# Dynaudio Esotec System 342 - Need help on amps to run them ACTIVE!



## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

Hi Guys,

I know that amp choice is rather personal at times, and that some people would swear by one brand and spit on the other...however in DIYMA, I trust that most of us here are open minded and are able to give unbiased (well almost most of the time  ) views on most subjects. So I decided to post this thread in the hope to gather some opinions from all you kind folks!

Well, here is my "problem". I will be running my Dyna 342 set full active in about a month and I need to get new amps that will drive them well. For those of you who are not too familar with the drivers, the links below will give you some of the important details:

Dynaudio System 342 Details

Tweeter-MD102 Details
Tweeter-MD102 Tech Sheet

Midrange-MD142 Details
Midrange-MD142 Tech Sheet

Woofer-MW 162 Details
Woofer-MW 162 Tech Sheet

As you can see, the midrange and the tweeter are both 8 Ohm drivers while the woofer is 4 Ohm. Therein lies my problem. I am inclined to feed the drivers with the recommended power as per the spec sheets and I am having a horrible time finding a suitable (in terms of price and power output) amp for them. So ideally, I would wanna feed 100W to the woofer and as close to 200W (at 4 ohm) to both the tweet and midrange. Am I stupid to wanna do so???? 

I would like to get the amps from the same maker and range if possible. Well, to date, the only amps that I can find in my country (Singapore) that are reasonably priced (new) for the task:

- Audison LRX 4.1K + Audison LRX 3.1K 

I am also considering used TruTech T03 4.150 amps (if I can find them) but I am concerned if they would be a good choice for the tweet and mids. I have no previous experience with TruTech amps so thats why I am sceptical. Can someone please clarify this for me??? 

Another TruTech amp that recently is getting rave reviews from my side of the pond are the Billet B4.100, but does anyone know if they really are as underated as people say they are?

What other amps in your opinion do you think would fit the bill? 

I'll be running full active with an Alpine 9965+701 combo so I dont really need on board crossovers on the amps. 

Hope some kind souls will take the time to help me out here. Thanks in advance!


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## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

Digital Designs S4


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

jj_diamond said:


> Digital Designs S4


Thanks for the reply...they sure look spot on for in terms of output, but I might have trouble getting them in my country...I'dd drop DD a mail to see what they can tell me about product availability in Singapore, thanks again!


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## invecs (Jul 30, 2005)

Consider the Genesis Series III amps...they are a better match for the dyns in terms of tonality vs the Audison.


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## 2f150 (Oct 28, 2007)

Hi Master, I am going to run the same set (dyn eso 362) with an audison lrx6.9, and use the xovers in the amp. It's perfect for low pass, band pass, and high pass. Running a higher load (ohms) on the amp wont hurt it, but running it too low will. If I need more power at the 8ohm loads, I will try an autoformer or something else to lower the impedance of the channel. This is my plan, I hope it helps you.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

PM Don, 6spdcoupe. He is a dealer of both amps you mention. The audison, and the TRU. I was actually going to buy some TRUs to power my dyn system 362, but bought some Sinfonis instead. I am sure he'd have no problem figuring out what'd work best for you.


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## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-JBL-GTO755-...ryZ39739QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-GTO755-6-II...ryZ39739QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

I got a JBL GTO755.6 II if your interested

If you want my honest opinion i would go with an Audision LRx5.1K and LRx2.4 or go with the LRx6.9 and LRx1.1K and if you want to go cheaper the ARC KS900.6 and KS500.1 or KS1000.1 are options


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

invecs said:


> Consider the Genesis Series III amps...they are a better match for the dyns in terms of tonality vs the Audison.


Hi invecs,

The Genesis series III amps are indeed sweet. If money was not a concern, I'd love to have 2 X Dual Mono Extremes and 2 X Dual Monos......I'm sure the Dyns would be very happy with that. 

But in my side of the pond, the DMX costs about USD1.2K and the Dual Mono around USD800. I cant afford to blow that much money now.

I cant find many used ones as well and when they do pop up, the selling price is way too high in my opinion.  

Have you used the Audison amps on the Dyns before?


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

2f150 said:


> Hi Master, I am going to run the same set (dyn eso 362) with an audison lrx6.9, and use the xovers in the amp. It's perfect for low pass, band pass, and high pass. Running a higher load (ohms) on the amp wont hurt it, but running it too low will. If I need more power at the 8ohm loads, I will try an autoformer or something else to lower the impedance of the channel. This is my plan, I hope it helps you.


Hey 2f150...I'm glad to find a person thats planning the same config I am...cool!!!!! 

I did consider the LRX6.9 but no matter how I look at it, I keep worrying about the power output. Every other bloke I talk to tells me that the Dyns are power hungry, I have them powered off the older LRX 2.500 and LRX2.250 now and I do think that its still not powerful enough. What do you think?

I have not used nor seen an autoformer before and till about 2 mins ago I've not even heard of it! This is what I can find on the net:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0603/midmonth/zeroautoformer.htm

Is this what you will be getting? How much do they go for and would it "colour" the sound in any way?


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

Kenny_Cox said:


> PM Don, 6spdcoupe. He is a dealer of both amps you mention. The audison, and the TRU. I was actually going to buy some TRUs to power my dyn system 362, but bought some Sinfonis instead. I am sure he'd have no problem figuring out what'd work best for you.


Kenny,

Sinfoni amps are the stuff of dreams man, I envy you and your deep pockets to be able to buy them!!!!! 

Which sinfoni amps are you running now? How does the system sound?

Unless I cannot get the amps locally, I will consider shipping them in but I am really hoping not to blow my bank account and roughly have set a budget of approximately USD2K tops for the amps. Would really prefer to buy them new with warranty too.


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

azngotskills said:


> I got a JBL GTO755.6 II if your interested
> 
> If you want my honest opinion i would go with an Audision LRx5.1K and LRx2.4 or go with the LRx6.9 and LRx1.1K and if you want to go cheaper the ARC KS900.6 and KS500.1 or KS1000.1 are options


I've considered the Audison 5.1k + 2.4 combo, its on my list too.... 

I cant get ARC in Singapore....sigh!


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## 2f150 (Oct 28, 2007)

Master D said:


> Hey 2f150...I'm glad to find a person thats planning the same config I am...cool!!!!!
> 
> I did consider the LRX6.9 but no matter how I look at it, I keep worrying about the power output. Every other bloke I talk to tells me that the Dyns are power hungry, I have them powered off the older LRX 2.500 and LRX2.250 now and I do think that its still not powerful enough. What do you think?
> 
> ...


Master D, I have not noticed any significant power draw from this speaker ran passive. I have mine bridged off of an Arx xxk4150, it has tons of overhead. The mid and tweet are in pods on the dash and are toed-in 30 degrees off parallel. The 8s are in my doors. The cab is rather large in my 06 1/2 ton Ford. I'm going to say the install will determine how much power they will draw, on axis / off axis etc...

I mention the autoformers as a last resort, most name brand amps should be able to produce enough current to make an 8 ohm tweet or midrange speaker sound acceptable, to me that is. My experience is that you need less power (current) to produce these frequencies. Just to verify, the tweet and mid are both 8ohm right? Install and taste / hearing ability will probably be your first concern when comparing all of these variables. Drake78 runs the autoformer, maybe he can chime in.


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

2f150 said:


> Master D, I have not noticed any significant power draw from this speaker ran passive. I have mine bridged off of an Arx xxk4150, it has tons of overhead. The mid and tweet are in pods on the dash and are toed-in 30 degrees off parallel. The 8s are in my doors. The cab is rather large in my 06 1/2 ton Ford. I'm going to say the install will determine how much power they will draw, on axis / off axis etc...
> 
> I mention the autoformers as a last resort, most name brand amps should be able to produce enough current to make an 8 ohm tweet or midrange speaker sound acceptable, to me that is. My experience is that you need less power (current) to produce these frequencies. Just to verify, the tweet and mid are both 8ohm right? Install and taste / hearing ability will probably be your first concern when comparing all of these variables. Drake78 runs the autoformer, maybe he can chime in.


Hey 2f150, I have mine installed in an 2005 Honda Civic, its not too big in terms of cabin size. Yes the tweets and mids are 8ohm drivers, and my install is similar to yours in tems of placement, mids and tweets on the A-Pillars with about 25 degrees toe in as well. 

I really dunno if I am being a ***** about wanting to feed the drivers according to what the spec sheet says. But I have not done such a thing before and since I was gonna go full active, I thought I would give it a go. I cant say much about mids since this set is my first 3 way setup but tweet wise, I have experienced a lack of "shimmer and sparkle" when I dont feed the tweets with moderately high power as per their manufacturers spec sheet, it could be my mind playing tricks on me but I've noticed this more than once....:blush:


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## FCat (Jan 22, 2008)

Master D said:


> Hi invecs,
> 
> The Genesis series III amps are indeed sweet. If money was not a concern, I'd love to have 2 X Dual Mono Extremes and 2 X Dual Monos......I'm sure the Dyns would be very happy with that.
> 
> ...



Hi Master D, the DMX in S'pore is USD1.2K , is actually pretty cheap....., guess how much Hong Kong cost for 1 DMX....latest price is USD 2K......almost double....S'pore 

For what I know Dyna require lot of lot of power....from the amps.., so I guess a more powerful amp would be nice......


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

FCat said:


> Hi Master D, the DMX in S'pore is USD1.2K , is actually pretty cheap....., guess how much Hong Kong cost for 1 DMX....latest price is USD 2K......almost double....S'pore
> 
> For what I know Dyna require lot of lot of power....from the amps.., so I guess a more powerful amp would be nice......


Hi FCat, I think the price is about S$1.2K,.....I think!!!!! I could be very wrong....yes I know in HK stuff are a lot more expensive and workmanship costs a bomb too!!!! Seeing that you have such high end equipment in your ride, it tells alot about your spending power!!! 

Yes I am looking for the most Watts per dollar I can find...the more the better...haha...but it also has to be good clean power and hence I am looking at the mid to upper tier brands and models.But the price or at least what I am willing to pay is making this search a nightmare! More than likely I will end up spending more than I initially intended to. Sigh!


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## FCat (Jan 22, 2008)

Master D said:


> Hi FCat, I think the price is about S$1.2K,.....I think!!!!! I could be very wrong....yes I know in HK stuff are a lot more expensive and workmanship costs a bomb too!!!! Seeing that you have such high end equipment in your ride, it tells alot about your spending power!!!
> 
> Yes I am looking for the most Watts per dollar I can find...the more the better...haha...but it also has to be good clean power and hence I am looking at the mid to upper tier brands and models.But the price or at least what I am willing to pay is making this search a nightmare! More than likely I will end up spending more than I initially intended to. Sigh!


Let me check my pro friend tmr to see what will be the best match for your dyna...and of coz based on your requirements...., will get back to you on that.....


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

Master D said:


> Kenny,
> 
> Sinfoni amps are the stuff of dreams man, I envy you and your deep pockets to be able to buy them!!!!!
> 
> ...


Master D, 
I will be purchasing a 120.4, a 50.4 and a 150.2. Right now I have NOTHING powering my Dyns . They are sitting in the closet. Trust me, even with shipping costs, Don is worth PMing, he is the man! On another note, I am willing to bet money he has heard the Dyns on audison amps, I know he was running the MW182's in his personal car, and loved them. You might like to look into DLS as well, relatively affordable, and a lot of people seem to like them.


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

FCat said:


> Let me check my pro friend tmr to see what will be the best match for your dyna...and of coz based on your requirements...., will get back to you on that.....


FCat, thanks man!!!....


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## tard (Jul 13, 2006)

Master D said:


> Thanks for the reply...they sure look spot on for in terms of output, but I might have trouble getting them in my country...I'dd drop DD a mail to see what they can tell me about product availability in Singapore, thanks again!


you might check with this guy also........

http://forum.soundpressure.com/member.php?u=21


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## FCat (Jan 22, 2008)

Master D said:


> FCat, thanks man!!!....



Ok Master D, Already talk to my friend, below is his comments for your reference.

For dyna 342, in term of price issue - he said PPI would be the best choice (exact model number he will need to double check, and I will get back to you on that). Also, if possible, by amp would be even better for the dyna, then again it's subject to depending what you are looking for. He also asked what amp do you use right now ? 

good luck.......

Fc


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

FCat said:


> Ok Master D, Already talk to my friend, below is his comments for your reference.
> 
> For dyna 342, in term of price issue - he said PPI would be the best choice (exact model number he will need to double check, and I will get back to you on that). Also, if possible, by amp would be even better for the dyna, then again it's subject to depending what you are looking for. He also asked what amp do you use right now ?
> 
> ...


Hi FCat,

Presently, I am using an Audison LRX2.250 (120W @ 4 Ohm) for the low mids and an Audison LRX2.500(200W @ 4 Ohm, through a passive xover) for the high mids an tweets.

PPI...I had the older PCX series amps in the past and they were good and served me well however they take up a lot of space....a whole lot of space actually....hope to hear from you soon on the series that he is referring to.


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

tard said:


> you might check with this guy also........
> 
> http://forum.soundpressure.com/member.php?u=21


Thanks tard, is he a dealer or somethin?


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## SPEEDBUILT (Jan 21, 2008)

Take a look at the Genesis Profile series as well.
I think that Andy Jones has done very well running these in his SQ competition car.


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## FCat (Jan 22, 2008)

Master D said:


> Hi FCat,
> 
> Presently, I am using an Audison LRX2.250 (120W @ 4 Ohm) for the low mids and an Audison LRX2.500(200W @ 4 Ohm, through a passive xover) for the high mids an tweets.
> 
> PPI...I had the older PCX series amps in the past and they were good and served me well however they take up a lot of space....a whole lot of space actually....hope to hear from you soon on the series that he is referring to.


Hi Master D,
He said the PPI model is PCX 2200. Told him you're using Audison...etc..etc, and he said the one you're using is already a powerful amp.....so alternatively, you could try upgrading your Audison, he suggested that you can search for some audison parts and have it replace, this way you won't waste more $$ for another amp, and the SQ should meet your needs.....

anymore questions for my friend, pls let me know. My friend actually run a car audio shop and he did a lot of hi end stuff which maybe able to give you some more advise....

Fc


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## FCat (Jan 22, 2008)

SPEEDBUILT said:


> Take a look at the Genesis Profile series as well.
> I think that Andy Jones has done very well running these in his SQ competition car.


I Love Genesis....they are good amp.....


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

FCat said:


> Hi Master D,
> He said the PPI model is PCX 2200. Told him you're using Audison...etc..etc, and he said the one you're using is already a powerful amp.....so alternatively, you could try upgrading your Audison, he suggested that you can search for some audison parts and have it replace, this way you won't waste more $$ for another amp, and the SQ should meet your needs.....
> 
> anymore questions for my friend, pls let me know. My friend actually run a car audio shop and he did a lot of hi end stuff which maybe able to give you some more advise....
> ...


Indeed the PCX2200 is a godo amp, but its size is massive man.  

To my knowledge I cant upgrade my LRX to make it pump out more juice, hence I am looking at the new range of LRX amps and possibly the VRX as well if the price for used ones are reasonable.

I just was told that there are 2 VRX2.150 Chrome Shaddow amps on sale, price is ok but does anyone think that they wont be feeding enough juice to the drivers?

If I get them, I would probably use one for my tweets and one for my high mids (both 8 ohm) or....use one of them for the low mids (which I am rather comfortable with)....


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## FCat (Jan 22, 2008)

Master D said:


> Indeed the PCX2200 is a godo amp, but its size is massive man.
> 
> To my knowledge I cant upgrade my LRX to make it pump out more juice, hence I am looking at the new range of LRX amps and possibly the VRX as well if the price for used ones are reasonable.
> 
> ...



But the VRX isn't a small amp..?? he worries that even if you use the VRX, it may not be enough to feed your dyna....., another suggestion is "hummer"(not sure if I spell it correctly), he said is very powerful too. In term of power for your setup is also another important matters...he said.

So, exactly what is your whole system ? so that he can pin point the problems for you... 

Fc


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## Master D (Aug 18, 2005)

FCat said:


> But the VRX isn't a small amp..?? he worries that even if you use the VRX, it may not be enough to feed your dyna....., another suggestion is "hummer"(not sure if I spell it correctly), he said is very powerful too. In term of power for your setup is also another important matters...he said.
> 
> So, exactly what is your whole system ? so that he can pin point the problems for you...
> 
> Fc


My whole system:

HU - Alpine 9965 + H701
Speakers - Dyns System 342
Amps - Audison LRX2.250 (for the low mids)
Amps - Audison LRX2.500 (presently for the high mids and tweets through a passive xover)
No Sub or Sub Amp for now as I have sold them.
Koltz DIY interconnects

I have actually confirmed to sell my existing Audison LRX amps to someone and thats why I have to find replacements.

The VRX is rather small, 110W X 2 @ 4 ohm but I was thinking that the VRX might be good enough for the low mids at least. I might even bridge 1 (if I get 2) and use it for my sub (which might be a Lotus SW300) as well.


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## veleno (Sep 16, 2006)

Have you considered Zapco DC series amps?


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## 2f150 (Oct 28, 2007)

Master D,
I installed that famous LRX6.9 last night. It was a breeze to setup. I had it playing in about 20 minutes, which includes getting to my install via panels and seat. Man is this thing small for the sound that it can produce into 6 channels. I noticed the tweets were on the dull side with the gains equal to the mids, so I turned em up for that sparkle. I was also able to squeeze out much more bass than those passives xovers. This amp is a great all in one solution for my dyns. Anyone else heard this amp on these speakers, I have the 362s?


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

3.5max6spd has and wrote a little review as well in his install log


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## ATX (Sep 21, 2008)

I have decided to go with the Dynaudio 342's as well and am concerned about powering them. I would like to use a JL 300/2 that I already have. I will run them passive and don't know if this will be enough power. Does anyone have any experience with this setup? What do you think?


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## Autophile (Nov 10, 2007)

Genesis amplifiers sound better than audison especially on Dyns. For system 342 active I would suggest Genesis 4ch and Dual Mono minimum. The other amplifiers to look for are TRU technology.

Somehow I preferred the old LRx amps over the new ones.


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## Et Cetera (Jul 28, 2006)

The newer LRx aren't all that great. The VRx are much better. Do try the Genesis with your Dyns, you wont regret it


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