[wisnon]

Nad integrated....c375BEE

[Ericus Rex]

Rex, a volume control in pre amplifier has very few things to do with the power being delivered to a speaker.Pre amplifier ONLY adjust the gain ,in my understanding. If you try to deliver 100 Watts RMS power to a 50 watts nominal rated speaker the chances are that one of those days you may burn the speaker coil. As long as there is no signal at input of the amp , the power delivered is 100 watts for a 100watt rated amplifier. You can attenuate the input signal ( by using a pre amp) but does not guarantee that it may not clip the signal depending on the source output signal level.( for example for squeezebox see how it is explained (http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/Connecting_directly_to_a_power_amplifier)  .
 Again most speakers handle the power-surge unless it is tremendously huge,because heat can be dissipated .But if that persists you will end up with a burned speaker,amplifier or both. When there is clipping we unknowingly turn down the gain (most of the time) so nothing happens in all practical situations. The power delivered as sound is near what you all said,about 1-2 Watts ,because that is the efficiency of most of the speakers,rest being dissipated as heat in the voice coil. It is not because you are delivering 1 watt to the speaker from your 100 watts amplifier but that's all you can achieve with a moving coil speaker.

That's not how it works.

At any rate, the 50 watt speaker rating is a continuous rating and as already stated you likely never go above 2 or 3 watts continuous.  Peaks, yes but not continuous.

[RDavidson]

So many choices, and it depends on what you're looking for.

A nice used NAD 3020 can get you a large serving of musicality for not too much money. Can drive 2 ohm loads (not real loud or sustained for too long, but still, how many modern integrateds do you know of have the grapes to do that?). I have an excellent 3020B that has been recapped. It is staying with me. Love that little amp. It serves as a great reminder to trust my ears.

A more modern amp that I like quite a bit is the Rotel RA-1062. Different sound than the NAD and less forgiving. The NAD is very warm and smooth. The Rotel is warm and smooth too, but with much more detail and finesse across the board. Note, I have yet to hear a bright Rotel amp, but I can see how they may not be recommended for all systems. They can sound bright compared to less extended amps, but in comparison to say a Creek Classic 5350 SE, Rotels are certainly rounded on the top end.

The Creek, though extremely detailed and accurate, is also threadbare in my experience. Midrange presence is also severely lacking.

[kinku]

What about sim audio moons ,anyone heard neo250i?

[RDavidson]

Sim Audio has a good reputation, but I don't have any experience with them.

Another suggestion:

The Rogue Sphinx has been getting a lot of great press lately. I have my eye on it. Efficient class D output, with tube preamp stage. Pretty sure it has preouts as well. Might be hard to find a used one, but they pop up from time to time. I bet it is a real sweet sounding amp and would work well in a variety of systems. Built in USA and from what I understand, their service is excellent should you ever need it. You'd have a hard time going wrong I think.

[kinku]

Hey friend ,nice to hear from you Davidson.
Do you think sphinx has a remote of some kind?

[srb]

Do you think sphinx has a remote of some kind?

An optional remote for $100 is available which controls volume only (no mute).

Steve

[James Romeyn]

An optional remote for $100 is available which controls volume only.

Steve

"Mute" button?  (For phone calls or when "Publisher's Clearinghouse" rings my door bell with a $50M check as big as a house.)

[srb]

"Mute" button?  (For phone calls or when "Publisher's Clearinghouse" rings my door bell with a $50M check as big as a house.)

Volume only.  No Mute.



Steve

[James Romeyn]

Of the amps listed, the two topping my interest list are:
Rogue
Exposure 2010S2

Heard neither.  Former interests me because of the architecture.  Latter pick is because Art Dudley loved it, and his preferred amps are tubes, especially the ultra low production variety ala Japanese Shindo.  I'm positive to almost my ears and Art's are similar.  (Both of us being blue grass players/aficionados...Art would have died playing/hearing that new $19k mahogany/spruce Dreadnaught at Santa Cruz' booth, 2011 winter NAMM.  Like Doc's original but better, and new!)   

If I had to pick one unheard it's the Exposure 2010S2.  It's second in their lineup, don't confuse with the bigger/more costly integrated.   

[Gopher]

I would wager money a nice Redgum RGi60 would be better than any of the options mentioned and comes in at 60wpc.

I have never owned nor heard an RGi60, but I have own an RGi35, RGi120 and RGi120 ENR.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2013/03/redgum-rgi60-w-magnepan-mmg-6moons-review/

[JLM]

While most of us listen to only one watt  or less on average, its the peaks that must be accounted for.  Classical peaks can be 30 dB (1,000 times the wattage), jazz peaks can be 20 dB (100 times the wattage), and rock peaks are typically 10 dB (10 times the wattage).  Note that what damages drivers is "hard" (typical solid state) clipped (overloaded) signals, not pushing more 'clean' watts during peaks than what they're rated for.  Overloading can come from anywhere in the signal path: source, pre-amp, DAC, or power amp (but normally power amps).

Kinku, for your speakers, rated at 89 dB/w/m and 15 watts continuous/50 watts peak (something Fostex calls 'music' as all music has peaks) your criteria for 50 watt amps is right on and will provide (in a "normal" sized room) about 106 dB peaks.  Note too that the difference between 40 and 50 watts is one dB (barely perceivable increase in loudness).  In power amps look for 'beefy' power supplies that can handle those pesky peaks.  And realize that there can be a huge difference between measuring wattage in a lab and usable wattage with 'real world' speakers.

BTW NAD is introducing the D3020 ($500, 30 wpc, compact digital integrated with DAC, subwoofer out, and remote control). 

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/rebirth-of-a-legend-the-nad-d-3020-puts-a-new-spin-on-a-classic-ampliifer/

[Freo-1]

Any system that contains a volume control will accomplish this...even a system with a 2,000 watt amp.  Don't limit yourself to a specified power range based on where the speaker blows up. Search this site for "how much power do I really need" type posts and you'll quickly find that you usually use less than 1 watt and rarely over 20...regardless of the wattage of the amp.  That is, unless you have rocking uber-loud parties and such.

This is excellent advice.  Keep in mind that there are audiophiles running some efficient speakers with 1 KW McIntosh amps with NO issues.  If you are truly worried about speaker overload, a fuse will address that concern quite nicely.  Under normal to moderate listening conditions, having the amp be overpowered is of little concern in the real world, and MUCH better than a underpowered unit.
 
There are a lot of great recommendations listed, and any of them would be good sonically.  I'm partial to the Yamaha, because I have heard it with a variety of speakers, and it holds up well against much more expensive amps.  It also supports MM/MC phono, tone controls that can be in or bypassed out, preamp out, direct input, and easily one of the best power supply setups available.  It also has a very useful remote. 
 
So, good luck with the search!  Let us know how you make out.   

[James Romeyn]

I would wager money a nice Redgum RGi60 would be better than any of the options mentioned and comes in at 60wpc.

I have never owned nor heard an RGi60, but I have own an RGi35, RGi120 and RGi120 ENR.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2013/03/redgum-rgi60-w-magnepan-mmg-6moons-review/

I'm shocked to find an audio reviewer who's writing quality is below Srajan's.  Darko establishes the new benchmark on the left side of the bench.  Congratulations, John.   

John's review starts with:

Turn, turn, turn.  Never the trust the numbers on the spec sheet.  Out in the wild, there’s the never-ending talk of the need for big watts to get you out of the Magnepan woods.

It goes downhill from there. 

If John earned anything of value for the above words, maybe Armeggedon really is upon us. 

[Freo-1]

I'm shocked to find an audio reviewer who's writing quality is below Srajan's.  Darko establishes the new benchmark on the left side of the bench.  Congratulations, John.   

Don't colour this.  Tell us what you really think!   

[James Romeyn]

Don't colour this.  Tell us what you really think!   

When you look up to Srajan's writing, that's not good.   

[JLM]

When you look up to Srajan's writing, that's not good.   

+1     (lots of words, little of substance communicated)

[RDavidson]

Seriously. His reviews are like an audio gear romance novel, but I'll inevitably read them if he is reviewing something of interest, just to glean the small but useful morsels of information.............not that I've ever read a romance novel, but I can imagine how painful most dudes would find them to read.

[kinku]

I bought a simaudio moon i-1 from audiogon for 1000$. Do you think it is worth the money ? How safe is audiogon ,I never tried anything from audiogon before and kind of nervous now.

[richidoo]

A bit pricey for an i-1,  but don't 2nd guess yourself. It's done, now enjoy it! If you lose some money it's a good lesson for the next deal. Audiogon is pretty safe, if you are a good judge of character reading between the lines.