Peachtree Audio

[blee]

Any thoughts on the Peachtree Audio Nova 220SE (350w per channel at 4 ohms). I'm thinking of adding an amp to my system to push my Motion 40's. Is this overkill? My Yamaha V465 is rated at 105 per channel. Will I even notice a difference? The receiver is working pretty hard pushing Motion 40 fronts, ML 30 center, ML 15 rears. Bi-amp, add the outboard amp for fronts only, or just stick with what I've got? I know it's not to the level of may on this board, but I'm looking for the best sound. The Peachtree amp is currently priced at $1,400 which seems like good value. Thoughts?

 

[topofroc]

So what do you feel you're missing with the Yamaha?
Not playing loud enough? Distortion in the high or low frequencies?

Your Motion 40s have fairly good sensitivity (92dB), so you should be good there. The biggest issue I would see is the 4 ohm impedance. Depending on the receiver, the power supply might not be up to the challenge. Most receivers prefer 6-8ohm.

All that being said, you are jumping into the deep end when it comes to the Peachtree. My guess is that you would be very happy with it sound-quality wise, but you could probably get roughly the same satisfaction from an Emotiva XPA2, which specs out at 500 watts @ 4 ohms, and currently sells for $719.

 

[MiTT]

I had used a Peachtree Grand Integrated in my system for a while when my system was in transition and my dedicated room was being built. I almost pulled the trigger on the 220SE, but ultimately went the route of AURALIC separates. If money or space were limiting factors I could have easily lived with the Peachtree. Sound quality is excellent (in a completely different category than the Emotiva gear topofroc mentioned), aesthetics suit my sensibilities and the DAC is very good. I've heard the 220SE driving Summits at RMAF and it was a great pairing.

 

[blee]

I haven't sensed any distortion and I've listened at some pretty high volume levels. I've had my 40s for a couple months and probably just getting out of the initial break in period. I do have a Dynamo 1000 and another Polk 10' subwoofer hooked up so I have plenty of low end. It just feels like maybe I'm missing some of the punchy bass. I guess I'm wondering if I'll get an audible difference by adding an outboard amp. I'm certainly not married to the Peachtree amp so thank you for the rec on the Emotiva. I'm looking to maximize the sound quality out of my ML system...but don't have an unlimited budget and I guess my question is....will adding a dedicated amp result in an audible upgrade from my current system.

 

[topofroc]

I've been down that road before ("Will an external amp improve my system?")...
Since you're just testing the waters and not attempting to correct an obvious deficiency (distortion, not loud enough), I would suggest getting the Emotiva.

MiTT is right in the sense that the Peachtree is definitely a better amp. But if you're just trying to see if you can do better than a receiver and you don't have a large budget, then the Emotiva is good enough to satisfy your curiosity. Emotiva also has a decent fan base, so if you decide the amp is not that great, or you like it and think the Peachtree will be even better, you can easily sell it.

When you say you feel like you're missing "punchy bass", are you talking about gun shots and kick drums (50-60 Hz) or earthquakes and explosions (20-30 Hz)?
The source of the problem may be your subs and not you Motion 40s. What is your crossover frequency? If it's 80 Hz, then its possible that you're subs could be the problem.

 

[blee]

The Dynamo 1000 definitely provides enough of the low end "rumble". It's more of the the 50-70Hz range I believe. I can adjust the crossover on my fronts as well as the sub....I've played around before but what would be your suggestion? When I simply upped the crossover point on the sub, I felt like male voices were being impacted with a subtle low echo.

 

[topofroc]

What's the crossover setting on your Yamaha?

If you're using an AVR, then you should only be adjusting your x-over on the receiver, NOT the sub.
If you do, you get cascading x-overs, which would make your bass response very uneven. On my Dynamo 1000, I turn the x-over up as high as it will go, as to not conflict with my AVR.

If your crossover is at 80Hz, then your sub should be delivering most of the impact from the range of frequencies you're talking about.

 

[longhorn]

http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/nova220se-recertified.html

Top of the line integrated on sale at Peachree..........refurbished, but an awesome deal And will drive MLs will ease.

 

[blee]

Longhorn, thanks! That is actually the ad that got me down this wormhole in the first place! Sounds like a great deal right?

Topofroc, I do think my crossover was set much too high. I've moved it down to 80hz is suggested and have already noticed less muddying of sound, especially from lower male voices. I'm still contemplating the addition of a 2 channel amp to power my ML 40s but just not sure if I can justify the cost at this point. I still wonder if I'll notice a difference.

 

[topofroc]

Ultimately, it will be up to you (and your ears) to say whether an external amp will be worth it.

I say if you're mildly curious, then get the Emotiva XPA2.
It's a solid amp that's good enough to illuminate any areas where your AVR might be lacking

If it's really bugging you and you want to remove all doubt, then spring for the Peachtree.
It's higher end amp that will push the limits of what your Motion 40s are capable of. That is, it will show you how good the speakers can be without also replacing your preamp, sources, etc.

After you've decided, you might also want to look into some EQ'ing for your subs. That gets down another (albeit less expensive) rabbit hole. Tools such as Room EQ Wizard and MiniDsp are time-consuming, yet cheap ways to control/tweak the bass in your room.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

If you want bass, get a well amplified subwoofer

http://www.svsound.com/pages/subwoofers

I'm running an Yamaha RX-V675 driving 5 Definitive speakers and an old Velodyne self-powered subwoofer in my media room and it seems to work pretty well.

 

[blee]

Thanks for all of the feedback and really appreciate the tips on the bass management/eq/crossover frequencies. I'm fairly new to the technical aspects of audiophelia (is that a thing...sounds dirty), but feel I have a good ear too. Changing the crossover and adjusting the subs accordingly actually helped a lot. I do like what I hear in the Emotiva and it looks like some tremendous bang for your buck. I'm going to live with this for a bit, then perhaps when the time is right, I'll spring for the next step.

 

[blee]

If you want bass, get a well amplified subwoofer

http://www.svsound.com/pages/subwoofers

I'm running an Yamaha RX-V675 driving 5 Definitive speakers and an old Velodyne self-powered subwoofer in my media room and it seems to work pretty well.

I don't think the problem was with the Subwoofer. I have a 1000w rated Dynamo AND a smaller Polk 10" powered providing low end. I think it was more a bass management (crossover) issue that seems to have been corrected. Still thinking about adding some separates though as one can never be totally satisfied!

 

[RCHeliGuy]

I don't think the problem was with the Subwoofer. I have a 1000w rated Dynamo AND a smaller Polk 10" powered providing low end. I think it was more a bass management (crossover) issue that seems to have been corrected. Still thinking about adding some separates though as one can never be totally satisfied!

My Velodyne does it's own frequency sweeps and adjusts to the room.

Then The Yamaha 675 does something similar using all the speakers in the surround sound system to equalize the room.

The biggest difference I noticed was when I got surrounds that matched my center channel. The surrounds were much more efficient and went lower. Suddenly the Subwoofer sounded like it integrated seamlessly and the whole system required less volume to drive it.

I'm pretty sure part of that is because the 675 dropped the frequency that the subwoofer kicked in so it no longer had a directional element to it.

 

[blee]

Based on what you're seeing, I see pre-amp outputs for Surround/Rears, are the others directly underneath the posts for the Fronts (just marked Audio Out) for the fronts?