Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Why No Love for ADA Amps ???

Great to hear. Thanks for the clarification.

Is this the cable I would use to connect my Denon AVR to the Axiom ADA amp? Any other recommendations?

FosPower Cable

Dear Tico that cable should be fine. I've been browsing the same ones though I settled on Monsters ultra rca's my self.

Hey brendo, have you had an external amp before? Wondering if I'll hear a difference or if it's simply more volume. I fantasize it's going to be like one of those commercials where the guy's sitting in an armchair and everything's flying by him due to the power coming from his speakers. I want that - my hair (all 17 of them) flying back from the M100s and VP180.

As far as the RCA cables, I hadn't even considered Monster as I've always associated them with EXPENSIVE.

The wife and i did some googleing and are pretty sure we know who it is... I wont tell you though....

I say buy as much power as you can afford..... That's all i got.

Yes, I'm currently running my M80s through a vintage A\B pro power amp.{Crest Audio VS900}circa 1997 450 watt dual 900 bridged. When I first added it the difference was noticeable more bass and a lot more to the volume. My receiver set them to full range and I didn't even check for a couple months, until I noticed my little SVS PB1000 sub was inaudible the M80s were doing all the work with out any strain.

I suspect with an ADA your larger speakers could run full range easily. Though to reenact the commercial you'll probably have to sit in front of your Ep800 at some pretty high volumes.

The Monster cables can be found on sale quite often as most shops like to turn their supplies, especially in larger cities. But I bet that FosPower cable will do just fine, it was just easier for me to get the monster cables my self as I've got a shop a couple blocks away.

I am still rather puzzled where it comes to volume and amp wattage.

I had an old Nakamichi AV1s that was rated at 100watts. It got way louder with any of my speakers than I have gotten with my current Anthem AVM60 and ADA1000 at 250watts.

I know it will have something to do with voltage gain, but does more wattage on an amp really translate into louder output? or is that a function of the total gain through the pre-amp -> amp ?

Hi Matt,

This depends on whether you are referring to the volume level at a particular point on the volume dial or the maximum overall attainable volume. The gain in your system from the various sources, through the pre-amp, and the front end of your main amp (and the speaker efficiency) will establish how loud your system will play at various points on the volume knob; but the overall maximum output capability will be established by the main amplifier continuous output, the man amplifier dynamic headroom, the speaker efficiency, and the speaker maximum output capability.

My experience has been that sometimes the preamp does not have enough output voltage to drive the amplifier to full power, and sometimes there is too much output voltage and the amp is driven past full power and into clipping depending on the gain of the amplifier. Preamps that don't have enough voltage output can clip the signal in an attempt to drive the amplifier to max power. Normally consumer products play well together though there are exceptions .For example my Emo amp has input sensitivity of 1.5 volts for max power whereas the ADA has a 1.2 so a little easier to drive to full power. Pro amps tend to require more input to be driven to full power. I notice that many car stereos use 4 to 5 volt output in the name of noise rejection but car amps have input sensitivity adjustments to compensate. Without specs for your amps its hard to tell why your 100 watt amp seeming played louder but I suspect its because it had more gain and may well have been clipping .Just a thought. I am sure Ian can correct me where I may be wrong.:)

It looks like a common belief that those two points are one in the same.. but I had a sneaking suspicion that they were not. This is where I get to the point of confusion that is compounded by marketing babble. There must be a finite number of watts that a speaker can handle. You post on your speakers that number seems to range from 250~400 for your floor standing speakers.

So from what you are saying. If you are just driving 2 channels of sound, then you would see no advantage getting the ADA1500 over the ADA1250 as the speaker could not use more or be pushed louder, all other components remaining constant.

it was Tico's comment that brought this question forward.



So I gather that the fringe audiophiles that go out and purchase 1000+ watt amps are in reality throwing good money after bad against a wall hoping it will stick. If your speakers are designed for a maximum wattage, then going much beyond that number is little more than a fools errand.