Adding a 'small' (ht bypass) Amp to my Marantz NR1711

[Henkje]

Hi all,

Not too long ago I had the luck to walk into a bargain, acquiring a 3.0 set of Dali Oberon 7 fronts and a Dali Vokal center. Due to size being a factor I then went for a slimline AVR, the Marantz NR1711, as it has pre-out ports for the front speakers. Now I'm considering the purchase of an Amplifier to hook up to the NR1711, because of two reasons:

• In the future I might be expanding my system, probably to 5.1. As the NR1711 is on the lower side of wattage, my idea was that hooking up an Amplifier into the pre-out could relief the AVR a bit by accounting for the front speakers.
• A dedicated stereo amplifier will give better results when listening to music than the NR1711.

First off, I'd like to know if I am right with these two assumptions.
I did a bit of googling myself already, and stumbled across the topic of HT bypass Amplifiers and their ability to, well, bypass the AVR and give direct connection to the speakers. Is HT bypass a necessary feature if I'd want the amp to relief my AVR and improve the sound quality? As I understand it, without HT bypass, the Amp would run through the AVR and its corrective functions (like EQ) which would be detrimental to the sound. Is this the case? Regarding the wattage relief, will HT bypass be of any use if I were to get an Amplifier? Also I'd like to not have to 'match' the volume of the front speakers and the rest of the set.

Lastly, if possible, I'd like my Amplifier to be small of size as well. I've been looking through the list of Amps with HT-Bypass (Amplifiers with HT-bypass - update 14. August 2021) and unfortunately they all seem to be too big for my furniture. Are there any HT-Bypass Amplifiers that are small of size available? I'm thinking of NAD C700 or M10v2 type of dimensions here. Depth is not a problem, it's mainly the width and height that need to be compact.

I'm not too knowledgable about this topic so if I'm far off the mark on my presumtions then my apologies

Thanks in advance!

 

[spinaltap]

MM7025 Amplifier - 2 Ch. Power Amplifier | Marantz™

MM7025

www.marantz.com

It’s cheaper if you’re prepared to buy B Stock…

Marantz MM7025 2 Channel AV Power Amplifier Black | Hyperfi

The Marantz MM7025 is this year's ideal two-channel main amplifier with a whopping 140W RMS into 8 ohms per channel. Use the Marantz MM 7025 two-channel power amplifier in an AV setup to give your front channels an earth- moving boost or simply to make a sensational upgrade to an existing stereo

www.hyperfi.co.uk

 

[Henkje]

Thanks for the reply, I'm looking for something a tad bit smaller though

 

[Timmy C]

Did you look at the Cyrus options as they are usually small in terms of width? You will always have problems if height is an issue though as amps will usually need space above anyway.

 

[spinaltap]

What width and height do you require?

 

[HeadBanger]

Have a look at some of the smaller high quality Hypex class D based amps. KJF and Nord are both UK based:

Multi Channel Ncore Amplifiers

Overview We don’t sell any other brands of amplifiers, just our own designs based upon the Hypex N-core NC***MP series of amplifier modules. The MA-01 is a fully customisable multi-channel amplifier. Designed for a world of changing needs, this amplifier can be reconfigured back at base so that...

kjfaudio.com

Nord Hypex NC500 NC1200 ICE Power Purifi 1ET400A Amps for Sale UK USA

World Class Hypex NCore NC500, NC1200, Purifi Audio 1ET400A and ICE Power 1200AS2 Class D Amplifiers from Nord Acoustics using discrete op amps and V regulators USA & World Delivery.

www.nordacoustics.co.uk

HB

 

[spinaltap]

258 Power Amplifier

Powerful, high performance, cool-running Power Amplifier bringing Meridian high resolution sound quality to every zone it powers.

www.meridian-audio.com

 

[Henkje]

Hi all, thanks for thinking along with me here. I've checked out your recommendations.

I'm looking at a maximum size of 25cm wide and 14.5cm high. This would make the Cyrus One a great contender. All other recommended amps are unfortunately too big already.

The NAD C700 recently caught my eye as well, the streaming possibility is a great plus. Does anyone know if the NAD C700 has HT bypass? And would I be able to use its RCA connections to hook it up to the pre out of my NR1711? Here is an overview of its ports: NAD C 700 - Bluos network player and integrated amplifier, Audio Visual Factory

At the moment I'm in between the NAD C700 and the Cyrus One, but I'm open for suggestions. Thanks again.

 

[rc789]

Good deals on the Cyrus one models around but you’ll need the HD or cast if you want an internal DAC. I had the HD and i liked it. I moved to another integrated then to a multi channel power amp plus pre-amp and separate DAC so now have the best of all worlds. Don’t be afraid to offer less on a retailers eBay site if they accept offers as the RRP is often double or more so sometimes you can get an amazing deal.

 

[Kapkirk]

You could use the Behringer a800. loads of power and dirt cheap, great for front surrounds.

Behringer | Product | A800

www.behringer.com

 

[HeadBanger]

Hi all, thanks for thinking along with me here. I've checked out your recommendations.

I'm looking at a maximum size of 25cm wide and 14.5cm high. This would make the Cyrus One a great contender. All other recommended amps are unfortunately too big already.

I think you missed these then:

These are 23w x 8.3h:

Stereo and Mono Hypex Ncore Amplifiers

Overview Building on the success of our fully configurable multi-channel Ncore MA-01 amplifiers we are introducing a stereo amplifier - the SA-01. Where the MA-01 was built with pure utility in mind where form followed function. With the SA-01 we have allowed ourselves a little more freedom in...

kjfaudio.com

And these are 24w x 9.4h:

Nord One MP NC252 250W Stereo Power Amp in Black | nordacoustics

Hypex NCore NC252MP twin channel ModuleNord Switchable RCA-XLR input boardAuto sensing 100-240V mains input operation0.5W standby operation650W Main PSU47K Ohms Input Impedance, low output impedanceTHD 0.0015%S/N Ratio 121dB26dB Voltage Gain2 x 200W 8 Ohms2 x 250W 4 Ohms2 x 180W 2 OhmsFully...

www.nordacoustics.co.uk

HB