Sprout 100 ? NAD D 3020 ? Vidar ? Stellar S300

[newworld]

On 4/19/2018 at 2:36 PM, RMMN said:

Hello,

 

I would like to become an audiophile as a new hobby. I don’t know that much about amplifiers and speakers at the audiophile level. May humbly ask the more experienced  members of the forum for their opinion and recommendations?

 

SETUP:

I will be running with the Elac Uni-fi UF5 speakers. As a start, I’ll be your playing from my iPhone from Apple Music to Airport Express:output 3.5 mm Jack or mini tosslink.

 

AMP:

I need help choosing an amp:

 

Sprout 100 ?

New Version to come out in May.  I won’t be using vinyl.

 

NAD D 3020 ?

 

Vidar ?

Looking at the specs/price this is impressive.

 

Stellar S300?

 PS audio claims this is very good. Class A —> Class D.

 

Any experience/recommendations you can share with me will help.

Thank you.

If it's your first time, I would strongly suggest buying used, as you will almost invariably want to upgrade right away. You don't need the latest at their highest prices. The Elac's are actually not that easy to drive. I would do away with the amps you listed and go for the best quality and amount of power. If you can stretch, a used Hegel would be perfect with its plethora of digital inputs. Cambridge CXA60 is really good as well. NAD C368 I auditioned was a huge disappointment.

 

Keep an open mind, and enjoy the process. Find joy in fitting your system into your living space. Don't put it on a pedestal. It's just electronic equipment.

[newworld]

Nah, this guys is kinda funny.

 

Anyways, to answer the OP's question, the Elac's did take some power to bring the volume up to level. I tried a 40w "consumer grade" amplifier on them, and it just was not enough. It's not that hard to reach listenable volume. What comes after that is a problem. I'm a big fan of amplifiers with integrated DAC's. Setup can be more flexible this way. My preferred way right now is a streamer via toslink to the DAC of my integrated amp. Its electrically isolating advantages far outweighs the downside of supposedly inferior optical connection in my system. And it's a point that cannot be overlooked in digital music.

 

I would do Bluesound Node + DAC Integrated amp.