It’s a mistake think all Apogees are amp killers. The Duetta and the Diva don’t have the horrendous impedance curves of the Scintilla. They are inefficient but that is easily sorted by bi-amping.
The Studio Ribbon Array/Studio Grand (panel only) are probably some of the easiest to drive speakers you can find anywhere.
87 dB/watt in 3 meters distance (due to the Dipole Line Array radiation pattern)
Rulerflat 6 ohm impedance over the whole frequency range, an almost purely resistive load, easiest load for any amp.
I drive the Studio Grand with 30 SET tube watts from a KR amp to stupendous volume levels and the combination of ribbons and SET is sonically a match made in heaven
The Studio Ribbon Array is only the panel of the Studio Grand or vice versa, the Studio Grand is a Studio Ribbon Array mounted on a dual 10 inch subwoofer box.
If you scroll up in this thread, you see a picture of my Studio Grands next to my (completely refurbished and heavily modified) ex-Scintillas.
The Studio Ribbon Array/Studio Grand (panel only) are probably some of the easiest to drive speakers you can find anywhere.
87 dB/watt in 3 meters distance (due to the Dipole Line Array radiation pattern)
Rulerflat 6 ohm impedance over the whole frequency range, an almost purely resistive load, easiest load for any amp.
I drive the Studio Grand with 30 SET tube watts from a KR amp to stupendous volume levels and the combination of ribbons and SET is sonically a match made in heaven
I have new Apogee Full Ranges that I used for two months before storing them in a temperature controlled basement for 37 years.
I first heard the Apogees at a meeting of the Westchester Audiophile Society and was very impressed with their sound and design. I subsequently purchased them from Lyric HiFi in New York shortly before relocating from Chappaqua to Atlanta. I am a tube person, but loved the design of the Apogees and was hopeful of finding a reasonable way to drive them with tubes. However I never found the time to set them up so they have languished in my basement since 1986.
I have communicated with most of the authoritative sources regarding the probable status of the low frequency panel damping foam. There are, unsurprisingly, many different opinions about their potential condition, but after extensively researching the issue, I believe that the panels will be fine for many years. Consequently I am including a two year warranty on the panels to the speakers' purchaser.
Anyone that might be interested in acquiring them can find them listed on the typical sites.
