[cmcmurphy22]

I am extremely interested in the RWA sig 30.2 to replace my CEC amp5300.  Here is my question....
I have the audio physic step monitors that are 4ohm 87db sensitivity.  When I turn the volume up with my CEC amp, which is 100watt SS pure class A, to about 90-95 db I can only listen for about 2-3 minutes before the protection circiut in the amp cuts it off.  I have been told that my speakers may be dipping down into the 2ohm range, but I have no way of really telling. 

So I am wondering if the sig 30.2 will be ok to drive these monitors.  I hear these things can really provide tons of current and maybe that is what these speakers need, I dont really know.

thanks for the input,
Coleman

[Vinnie R.]

I am extremely interested in the RWA sig 30.2 to replace my CEC amp5300.  Here is my question....
I have the audio physic step monitors that are 4ohm 87db sensitivity.  When I turn the volume up with my CEC amp, which is 100watt SS pure class A, to about 90-95 db I can only listen for about 2-3 minutes before the protection circiut in the amp cuts it off.  I have been told that my speakers may be dipping down into the 2ohm range, but I have no way of really telling. 

So I am wondering if the sig 30.2 will be ok to drive these monitors.  I hear these things can really provide tons of current and maybe that is what these speakers need, I dont really know.

thanks for the input,
Coleman

Hi Coleman,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum!

If your speakers are in fact dipping down to 2-ohm and you are running into the 90-95dB range, I do not believe the 30.2 is the best choice. 

I have heard the 70.2s with the Audio Physic Steps monitors (sounded great!), but we were not playing past the 90dB range.  The 70.2s are a better match than the 30.2 because they do better with 4-ohm (paralleled outputs can output 2x the current).  They might actually do a better job than the CEC, but I don't believe you'll be happy with the 30.2 if you are looking to play in the 90dB+ volume range with your speakers...

Best regards,

Vinnie

[cmcmurphy22]

I am extremely interested in the RWA sig 30.2 to replace my CEC amp5300.  Here is my question....
I have the audio physic step monitors that are 4ohm 87db sensitivity.  When I turn the volume up with my CEC amp, which is 100watt SS pure class A, to about 90-95 db I can only listen for about 2-3 minutes before the protection circiut in the amp cuts it off.  I have been told that my speakers may be dipping down into the 2ohm range, but I have no way of really telling. 

So I am wondering if the sig 30.2 will be ok to drive these monitors.  I hear these things can really provide tons of current and maybe that is what these speakers need, I dont really know.

thanks for the input,
Coleman

Hi Coleman,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum!

If your speakers are in fact dipping down to 2-ohm and you are running into the 90-95dB range, I do not believe the 30.2 is the best choice. 

I have heard the 70.2s with the Audio Physic Steps monitors (sounded great!), but we were not playing past the 90dB range.  The 70.2s are a better match than the 30.2 because they do better with 4-ohm (paralleled outputs can output 2x the current).  They might actually do a better job than the CEC, but I don't believe you'll be happy with the 30.2 if you are looking to play in the 90dB+ volume range with your speakers...

Best regards,

Vinnie

thank you for the response vinnie,
are you familiar with the cec sound.  I would love to know the difference between your amps and mine. 
I might add, for 90-95% of the time I listen to music at much lower volumes.
I really enjoy my speakers, but I am looking to get equipment that I will not be upgrading out of if you know what I mean, so I am not attached to keeping them forever.  I am looking to build a system, but I would have to do it one piece at a time over a few years.  I have a couple of more questions for you.
1.  what speakers do you feel have sounded magical with your gear that you have heard?  maybe name a few different brands if you could
2.  it seems you recommend the macbook for a digital source.  do many of you clients use their CDP's hooked into the grid? how do these sounds differ with your gear?
3.  do you need a preamp for the 70.2 monos?

thank you so much for your time, I am sure your are quite busy;)
Coleman

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Coleman,

1.what speakers do you feel have sounded magical with your gear that you have heard?  maybe name a few different brands if you could

These are stunning with Red Wine Audio electronics:
http://www.redwineaudio.com/wlm/index.html

2.  it seems you recommend the macbook for a digital source.  do many of you clients use their CDP's hooked into the grid? how do these sounds differ with your gear?

More and more of my customers are migrating to music servers and hard-disk based audio (e.g. desktop or laptop computer as the transport , Slim Devices Transporter and SB3, Sonos, Wadia iTransport, and others like this) - but there are still those who enjoy using CD transports.  Yes, most of them are "ON-the-grid," but with our Isabellina dac (stand alone unit or built into the Isabella tube preamp), both the optical (Toslink) and coax digital inputs are isolated from teh source, so noise from the transport's power supply does not enter the off-the-grid RWA components.

For digital I prefer using a Macbook and its USB output to feed the Isabellina (and a 3G iPhono as the remote, which works very well!), but CD transports still give excellent results and the Isabellina dac does not seem to be very sensitive to different transports.  I touched on this a little in this thread (on page 2, I believe):
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=58678.0

3.  do you need a preamp for the 70.2 monos?

The 70.2 monoblocks are power amps, so you'll need a preamp in front of them, or at least a source that has a built-in volume control.

thank you so much for your time, I am sure your are quite busy;)

While I am very busy, answering questions here (or via email and phone) is top prioirty and I enjoy it!    

Thank you,

Vinnie