New All-in-one amplifier

Aslund

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Hello everyone

My name is Sebastian and I have an old system from my days as a student, which consists of and NAD 114 + 216 combo together with Dali 850 speakers. I have later added a Cambridge DacMagic for digital audio.

With age comes comfort and while I am still happy about the sound of my system, then it is a bother to use. No remote control of the sound. No streaming capabilities so I have to use the TV as medium.

Original I planned to change everything and get a smaller amplifier and bookshelf speaker, but when I was at the local hifi shop I really missed my Dali 850. So I have tried to come up with another solution. My Dali 850 is quite power hungry and needs a decent amp.
I also like HDMI Arc for connecting my TV and streaming capabilities.
The only product I have found that matches the criteria is Cambridge Audio Evo 150

As an alternative I have also look at the NAD C298 poweramp but I have been unable to find a preamp that supports both HDMI Arc and Chromecast.

I must say I am really drawn to the Evo 150. It looks nice and have everything I need but it is a lot to pay. On the other hand will a NAD C298 + preamp properly be same or more.

I hope you can give your thoughts on this matter :)

Thank you.
Sebastian
 
I like evo150



Room correction.
UK store
 
 
The Lyngdorf everytime for me.

RP is very good indeed and worth the price alone.

A top class amplifier by itself, but with RP it becomes a revelation.
 
Ps, I see that you’re worried about the power delivery?

The 1120 can dispose of 30A. That will be more than enough even for the mighty 850s

The Lyngdorf amps run as a dac straight from the power supply which makes comparison with conventional amplifiers problematical.

The 1120 drives my hungry speakers to silly levels without effort.

And the room correction is the biggest difference you will make to music enjoyment no matter how much you spend.
 
Ps, know you say you prefer your current monster speakers. And I’m sure their sound is huge and impressive. They were a big thing for Dali in their day.

But I believe speaker tech has moved on considerably.

Have you considered a pair of Dali Rubicon 2 and a good subwoofer.

That way you get all the scale of the 850s (likely appreciably more in fact) and the way the 1120 integrates the subwoofer(s) has to be heard.

It is utterly seamless and invisible.
 
I like evo150



Room correction.
UK store
Thank you for your input. Sadly I don't see any streaming capabilities on it? It also seem to be discontinued.
 
Ps, know you say you prefer your current monster speakers. And I’m sure their sound is huge and impressive. They were a big thing for Dali in their day.

But I believe speaker tech has moved on considerably.

Have you considered a pair of Dali Rubicon 2 and a good subwoofer.

That way you get all the scale of the 850s (likely appreciably more in fact) and the way the 1120 integrates the subwoofer(s) has to be heard.

It is utterly seamless and invisible.
Thank you to you and 3rdignis for mentioning Lyngdorf. I will have a look at it. My local hifi store, Hifiklubben, is founded by Peter Lyngdorf too, so they have it on display. Maybe I can arrange some buy and try.
My worries comes from an experience 15 years ago where my NAD 216 broke down and had to be repaired. My roommate went on holiday so I borrowed his amplifier while I waited for mine. I forgot the brand, but it was a 60W highend class D amplifier that worked wonderful with his B&W floor speakers.
When connected to my speakers the bass totally died out. There was no power or push. The amplifier seems to be squeezed dry by the speakers.

Ps.
As a married man I can do the big upgrade of my system. At least not in that level. So if I have to upgrade or replace my speakers I properly have to wait a few years before doing that. :)
 
Thank you to you and 3rdignis for mentioning Lyngdorf. I will have a look at it. My local hifi store, Hifiklubben, is founded by Peter Lyngdorf too, so they have it on display. Maybe I can arrange some buy and try.
My worries comes from an experience 15 years ago where my NAD 216 broke down and had to be repaired. My roommate went on holiday so I borrowed his amplifier while I waited for mine. I forgot the brand, but it was a 60W highend class D amplifier that worked wonderful with his B&W floor speakers.
When connected to my speakers the bass totally died out. There was no power or push. The amplifier seems to be squeezed dry by the speakers.

That is always a possibility. I seem to recall the 850s not being shy when it comes to power requirements.

However, if you do find that happens, I’d still be tempted to use the preouts on the 1120 into a bigger power amp.

RoomPerfect is that good.

ps, even good digital amps don’t usually have the current capacity of the Lyngdorfs, so you might find the 1120 does not have any problems with the 850s.
 
Last edited:
Don't forget that Peter Lyngdorf owns Dali and Lyngdorf. Given his track record, I would expect the 1120 and all Lyngdorf amps to be capable of driving Dali speakers. You could always ask Lyngdorf Support to confirm.
 
And yes, one thing at a time I think.

Doing it that way certainly saves on stress related medication. :)
 
That is always a possibility. I seem to recall the 850s not being shy when it comes to power requirements.

However, if you do find that happens, I’d still be tempted to use the preouts on the 1120 into a bigger power amp.

RoomPerfect is that good.

ps, even good digital amps don’t usually have the current capacity of the Lyngdorfs, so you might find the 1120 does not have any problems with the 850s.
I finally managed to find the amp. Actually I am not sure now if it is a class D. It is Thule IA60. It is rated at a peak current at 22A, quite a bit under the 70A Lyngdorf is rated at. I might try to give Lyngdorf a look.

Thule IA60
Power output, 1kHz, 8 ohm 2x 60W
Power output, 1kHz, 4 ohm 2x 90W
Peak current capacity 1ohm, 1ms +/- 22A
Frequency range 20- 20kHz +0db/-1dB
THD 20-20kHz, -10dB 0.05%
S/N, 0dB 90dBA
 
I finally managed to find the amp. Actually I am not sure now if it is a class D. It is Thule IA60. It is rated at a peak current at 22A, quite a bit under the 70A Lyngdorf is rated at. I might try to give Lyngdorf a look.

Thule IA60
Power output, 1kHz, 8 ohm 2x 60W
Power output, 1kHz, 4 ohm 2x 90W
Peak current capacity 1ohm, 1ms +/- 22A
Frequency range 20- 20kHz +0db/-1dB
THD 20-20kHz, -10dB 0.05%
S/N, 0dB 90dBA

The Lyngdorf is rated at 30A.
 
Lyngdorf states max output current 30A.

Companies state max current smallest to largest

30A peak to peak
30Arms peak to peak
30A peak
30A rms
+/- means above and below
 
If you don't want to spend a lot the new Bluesound Powernode is worth looking at. The amp section is powered by NAD and their software for streaming is the best of any streaming amp except maybe Sonos.
 
Little update.
I was advice to try out Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. I was very hesitant because of the low wattage compare to my current poweramp. 60W vs 125W, but that is at 8 Ohm. At 4 Ohm it is reduced to 120W vs 200W.
I contacted Lyngdorf and they seemed confident that TDAI-1120 could handle Dali 850. So I went to my local hifi shop, Hifiklubben, and they were also quite sure it would handle Dali 850. They even offered to setup their demo TDAI-1120 to similar floorstand speakers to show me. But that is only similar, not same. I am a very careful type.
In the end I got the offer to borrow their demo model for the weekend to be sure it was a good fit to my speakers.
Initially I was very surprised that the TDAI-1120 could actually run my speakers quite fine. The sound seemed a bit more clear and have more air. I am no audiophile so I don't know the correct terms. Overall very nice sound but a little bit lacking compared to NAD. After room correction it got a bit better and there was a bit more depth to the sound. I especially noticed that the bass is more detailed compared to NAD and less booming. My room is not optimal but somehow Lyngdorf managed to make it play better
I honestly think I am going to buy this amplifier.
It is quite a bit cheaper than Evo 150. A major point. 700 euro extra for Evo 150 seems steep especially without room correction.
I just have a hard time dealing with the size of TDAI-1120. Looks like a shoebox next to my power amp. :)
 

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Little update.
I was advice to try out Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. I was very hesitant because of the low wattage compare to my current poweramp. 60W vs 125W, but that is at 8 Ohm. At 4 Ohm it is reduced to 120W vs 200W.
I contacted Lyngdorf and they seemed confident that TDAI-1120 could handle Dali 850. So I went to my local hifi shop, Hifiklubben, and they were also quite sure it would handle Dali 850. They even offered to setup their demo TDAI-1120 to similar floorstand speakers to show me. But that is only similar, not same. I am a very careful type.
In the end I got the offer to borrow their demo model for the weekend to be sure it was a good fit to my speakers.
Initially I was very surprised that the TDAI-1120 could actually run my speakers quite fine. The sound seemed a bit more clear and have more air. I am no audiophile so I don't know the correct terms. Overall very nice sound but a little bit lacking compared to NAD. After room correction it got a bit better and there was a bit more depth to the sound. I especially noticed that the bass is more detailed compared to NAD and less booming. My room is not optimal but somehow Lyngdorf managed to make it play better
I honestly think I am going to buy this amplifier.
It is quite a bit cheaper than Evo 150. A major point. 700 euro extra for Evo 150 seems steep especially without room correction.
I just have a hard time dealing with the size of TDAI-1120. Looks like a shoebox next to my power amp. :)
So you are not totally happy? Lyngdorf is supposed to very good. How about the Yamaha AS2200 instead?
 

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