Which amplifier for PMC MB2 SE speakers - Nu-Vista 800 or Accuphase E-480?

R

RS2016

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Hello and greetings from Finland!

I’m trying to decide which integrated amp would be better choice for my PMC MB2 SE speakers – Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800 or Accuphase E-480?

I have tested at home the Nu-Vista 600 which sounded very nice and the Accuphase E-450 which was very nice too, except maybe the E-450's upper midrange which sounded perhaps little “cold” or "bright" – at least I got the feeling I had to turn down the volume from time to time, so maybe it was some kind of listening fatigue. But the E-450 is obviously not the same amplifier as a lot newer E-480, which upper midrange may tuned to more esoteric, if I understand correctly reading the tests.

I am basically looking for a neutral sounding amplifier and I was wondering if the Nu-Vista 600 amplifier I tested sounded already too pleasant, in other words, does it color the sound in some way?


So I really appreciate your opinions on which amplifier would be the better choice – the Nu-Vista 800 or E-480?
 
I have owned the MB2SE and now own the E480... unfortunately not at the same time. The big PMCs need control in the bass along with power... so I think the higher damping of the Accuphase will be a solid match. But know also, that the PMCs are very revealing... so if you already feel the Accuphase may be a little too lean the PMCs will not help
 
Thanks for the reply dznutz.

You are very right that PMC's upper range is very revealing and maybe already at the border of the bright side. With the wrong type of amplifier, the sound can easily turn too bright.

Damping factor is one thing that I've really been thinking about a lot. When test listening with the E-450, it was already clear that there was a very high foot tapping factor, so I believe the damping factor is definitely okay with the E-480.

I was listening to the Nu-Vista 600 several months ago, and I don't remember very well what its bass play was, but in many tests the Nu-Vista 800's bass play has been praised even though the damping factor is smaller than the E-480's.

My current amplifier, by the way, is Creek Destiny 2, which is not in any way a bad amplifier, but of course it is not in the same league as the E-480 and the Nu-Vista 800.

May I ask, dznutz, what speakers do you have with the E-480 now? And how would you describe the sound of the E-480 with them? And what do you think if you still had PMC MB2 SE speakers, would you be happy to use the E-480 amplifier with them?
 
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You are asking a very difficult question... the Accuphase is very quiet, precise, detailed and powerful but retains that great musical quality. Currently I have a pair of Dynaudios, Tannoys and Harbeths. The Accuphase is great on all 3 but my personal fav is the Harb followed closely by the Dyn. Hope this helps... there is no replacement for getting what interests you home and trying it there.
 
Thanks for your kind reply again dznutz! I appreciate your comments. This is a pretty difficult decision for me – the Nu-Vista 800 or E-480 – and I have to try to think carefully about this. Many reasons – such as top Japan quality, better inputs/outputs, headphone amplifier, resolution of the sound, black background, good dynamics, etc. – are in favor of purchasing the E-480, but the feeling pulls towards the Nu-Vista 800. Positive problem though!
 
Hi bart, the Hegel H590 is undeniably a tough competitor and an interesting option. Unfortunately, my own trusted hifi dealer does not sell Hegel and I do not get it for home listening, which is an absolute prerequisite for making a purchase decision.
 
According to Hegel H590’s technical information the damping factor of the unit is more than 4000 (for comparison it is 600 for the E-480 and 200 for the Nu-Vista 800). What to think about it? I have to say that this damping factor thing is rather difficult to understand and I’m not sure if I can really understand it right. Accuphase talks a lot of it, for example it is mentioned several times in their E-480 brochure.

Accuphase.com: e-480 technical_information
(sorry I cannot post web links yet because of too little posts.)

But what level of damping factor is enough in real-life and where it starts to be more marketing speech? And how to measure it reliable? I have seen different values in the tests of magazines (often measured with loads of 4 ohms though) for example for the E-480 and Nu-Vista 800 and typically they are lower than the damping factor figures on the amplifier’s technical information.

And if one reads the damping factor articles it seems to be quite clear that very high damping factor is not necessarily better.

Here is what Wikipedia says about damping factor:
“Large amounts of damping of the loudspeaker is not necessarily better,[3] for example a mere 0.35 dB difference in real-life results between a high (100) and medium (20) Damping Factor.[4] Some engineers, including Nelson Pass claim loudspeakers can sound better with lower electrical damping.[5] A lower damping factor helps to enhance the bass response of the loudspeaker by several decibels (where the impedance of the speaker would be at its maximum), which is useful if only a single speaker is used for the entire audio range.”

Source wikipedia: Damping factor

And in a video at their web sites Paul McGowan from PS Audio says that damping factor anything over 50-60 is very good:
askpaul: what is amplifier damping factor
 
RS2016.......An amplifier's damping factor relates to its ability to control a speaker's motion, particularly woofers, once the signal has stopped. In other words, how quickly a woofer's motion can be controlled once the signal has ceased. The term "overshoot" generally means a woofer continues to move, thus continuing to produce sound, after a signal has ended. An amplifier with tight control over low frequency drivers is said to have good damping factor. A manufacturer's stated damping factor is not a static number and will rise or fall based on the total impedance, including the cable driving a speaker. Since we know damping factor numbers are not constant, they are often inflated in advertising to convince perspective buyers of a particular amplifier's superiority over its competition.

You may find this article by Floyd E. Toole enlightening. http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/damptoole.htm
 
jdandy, thanks for the good explanation regarding the damping factor and thanks for the link. An article written by E. Toole is indeed enlightening.
 
sharkmouth said:
& jdandy owns PMC speakers too...
Click to expand...

Kevin.......Yes I do, and I love these speakers. I have always driven my PMC's with McIntosh amplifiers. Right now a pair of MC75 mono tube amps are connected to the PMC EB1i speakers and sounding fabulous.


eb13.jpg
 
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