Can I Drive Better Speakers with this Amp?

Kosmiche · 20 Jun 2013 at 12:52

I bought a hifi component system for £60 yesterday, reduced from £120.

Its a Sandstrom SHFUSB10 http://www.sandstromstyle.com/product/sandstrom-shfusb10-micro-hi-fi-system

I'm content with the sound quality but I was wondering would I be able to drive some better quality hifi speakers with the amp? I don't know much about audio equipment and I was wondering if it would be up to the task of driving larger speakers or if it wouldn't give them enough juice.

Thanks

andybird123 · 20 Jun 2013 at 14:04

did it come with any kind of spec sheet - the website just says the unit has an output of 50w per channel, but ideally you need to know what resistance your current speakers are, probably 8ohms but it's worth checking

50w is a decent amount of power

are you looking at bookshelf or freestanding? do you have a budget in mind?

but then, if you are happy with the sound quality, you won't get much higher volume by switching speakers without spending quite a bit of money, unless you are sure that it is the speakers that are distorting and not the amp itself - if you can find out what sensitivity your current ones are you might be able to get ones with a higher rating

but say £60 speakers will have a sensitivity of 84-86dB, and you'd need to spend £200+ to get 90dB+, at which point you would probably be better off buying a new amp anyway

here's a handy guide to speakers that will help you when looking at the specs of new ones, if you can get the specs on your current ones to compare against

http://www.psbspeakers.com/articles/Guide-to-Speaker-Specifications

Kosmiche · 20 Jun 2013 at 14:37

I'm looking at bookshelf for use with a computer on a desk. Would like to spend not much more than £100, don't know how realistic that is.

I'll find out the ohms for you.

andybird123 · 20 Jun 2013 at 15:01

for that kind of price range I would go for Gale Gold Monitor mk2's, though you might have to hunt around a bit to find black rather than beech

but they are 6ohm, so don't be tempted to run the amp on maximum with them or it'll overheat (assuming you are currently on 8ohm)... I can't find anything better for under £100

bemaniac · 20 Jun 2013 at 17:55

Don't bother because sandstrom are kids bedroom systems not well made. The signal to noise ratio is probably really bad and you don't want to be popping nice expensive tweeters with it. You could get a 2nd hand 80s amp from ebay for £50 and run loads of good speakers though.

limoslight · 20 Jun 2013 at 19:05

bemaniac said:
Don't bother because sandstrom are kids bedroom systems not well made. The signal to noise ratio is probably really bad and you don't want to be popping nice expensive tweeters with it. You could get a 2nd hand 80s amp from ebay for £50 and run loads of good speakers though.

+1 since TS had made a purchase this may be academic but in his shoes with 60 quid and with the PC as the source i would have done this or settle for a nice vintage/classic amp..or even a brand new T-amp

One does not need beefy amps for PC audio duty either

Next i'd hunt for something like Wharfedale Diamonds 9.1

Marsman · 21 Jun 2013 at 00:03

If the amp is rubbish (which is more than likely to be honest) it will hold back any decent speakers, budget or not. High THD (total harmonic distortion) these cheap off the shelf consumer type units have, won't help either. Too high a volume, and it will trash the speakers. I'm sure better speakers will improve the sound, but any money spent would be best spent on some older decent quality used speakers. There are plenty to be had on auction sites that can be bought cheaply I'd imagine.

Kosmiche · 21 Jun 2013 at 21:07

I've found out the speakers are 4 ohms, does that negate being able to drive better speakers?

Marsman · 22 Jun 2013 at 13:42

No reason why you can't use better speakers. If the amp you have is rated 50w at 4 ohm, then if you use 8 ohm speakers, it will be somewhere around 35w per channel. That will be the maximum though. You don't want to go near that, as the closer you get to max volume, that's when THD is greatest. That's bad for speakers. 70% should be safe I would have thought, so around 25w.

25w may not sound like much, but going by wattage rating is a poor way to judge how loud something will be. Look at these DVD based 5.1 home cinema systems bought from Currys, that have ridiculously high wattage rating. It's all nonsense, it just sells the products to people who think bigger numbers = better.

I've got a little T amp, which I use at my desk. It's rated at 14w at 8 ohm, and the speakers are 100w at 8 ohm. These cheaper T amps have a high THD, just like cheap consumer off the shelf stereo systems, so I'm not going to get 14w without trashing my speakers with 10% THD. 9-10w is as much as I'm going to get before the THD starts to get too high. I'll say this, 10w is a loud enough.

Richersounds have Wharfedale 9.0 speakers for £50. They'd be a great buy if you are after new speakers.