Definitive Tech 450 thoughts?

[Hikaru12]

As I'm contemplating getting some A5's over the next month or so I ran across these on Amazon for 4 bills for the pair. They're studio monitors and they've been rated very well. I was wondering if anyone owns a pair of these and what type of amp they paired it with to power them? I don't think they require much but I was thinking about getting the NAD C 316 amp. Thanks!

[AustinKZombie]

Um what does bills mean ?

[Hikaru12]

Um what does bills mean ?

 

$400 USD. It's just a slang term for 100.

[ShearMe]

As I'm contemplating getting some A5's over the next month or so I ran across these on Amazon for 4 bills for the pair. They're studio monitors and they've been rated very well. I was wondering if anyone owns a pair of these and what type of amp they paired it with to power them? I don't think they require much but I was thinking about getting the NAD C 316 amp. Thanks!

 

I don't think you should be paying as much for the amplifier as you are for the speakers - especially a stereo amp without features.

[Hikaru12]

What amp should I get? I dont know how power hungry these are or what would be a good pair of stereo speakers or monitors for $500.

[ShearMe]

Well, the general rule of thumb is that all good speakers sound the same. I've never heard of Definitive Tech, personally, so I'll just steer you towards KEF because their speakers are pretty: http://www.amazon.com/KEF-Q100B-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers-Black/dp/B00CE3LHQW/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1392346208&sr=1-6&keywords=kef+bookshelf

 

For the Amp, did you need all those different inputs on the NAD? Any ole receiver from a good brand would do, like this Sony. AudioSource makes a similarly product to that NAD if size is important, but even the cheapo LP-2020A+ Lepai amp drives stereo speakers plenty loud. I use my Lepai for big full-sized speakers and the bass can shake my house, so power isn't an issue.

[Hikaru12]

Well, the general rule of thumb is that all good speakers sound the same. I've never heard of Definitive Tech, personally, so I'll just steer you towards KEF because their speakers are pretty: http://www.amazon.com/KEF-Q100B-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers-Black/dp/B00CE3LHQW/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1392346208&sr=1-6&keywords=kef+bookshelf

 

For the Amp, did you need all those different inputs on the NAD? Any ole receiver from a good brand would do, like this Sony. AudioSource makes a similarly product to that NAD if size is important, but even the cheapo LP-2020A+ Lepai amp drives stereo speakers plenty loud. I use my Lepai for big full-sized speakers and the bass can shake my house, so power isn't an issue.

 

Well that would actually save me some money but I was concerned about the DAC's on a cheapo receiver as opposed to separate amp and DAC. 

[ShearMe]

Well that would actually save me some money but I was concerned about the DAC's on a cheapo receiver as opposed to separate amp and DAC. 

 

That NAD amp doesn't have a DAC bro, nor do any other the other amps I linked. Do you need one?

[Hikaru12]

That NAD amp doesn't have a DAC bro, nor do any other the other amps I linked. Do you need one?

 

Oh, sorry I was thinking A/V receivers that have those built in. You just linked me to an amp. Well yeah, if you could link to me to a good DAC for speakers since I will be getting my second O2 soon, that would be great.

[ShearMe]

Oh, sorry I was thinking A/V receivers that have those built in. You just linked me to an amp. Well yeah, if you could link to me to a good DAC for speakers since I will be getting my second O2 soon, that would be great.

 

Receivers that have HDMI or S/PDIF will have a DAC, but they'll also nearly always have at least 5.1 capability. If you're gonna go with a full-blown receiver I think it's best to get something nice and feature-rich so you can use it to upgrade to full surround sound in the future. However, if saving money for mere stereo sounds good to you, just about any DAC would work in combo with that Lepai. Behringer's UCA 202 and FiiO's D03k are similarly cheap.

 

An in-between would be something like a Topping TP30. It has a DAC and an amplifier in the same chasis, and the headphone port could be useful, too, if you're at a desk.

[Hikaru12]

Receivers that have HDMI or S/PDIF will have a DAC, but they'll also nearly always have at least 5.1 capability. If you're gonna go with a full-blown receiver I think it's best to get something nice and feature-rich so you can use it to upgrade to full surround sound in the future. However, if saving money for mere stereo sounds good to you, just about any DAC would work in combo with that Lepai. Behringer's UCA 202 and FiiO's D03k are similarly cheap.

 

An in-between would be something like a Topping TP30. It has a DAC and an amplifier in the same chasis, and the headphone port could be useful, too, if you're at a desk.

 

What the Topping's smaller size be a concern for driving the speakers to a fair volume level? I'll be listening to them from a distance as they'll be mounted on my bureau and not my desk. 

[ShearMe]

What the Topping's smaller size be a concern for driving the speakers to a fair volume level? I'll be listening to them from a distance as they'll be mounted on my bureau and not my desk. 

 

Volume shouldn't be an issue.

[Hikaru12]

Volume shouldn't be an issue.

 

I decided on Definitive Tech Studio Monitor 55's and a old used Kenwood integrated amp. Local shop is going to give me a 15% discount over retail on the DT's so they'll come out to $500 a pair.

[ShearMe]

Let us know how they sound.

[Hikaru12]

Let us know how they sound.

 

Will do. I'm still overdue for my second O2 and IE60's