4410 domestic use - what amp?

[Joe Jibberish]

Hello everyone...

Call me crazy, or rather call my father crazy but he has a pair of 4410's (not A's) in his big living room for domestic use and not in a studio. His setup consists of the 4410's along with Denon PRA 1500, POA 2800 and DCD 1450 with TaraLabs cables.

If you ask me, it's a crappy setup besides the speakers and I've now convinced him to switch his pre, amp and CD to something better...But what should he buy? Some say Crown, some say Harman Kardon and others say burn the 4410's and get a pair of "authentic HIFI speakers"...

But what amplifier would you recommend for the 4410's in a living room for domestic use?

[MikeBrewster77]

In the end, I'm afraid that - price points and general quality being equal - it's going to come down to a matter of personal inclination when coupled with the other upstream components and the individual sound preference of your father. You haven't indicated if you're looking for vintage or new, tube or solid state, consumer or pro, what pre-amp you'll be coupling it with (assuming you meant amplifier in the purest sense, and not an integrated) what your father's typical listening levels are, etc. These will all contribute to your selection.

As to the thought of "burning" the 4410's, I think there are many here - myself included - who would truly not be happy with that choice! That said, studio monitors for home use aren't everyone's cup of tea. But again, that really will come down to personal sound preference.

Please trust that I don't mean any offense and this isn't directed at you personally, but there are far too many of these questions that are asked as if there's one "absolute" correct answer; the truth is, there simply isn't. Some like 2W SET tube amps, and some enjoy 200W SS monoblocks. Some prefer a vintage Luxman over a current McIntosh. Some go Class A, and some don't think it's worth the lack of efficiency, heat, or expense. Julian Hirsch thought they basically all sounded the same. Different strokes, as it were. The reality is there have been thousands of amplifiers produced over the years, and to think that there is one "best" for mating to a particular loudspeaker is unrealistic. There might be multiple better choices for you, but that's driven by a combination of individual preferences and budget.

If there's one thing in this whole discussion I can say with conviction it's that amplification HAS evolved over the years - and even that itself is being debated in another current thread here... . Nonetheless, if you are going new, I would recommend that if at all possible, you work with a HiFi shop that has a decent audition/return policy, and try out whatever you select until you find the right match.

Good luck!!!

[demon]

hello joe!

i dont think its crazy to use a studiomonitor in a home enviroment. especially the 441o is unproblematic with its uniform sonic dispersion, the tonal balance may differ from an "average domestic" speaker but thats a question of personal taste. i loved my 441oA a lot, and they are now with a friend of mine who thinks they are the best speakers in the world.
since i learned about the technical aspects of solid state amps, and especially since i attended a blindfolded test, i relaxed a lot on the amp-sound-issue.
solid state amps have an easy job on the average load (speaker), and the only things i care about lately are enough watts, proper usable features and enjoyable haptics.
this does not apply on tube amps, they are a total different story.

(disclaimer: IMHO)

cheers,
mikey

[Progneta]

hello joe!

i dont think its crazy to use a studiomonitor in a home enviroment. especially the 441o is unproblematic with its uniform sonic dispersion, the tonal balance may differ from an "average domestic" speaker but thats a question of personal taste. i loved my 441oA a lot, and they are now with a friend of mine who thinks they are the best speakers in the world.
since i learned about the technical aspects of solid state amps, and especially since i attended a blindfolded test, i relaxed a lot on the amp-sound-issue.
solid state amps have an easy job on the average load (speaker), and the only things i care about lately are enough watts, proper usable features and enjoyable haptics.
this does not apply on tube amps, they are a total different story.

(disclaimer: IMHO)

cheers,
mikey

I have a pair of 4410's that my friend uses in his home...and in short, they rock!! he uses a 7.1 yamaha amplifier. These receivers are cheap and they work great for someone who doesnt want to spend a ton on amps. Plus you get all the plug ins for multiple components. A yamaha rx-v663 goes for around 350.00. I personally heard a pair of 4410s on a rx-v663 and I am going to say I was rather impressed for its small package! enjoy!

[Don Mascali]

I have a pair of 4406's that I used with a pair of 2235 woofer enclosures and they sounded incredible. I pressed them into service while building another set of mains.

The Yamaha receiver solution with a SS amp in a BiAmp arrangement would be a great upgrade. The drivers in those 4410's are pretty highly reguarded, the tweeter is nice in the home environment.

I use my 4406's as computer monitors now and they rock in the near field. I think they were designed for use above a mixing board in the studio.

Good luck in your quest.

.

[BMWCCA]

I would think the 4410 would make an excellent living-room speaker. I've been using L112s in the bedroom for almost 30 years and that's basically a 4411. I have two-pair of L80Ts I loan out to friends which is essentially the 4410 for home use and most here think the 4410 works even better at home. Right now one pair is sitting-in for the L112s which are about to get new surrounds, and they're running off a 35-year-old Crown D150. I've also run the L80Ts on Crown PS400 and they sound fine, but then I haven't had a receiver around the house for over 40 years. Both pair are slated to become part of a friend's garage HT set-up (nice three-story garage with living quarters) run off some sort of receiver as yet to be determined so I'll let you know how that works out.

[4313B]

others say burn the 4410's and get a pair of "authentic HIFI speakers"...

Why stop with the 4410's? Burn the whole dump down, collect the insurance money and move to Panama...