[CarlXu]

I have bought myself a pair of Dynaudio Emit 20, how to choose an amplifier to power them?
Do I choose a class AB amplifier or do I choose a class d amplifier?
Which one is better?
And my budget is less than $300, is it enough if I want to use the full power of my speakers?

Thank you.

[FullRangeMan]

I have bought myself a pair of Dynaudio Emit 20, how to choose an amplifier to power them?
Do I choose a class AB amplifier or do I choose a class d amplifier?
Which one is better?
And my budget is less than $300, is it enough if I want to use the full power of my speakers?

Thank you.

Welcome to AC 
Class D, Solid State and tube amps have all different sound signature, what is the best sound for your speaker is a personal choice only you can tell, there is no absolute best.

Very unfortunately your speaker is low efficiency 86dB and 4 ohms, in these hard conditions for a amp operate you will need a powerful amp as 100W or more, Class D or SolidState amp, no sweet small tube amp will work well here.
Good luck

[GeneS]

Welcome!!
I would also offer that a $300 budget is going to make this even more challenging. Even on the used market, amps powerful enough to drive those speakers effectively are going to be well more than $300. Dynaudios are pretty accurate speakers, and I would be concerned that the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” would really come in to play here.
I assume you already have a preamp, or have one picked out?

[WGH]

Welcome to AC

Maybe you will get lucky and someone here will have an amp collecting dust they will sell you but shipping alone will eat up $60 of your budget. A Hypex NCore NC400 maybe, you will love it....until you don't.

Ebay has a Adcom GFA-545 Amp has the current at 125w/channel that will drive those Dynaudio's just fine. The highs are a little rolled off on Adcom amps which make them musical and probably a good thing with those speakers. I still use a GFA-545 amp in my home theater surround channels, they are built like tanks and go louder than you would ever listen.
And at $250 it is right in your budget

Acessories4Less has a YAMAHA A-S301 2-Ch x 60 Watts Integrated Amplifier w/ Built-in DAC for $300. Probably sounds like crap but is in your budget
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamas301bl-rb/yamaha-a-s301-2-ch-x-60-watts-integrated-amplifier-w/built-in-dac/1.html

The Parasound NewClassic 2125 v.2 Stereo Power Amplifier; V2; Black for $499.00 at The Music Room may be your best option but way above your budget.
https://tmraudio.com/components/power-amplifiers/parasound-newclassic-2125-v-2-stereo-power-amplifier-v2-black/
The Music Room is a A++ reseller, I've bought from them as well as many AC members.

[Phil A]

Welcome!  The budget will limit your choices as noted above.  Hifishark.com is a good place to look for used things (it searches a bunch of website).  There's stuff like - https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649749466-class-d-audio-cda-250-2-channel-stereo-or-home-theater/

[VinceT]

Those speakers will need some power to really sound nice being 86 Db sensitive

I would check out local craigslist and get an older high powered amp or receiver. I'd shoot for something 100-125 or more watts. I see a model in my price range then google it to find some specs and reviews online to help make my purchasing decision. You can also sort listing from US Audiomart by price in your area and then google the available models for specs and reviews. Good luck

[mick wolfe]

I agree. Does the OP need a basic amp or an integrated amp.? Either way, he's chosen a speaker one could easily spend $2K-$3K(or more) in amplification to really hear what it has to offer. This not to mention key source componentry.

[richidoo]

A receiver by Pioneer, Onkyo or Denon from Craigs List with ~100 watts per channel should fit the bill.

$300 cash goes a long way on craigslist - the hard part is finding a receiver that is powerful enough and sounds good enough for these speakers.

That said, 86dB is normal load these days. 10W solid state will make music at lowish normal listening level. 100W probably good enough to enjoy them fully. But if you want to turn it up to maximize emotion and get the most that the speakers are capable of then you need probably 200 - 500W.

If it's a fancy enough reciever it might allow biamping the bass drivers and the upper drivers with different amps inside the receiver. It's an advanced feature usually only found in upper end receivers, but everything gets sold used eventually. You never know what's available.

My kids say Fascbook Marketplace is the new hotspot for buying used stuff, but I've never tried it.

[avahifi]

 Check out our used equipment page at avahifi.com

Right now we have a 150W/Ch Omegastar280 available at $495.

All used AVA equipment comes with a one year parts and labor warranty and a 30day satisfaction guarantee.

Frank

[rockadanny]

Wow! A powerful AVA amp for less than $500!? I'd jump on that one. Very good products with excellent service.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC Carl   

[CarlXu]

Welcome to AC 
Class D, Solid State and tube amps have all different sound signature, what is the best sound for your speaker is a personal choice only you can tell, there is no absolute best.

Very unfortunately your speaker is low efficiency 86dB and 4 ohms, in these hard conditions for a amp operate you will need a powerful amp as 100W or more, Class D or SolidState amp, no sweet small tube amp will work well here.
Good luck

Thank you for your answer, what do you mean by solid state amp? I know Class d amps and tube amps, do you refer to class ab amps for solid state amp?

[FullRangeMan]

Thank you for your answer, what do you mean by solid state amp? I know Class d amps and tube amps, do you refer to class ab amps for solid state amp?

SolidState are amps with Transistors or transistorized, usually JFet, Mosfet or Bipolar in Class A or AB. Class B is no more used for hi-fi.

[whydontumarryit]

I have bought myself a pair of Dynaudio Emit 20, how to choose an amplifier to power them?
Do I choose a class AB amplifier or do I choose a class d amplifier?
Which one is better?
And my budget is less than $300, is it enough if I want to use the full power of my speakers?

Thank you.

The Dynaudio seem to be suspiciously inefficient (83db in room) for their 55hhz cutoff (-15db at 40hz) the box is tuned improperly for some reason. If you aren't a crazy kid fond of that modern rap/electro stuff you can use any amp you want since you will still be able to play those speakers at 90db without the amp clipping. If you sit within 6ft even better.
You can use the room gain to increase the efficiency/LF output. Try plugging the ports, too, one or both if you have an assymetric room.

$300 is an amount of money most of the members here spend on coffee every week (just kidding guys, I know it's every month). You can buy a class d china amp, probably with volume (integrated) and a remote with digital inputs to allow for easy streaming compatibility that will put out almost 100w into 4 ohms (btw, your speakers are very easy load on amps, never below 6 ohms). This is no long term investment though, if it works out of the box you can expect it to last for about a year or two before it fails (let's just hope that it doesn't take your speakers with it ).
The good news is that by that time, in a year or thereabouts, you will be able to pick up the cream of the crop in hi-end audio at ten cents on the dollar or trade what you have always wanted for those strategically hoarded cans of soup you had sitting around just in case.

[WGH]

You can buy a class d china amp, probably with volume (integrated)

Should be an interesting experiment:

I say:
"What happens when you plug $1050 speakers into a $130 - 300w Chinese chip amp"

TPA3255-A BT5.0 Amplifier 300Wx2 HiFi Power Amplifier

Please keep us updated.

[whydontumarryit]

Should be an interesting experiment:

"What happens when you plug $1050 speakers into a $130 - 300w Chinese chip amp"

TPA3255-A BT5.0 Amplifier 300Wx2 HiFi Power Amplifier



Please keep us updated.

Not only am I sure that I probably said that, I did say that:

 “This is no long term investment though, if it works out of the box you can expect it to last for about a year or two before it fails (let's just hope that it doesn't take your speakers with it “

Should we just change that clickable link from 'quote' to 'misquote' or make it easy on all of us and forget what you posted?

[WGH]

Hi-Fi+ has a review on the Emit 20 with a class D amp

https://hifiplus.com/articles/dynaudio-emit-20-stand-mount-loudspeakers/?goal=0_ff6dfd0295-f35b8a8ffc-162512197&mc_cid=f35b8a8ffc&mc_eid=597ad4feea

[CarlXu]

Welcome!  The budget will limit your choices as noted above.  Hifishark.com is a good place to look for used things (it searches a bunch of website).  There's stuff like - https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649749466-class-d-audio-cda-250-2-channel-stereo-or-home-theater/

Thanks, but I would like a brand new product.

[CarlXu]

Hi-Fi+ has a review on the Emit 20 with a class D amp

https://hifiplus.com/articles/dynaudio-emit-20-stand-mount-loudspeakers/?goal=0_ff6dfd0295-f35b8a8ffc-162512197&mc_cid=f35b8a8ffc&mc_eid=597ad4feea

Thank your for the review, it is really helpful.