Amp for mission 774 speakers

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Aloreth

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Hey guys i have recently bought a pair of mission 774 floorstanders and i was looking for some advice amp wise, primarily what i should be looking for.

Firstly the speakers have a stated impedence of 4 ohms, does this mean that i cant use an amp with a power output rated into 8 ohms or simply that the power out will be doulbled?

The stated power range is 25-120W, should i try to get an amp that has an output towards the high end of that to avoid clipping?

I have about £150 to spend and am happy to buy something second hand off ebay, waddya guys think i should look out for?

thanks for the adice guys!

/Mike :D
 
Hi Mike

Welcome to the forum :)

Im sure your speakers will work with a wide range of amplifiers. Im sure you will get lots of advice on amplifiers that you could look at in your price range.

Here are a few on e-bay that I might look at if I were in your shoes.

in escalating order of price, but not necessarily quality..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/cyrus-2-amplifier_W0QQitemZ5806144113QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Quad-33-pre-3...5807075550QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcam-Alpha-5-Amplifier_W0QQitemZ5806461907QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Output doesnt always double as the impedance halves (invariably it doesnt) although it can be a good indicator of a quality amp. Anywhere in that range of power output will do just fine.

Depends on what sort of music you like etc etc, but i would be inclined to go for an amp with a tiny hint of warmth to offset the missions occasional tendency to stridency with some material and sources/amps. Perhaps something like a secondhand Arcam Delta 290 or Alpha 9. I would avoid Audiolab, Mission/Cyrus, Denon, Naim. A nice Rotel RA-972 or 971 should be available for less than that and is a good amp (though not warm - but less ruthless than those i mentioned above)
 
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thanks for the advice guys,first off i made a mistake the impedence is 8 ohms, i have nut one question

If the input for the speakers should be between 25 and 120W shouldnt i try and get an amp with an output of at least 80W per channel? Otherwise (the way i understand it) if i turn up the amp to get greater volume from the speakers i run the risk of the amp clipping?

I wont really be running the speakers THAT loud but im just worried :)

/Mike
 
Another good candidate would be a NAD C320BEE (£180 at Richers) or a C320 (should be able to find one of those secondhand within your budget). I run mine with a pair of m70 bookshelf speakers and get a great sound from them. As hifikrazy says, the Missios can err on the edge of bright and the warmth of the NAD amp does help tame them.
 
very seldom will you use anthing like an amps maximum power output it's there mostly for headroom and dynamics. Me I'd have a good look through ebay, the Quads are a good idea as would be a Creek 4040 (you'd have some money to spare there!)
 
First of all thanks for all the input guys its much appreciated!

lordsummit said:
very seldom will you use anthing like an amps maximum power output it's there mostly for headroom and dynamics. Me I'd have a good look through ebay, the Quads are a good idea as would be a Creek 4040 (you'd have some money to spare there!)
Click to expand...

So even though the speakers are rated up to 125 watts they will run fine on something that delivers 40 watts into 8 ohms? Sorry to rehash this but i just wanna get it completly clear :)

/Mike

edit - would this be a good buy?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcam-Alpha-8...5808225608QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
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yes.

Dont worry about the number of watts. A fantastically well made 20w amplifier with a big power supply can sound a lot louder and drive your speakers better than a 50w less well made amplifier with a weedy power supply.

PS
Of those suggestions made so far, the Arcam 8r & 8p, quad 33-303 are my favourites. There are some real bargains out there if you look long and hard.
 
hot dog that was a quick reply (thanks :D) check out the ebay ling and tell me what ya think please :)

How much would that be worth a) new b) would you pay for it?

/Mike
 
That Alpha 8R has some cosmetic faults and the seller doesn't say how old it is. It won't be less than 5 years old. They were £480 brand new. If you can live with the cosmetic faults then I guess it's worth £80 - £100. It would be worth a bit more if it were perfect.
 
I live in Guatemala, Central América and here it´s difficult to get hi fi equipment. I recently got a set of 2 Mission 774, 2 Mission 771 and the center 7c speaker. I have also a 40 W Onkyo subwoofer
My question is how these speakers could sound matched to a Onkyo NR414 receiver ?.
I listen mostly jazz and bossanova music. Sometimes I listen 60s rock.

I have some old equipment to mix. A Technics SUZ2 amp., two Marantz amp/receivers that I forgot the model number but they are big, one of them has 200w output. I also have a THE FISHER tube amp. I have two old cassette decks, a Pioneer and a Technics M7.
 
I would expect the NR414 to be perfectly adequate to drive the 'speakers. Quite enough power and rated down to 3 ohms, so should cope with any reasonable impedance dip. Try it and see, should be OK

S
 

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