Amp Ultra or 3e A7 with Ultra

[Shotgun Rico]

I've had the OG Amp since April of 2024 and I would like to upgrade to something with a little more power. I plan on moving the OG Amp to handle rear duties for a surround setup. My JBL 4410a's can handle around 140 watts per channel. I could go with the Amp Ultra with its 100 watts and all in one sleek design or I could go with the 3e A7 with it's 140 watts and 48v 10a adaptor then pair that with a WiiM Ultra. I understand the Amp Ultra is the cheaper option and don't mind spending the extra money if the A7/Ultra combo could be any better. If anyone has experience with either of these amps I would appreciate any feedback. Both amps scored high on ASR's website so they are both good choices. Thanks

 

[vinylselect]

I have the WiiM Ultra & 3e A5, works very well for me. Control volume and auto on/off features of the amp from the Ultra.

 

[Mr Ee]

Are you able to describe what is missing when using the Amp, or what you hope to gain with the change?
(I'm not being argumentative!)

For me, compared to the amp pro, the amp ultra made a huge difference in one system while smaller, but easily noticable, in all others.
A clearer, cleaner, more precise, more engaging listening experience.
From that point of view, I'd expect you'd get similar from the ultra and 3e. I say that 'cos I can't tell the amp ultra apart from an ultra and a vibelink, which is surely somewhat similar to an ultra and 3e...

Do you want loud music?
I find that sometimes, with some music, the amp ultra's low-ish gain means that even at full tilt it's not crazily loud.
But I have to qualify that with it being more than adequate 95% of the time, with the speakers and room size playing their part.
It seems that the 3e has a gain selection switch, with low being quite respectful at 25-26db for rca input.
That in itself will affect volume more than the few extra watts it has over the amp ultra.

After that the choice probably comes down to box count, inputs, outputs etc. which it seems is not really a concern for you.

Good luck choosing, and I'm sure you'll have fun either way.

 

[dominikz]

I've had the OG Amp since April of 2024 and I would like to upgrade to something with a little more power. I plan on moving the OG Amp to handle rear duties for a surround setup. My JBL 4410a's can handle around 140 watts per channel. I could go with the Amp Ultra with its 100 watts and all in one sleek design or I could go with the 3e A7 with it's 140 watts and 48v 10a adaptor then pair that with a WiiM Ultra. I understand the Amp Ultra is the cheaper option and don't mind spending the extra money if the A7/Ultra combo could be any better. If anyone has experience with either of these amps I would appreciate any feedback. Both amps scored high on ASR's website so they are both good choices. Thanks

With a pair of 91dB sensitivity speakers like yours, these are the peak SPLs you should be able to reach with different powered amps:

• up to 109dB peak SPL at 1m with a 60W @ 8Ohm amp
• up to 111dB peak SPL at 1m with a 100W @ 8Ohm amp
• up to 112dB peak SPL at 1m with a 140W @ 8Ohm amp

(Link to Benchmark Amplifier + Speaker Output Calculator)

So the maximum SPLs you could get with any of these amps aren't that different (approx. 3dB difference going from the 60W WiiM Amp to the 140W 3e A7).

However, note that different amps could have different gains, which might make some of them noticeably louder than others when using a similar volume setting. You can always adjust the volume to match the perceived loudness, but you can't go over the maximum rated power of a specific amp.

A simple rule of thumb: you need 2x the power to get extra 3dB SPL (perceived as a little louder), and you need 10x the power to get extra 10dB SPL (which is perceived double as loud).

 

[harkpabst]

I've had the OG Amp since April of 2024 and I would like to upgrade to something with a little more power. I plan on moving the OG Amp to handle rear duties for a surround setup. My JBL 4410a's can handle around 140 watts per channel. I could go with the Amp Ultra with its 100 watts and all in one sleek design or I could go with the 3e A7 with it's 140 watts and 48v 10a adaptor then pair that with a WiiM Ultra. I understand the Amp Ultra is the cheaper option and don't mind spending the extra money if the A7/Ultra combo could be any better. If anyone has experience with either of these amps I would appreciate any feedback. Both amps scored high on ASR's website so they are both good choices. Thanks

The WiiM Amp Ultra is an extremely capable all-in-one box.

The WiiM Ultra paired with the 3E AUDIO A7 is en extremely capable combination with lots of flexibility and options. Plus some 3 dB of extra headroom.

 

[Shotgun Rico]

Are you able to describe what is missing when using the Amp, or what you hope to gain with the change?
(I'm not being argumentative!)

For me, compared to the amp pro, the amp ultra made a huge difference in one system while smaller, but easily noticable, in all others.
A clearer, cleaner, more precise, more engaging listening experience.
From that point of view, I'd expect you'd get similar from the ultra and 3e. I say that 'cos I can't tell the amp ultra apart from an ultra and a vibelink, which is surely somewhat similar to an ultra and 3e...

Do you want loud music?
I find that sometimes, with some music, the amp ultra's low-ish gain means that even at full tilt it's not crazily loud.
But I have to qualify that with it being more than adequate 95% of the time, with the speakers and room size playing their part.
It seems that the 3e has a gain selection switch, with low being quite respectful at 25-26db for rca input.
That in itself will affect volume more than the few extra watts it has over the amp ultra.

After that the choice probably comes down to box count, inputs, outputs etc. which it seems is not really a concern for you.

Good luck choosing, and I'm sure you'll have fun either way.

I don't necessarily need it louder as I get pretty agood levels all ready. I am, as you put, looking for something more clearer, clean, precise and engaging as far as sound goes. Probably not the best comparison but I have in my 2.1 computer set up the Neumann KH 80 and KH 750 sub. This gives me that more precise and engaging sound I am looking for. Even YouTube music sounds great.

 

[Shotgun Rico]

With a pair of 91dB sensitivity speakers like yours, these are the peak SPLs you should be able to reach with different powered amps:

• up to 109dB peak SPL at 1m with a 60W @ 8Ohm amp
• up to 111dB peak SPL at 1m with a 100W @ 8Ohm amp
• up to 112dB peak SPL at 1m with a 140W @ 8Ohm amp

(Link to Benchmark Amplifier + Speaker Output Calculator)

So the maximum SPLs you could get with any of these amps aren't that different (approx. 3dB difference going from the 60W WiiM Amp to the 140W 3e A7).

However, note that different amps could have different gains, which might make some of them noticeably louder than others when using a similar volume setting. You can always adjust the volume to match the perceived loudness, but you can't go over the maximum rated power of a specific amp.

A simple rule of thumb: you need 2x the power to get extra 3dB SPL (perceived as a little louder), and you need 10x the power to get extra 10dB SPL (which is perceived double as loud).

Thanks I appreciate the stats you provide. I'm not too concerned with max volume but it is cool to see that the peak SPL's are not too far off.

 

[Shotgun Rico]

The WiiM Amp Ultra is an extremely capable all-in-one box.

The WiiM Ultra paired with the 3E AUDIO A7 is en extremely capable combination with lots of flexibility and options. Plus some 3 dB of extra headroom.

Decisions decisions! They make a difficult to choose sometimes lol Going the "separates" route could lead to more flexibility and options. I agree.