amps seems to be the issue here. Damned if I know what it is though.

 

[RobWil]

I know.....kinda goes against your theory a little, huh?

 

[Aaron Howell]

Sorry, I thought the NAD's had a phase switch in their software.

So yes, just double check to make sure all the connections are the right polarity( + to + and - to -). Wiring the speakers out of phase will result in dramatically less bass output. You should do it on purpose once just to hear what it sounds like.

 

[PlamenZLatev]

I would have to agree with Scott's posting in another thread regarding this issue(http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...33#post2527033) - I just have to accept the fact and save some money for a power amp. I do not think that the Monster cables are making any difference - at least not for my equipment. All settings and speakers positions were constant during the test.

I did bi-wire (Linn K20 cable) my front speakers and shortened the total cable length. I know some of you will not believe me - the the bass got better, but still not as good as from the integrated NAD 302 amp. So I guess bi-wiring does work!

I still have to test using the pre-outs on the receiver with the power amp from the int. amp.

thanks again!