Boulder amp from hell...

[LL21]

Well not exactly but roughly like a Maxx 3 qua systemsize ,but they will not sound like a wilson or a magico they will sound like AD speakers as they use entirely different units and X overs and housing construction /volume .
Mine will have as advantage that they will have around 94 db eff and have high impedance X overs , so you can run them with either 8 or 1000 watts and not merely drive , but i am talking full throttle audio, my design goal is neutrality ,one of them means having a flat output response , naturalness and as a result sheer audio thrill, meaning forget about them altogether .

Phase distortion will not be " solved " by adjustment /placing of units , but gets solved where it arises , namely in the X over !!!!
And they will be all passive designs

Cool! What are AD speakers? (BTW, i think some of the big Wilsons are reasonably good loads...mine are 95db with 6ohm load across the frequency range except 3.8 ohms around 17khz.) Look forward to learning more about your speakers.

 

[andromedaaudio]

AD is andromeda design link link
I agree with you as the wilsons X 2 and X 1 are concerned driving them is also very easy , mine will have (ringradiator) softdomes which sound very natural,but hey i ll never say i have invented the best loudspeaker , if its in the top and to some peoples flavour(incl my own ) ill be satisfied
Thanks for the interest anyway , its gonna be my ultimate design and one thats definetively not gonna be bettered by a mk2 design very soon.
The first press release will be on WBF , as is the website which will be renewed at the same time as the models release , another thing people will only be able to purchase it through dealers /distributors.

 

[LL21]

AD is andromeda design link link
I agree with you as the wilsons X 2 and X 1 are concerned driving them is also very easy , mine will have (ringradiator) softdomes which sound very natural,but hey i ll never say i have invented the best loudspeaker , if its in the top and to some peoples flavour(incl my own ) ill be satisfied
Thanks for the interest anyway , its gonna be my ultimate design and one thats definetively not gonna be bettered by a mk2 design very soon.
The first press release will be on WBF , as is the website which will be renewed at the same time as the models release , another thing people will only be able to purchase it through dealers /distributors.

What?!?!? No special offers direct from AD to WBF members? How will you manufacture out of aluminum? Presumably that requires a lot of heavy machinery? And what kind of materials will you use? Personally have been very impressed by the Rockport and Wison cabinetry as well as Magico.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Well my first intention was to use HPL , but the company working with thatmaterial seems to be to difficult to do business with , i am not talking money here but agreementwise , keeping timeschedules and so on .
I work together with a specialized machineshop with whom i do business with in my dayjob ,they translate the design into cad drawings which can then be cnc d and yes they have the machinery required and then some
Its gonna be either alu alloy or regular aluminium not sure yet , it will then be glassbeadblasted and clearanodized which gives a stylish and lasting protective layer which is as beautifull after 10 years .
I believe in cabinet vibrationreduction through materialchoice bracing and sheermass , so the panels will be all braced and oversized , talking 20 25 30 mm aluminium , only aluminium bracing no steel bracing
All copper milled connectors from cardas

 

[LL21]

Well my first intention was to use HPL , but the company working with thatmaterial seems to be to difficult to do business with , i am not talking money here but agreementwise , keeping timeschedules and so on .
I work together with a specialized machineshop with whom i do business with in my dayjob ,they translate the design into cad drawings which can then be cnc d and yes they have the machinery required and then some
, its gonna be either alu alloy or regular aluminium not sure yet , it will then be glassbeadblasted and clearanodized which gives a stylish and lasting protective layer which is as beautifull after 10 years .
I believe in cabinet vibrationreduction through materialchoice bracing and sheermass , so the panels will be all braced and oversized , talking 20 25 30 mm aluminium.
All copper milled connectors from cardas

Interesting...looking at HRS products, which i believe are a mix of aluminum and then some kind of polymer bonded to the Aluminum...they are imho the best damping products i have ever used. Does that make any sense for a speaker cabinet? I have often wondered, cost aside for the moment.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Sure , as long as the aluminium is thick enough to give enough stabilty to the polymermaterial , which is softer because of dampeningpurpose i suppose.
But there is off course a limit as to where housingconstruction affects the sound , if its enough not to interfere with the sound what so ever , than that is it .
I have mdf speakers also with the new units for testing and they also sound very good , its merely pushing limits

 

[LL21]

Sure , as long as the aluminium is thick enough to give enough stabilty to the polymermaterial , which is softer because of dampeningpurpose i suppose.
But there is off course a limit as to where housingconstruction affects the sound , if its enough not to interfere with the sound what so ever , than that is it .
I have mdf speakers also with the new units for testing and they also sound very good , its merely pushing limits

Interesting...fwiw, i will say that i have found using 'some' HRS sometimes does not make a difference...but if add the newer, heavier, damping plate on front and back, the difference is substantial...ie, either go with front and back...or leave it as is. I was surprised frankly...generally i have found a more linear progression.

I do wonder if pretty much inert and inert have a similar step function difference...hence my question about whether this HRS style cabinetry while seeminly extreme...might create a new step function in inert cabinetry.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Well the best way to establish that for the record is to measure that with vibration/acceleration meters , measuring without polymer and with , otherwise it would be merely guessing , i take the " on the safe side" approach by merely adding thickness and clever bracing.

 

[LL21]

MRA is also using 48 caps, but don't know what voltage they are charged with and their size.

BTW, i just checked...i believe the Krell MRAs actually weigh 310kg each or over 680lbs for each monoblock!!! 1,000 watts/channel doubling down (if your power supply can handle it) all the way thru 0.5ohms!

 

[MarinJim]

Wizard, cna you give my the spec's and opinion on Mangus MA-300? To me it kills my Burmester 911 Mk3.

 

[MarinJim]

Magnus MA-300 - can't see how big the 4 screw caps are in the middle, but it looks like a 50V 150,000 uF type - total 600,000 uF = 750 joule.

Thanks, you are the best and much appreciated.

 

[Roysen]

The Krell MRA is something completly different than the Krell EVO series. I have heard both the Evo Ones and the Evo 600s several times. They are not even close.

In terms of sheer power I can only think of two amps that can compete. It would be the Sovereign Audio THE SOVEREIGN and the Boulder 3050. I do however think the Boulder 3050 draws the short straw. The Krell MRA provides 16000W into a 0,5 Ohm load. It has 216 Motorola output devices pr channel and a capacitor bank of 3.3 Farad. They weigh 680 lbs each. Looking at the picture of the Boulder 3050 above, they seem small by comparison.

The Krell MRA brings a scale, control and dynamic contrast to the system which is like nothing I have heard. Still its very refined and can be very delicate on small scale music. Like the earlier FPB MCX series it has a warm and musical character.

The Krell MRA is however a design from more than ten years ago. You will find more resolved amplifiers with wider bandwith made today. I am sure the Boulder 3050 is one of those. Still the Krell MRA can hold its own to a very high level also in this regard, and it still certainly must be the only amplifier even today that gives the listener the feeling of headroom and utter control to this degree. It must still be the ultimate bass amplifier in my opinion. They are Dan D'Agostino's greatest masterpiece.

What I have written here is of course highly subjective and reflects only my opinion.

 

[LL21]

The Krell MRA is something completly different than the Krell EVO series. I have heard both the Evo Ones and the Evo 600s several times. They are not even close.

In terms of sheer power I can only think of two amps that can compete. It would be the Sovereign Audio THE SOVEREIGN and the Boulder 3050. I do however think the Boulder 3050 draws the short straw. The Krell MRA provides 16000W into a 0,5 Ohm load. It has 212 Motorola output devices pr channel and a capacitor bank of 3.3 Farad. They weigh 680 lbs each. Looking at the picture of the Boulder 3050 above, they seem small by comparison.

The Krell MRA brings a scale, control and dynamic contrast to the system which is like nothing I have heard. Still its very refined and can be very delicate on small scale music. Like the earlier FPB MCX series it has a warm and musical character.

The Krell MRA is however a design from more than ten years ago. You will find more resolved amplifiers with wider bandwith made today. I am sure the Boulder 3050 is one of those. Still the Krell MRA can hold its own to a very high level also in this regard, and it still certainly must be the only amplifier even today that gives the listener the feeling of headroom and utter control to this degree. It must still be the ultimate bass amplifier in my opinion. They are Dan D'Agostino's greatest masterpiece.

What I have written here is of course highly subjective and reflects only my opinion.

That is great insight, Roysen. Thanks. That is very similar to my own personal observations about the older ML 33 amps. I have heard them once, and was very excited to do so. And for such an old amplifier design, i was incredibly impressed, but my immediate reaction was similar to your description above...there are more resolving solid states amps (particularly in the treble) today. There was relative to the finest of the finest SS amps, a touch of grain in the upper treble i was surprised to hear. That said, the overall power, smoothness of the amp...again for such an old design...was quite something. Most of the huge super-power SS amps from that generation had nowhere near the smoothness...less than a handful that I could remember hearing from that generation which might have been competitive.

 

[Roysen]

That is great insight, Roysen. Thanks. That is very similar to my own personal observations about the older ML 33 amps. I have heard them once, and was very excited to do so. And for such an old amplifier design, i was incredibly impressed, but my immediate reaction was similar to your description above...there are more resolving solid states amps (particularly in the treble) today. There was relative to the finest of the finest SS amps, a touch of grain in the upper treble i was surprised to hear. That said, the overall power, smoothness of the amp...again for such an old design...was quite something. Most of the huge super-power SS amps from that generation had nowhere near the smoothness...less than a handful that I could remember hearing from that generation which might have been competitive.

Hi Lloyd!

Think of the sound from the ML 33, multiply the sensation of power, headroom, control and dynamics by four. Then add a little overall warm tube-like character to the somewhat more neutral ML 33. That would be somewhat similar to what a Krell MRA sound like. The warm character can be best described as the timbral differance between the ML No.33H and the Krell FPB-750MCX.

 

[LL21]

Hi Lloyd!

Think of the sound from the ML 33, multiply the sensation of power, headroom, control and dynamics by four. Then add a little overall warm tube-like character to the somewhat more neutral ML 33. That would be somewhat similar to what a Krell MRA sound like. The warm character can be best described as the timbral differance between the ML No.33H and the Krell FPB-750MCX.

Thanks! In other words, an amp i would love to listen to!!!

 

[LL21]

The Krell MRA is something completly different than the Krell EVO series. I have heard both the Evo Ones and the Evo 600s several times. They are not even close.

In terms of sheer power I can only think of two amps that can compete. It would be the Sovereign Audio THE SOVEREIGN and the Boulder 3050. I do however think the Boulder 3050 draws the short straw. The Krell MRA provides 16000W into a 0,5 Ohm load. It has 212 Motorola output devices pr channel and a capacitor bank of 3.3 Farad. They weigh 680 lbs each. Looking at the picture of the Boulder 3050 above, they seem small by comparison.

The Krell MRA brings a scale, control and dynamic contrast to the system which is like nothing I have heard. Still its very refined and can be very delicate on small scale music. Like the earlier FPB MCX series it has a warm and musical character.

The Krell MRA is however a design from more than ten years ago. You will find more resolved amplifiers with wider bandwith made today. I am sure the Boulder 3050 is one of those. Still the Krell MRA can hold its own to a very high level also in this regard, and it still certainly must be the only amplifier even today that gives the listener the feeling of headroom and utter control to this degree. It must still be the ultimate bass amplifier in my opinion. They are Dan D'Agostino's greatest masterpiece.

What I have written here is of course highly subjective and reflects only my opinion.

Having re-read your description....i come back to my earlier observations about [a few] later amps being even more finely nuanced and resolved in the treble, 'finely threaded' is the term i use in describing the D'Agostino Momentums. Same could be said for the later Gryphons vs the earlier ones. The question is what would happen if someone [hint, hint!] sent his Krell MRAs back to Dan D'Agostino for a 'personal touch up'...i can imagine there are a few things he could do to bring the MRA even further along...now THAT would be remarkable given the incredible base skeletal structure of this beast. For a $150K 'only 50 units ever made' special order, I would have thought Dan D'Agostino would be intrigued to have some fun with one of his greatest and most lasting marks.

 

[Roysen]

Having re-read your description....i come back to my earlier observations about [a few] later amps being even more finely nuanced and resolved in the treble, 'finely threaded' is the term i use in describing the D'Agostino Momentums. Same could be said for the later Gryphons vs the earlier ones. The question is what would happen if someone [hint, hint!] sent his Krell MRAs back to Dan D'Agostino for a 'personal touch up'...i can imagine there are a few things he could do to bring the MRA even further along...now THAT would be remarkable given the incredible base skeletal structure of this beast. For a $150K 'only 50 units ever made' special order, I would have thought Dan D'Agostino would be intrigued to have some fun with one of his greatest and most lasting marks.

Thanks, Lloyd!

That is a great idea I will look into.

 

[LL21]

Thanks, Lloyd!

That is a great idea I will look into.

GREAT! Good luck...i really hope he is willing to do it...that would be a LOT of fun! And somehow, i could believe that Dan D'Agostino would love to maintain his name at the top of the world's greatest all-out-assault, cost-no-object amps. These were $150K (nearly 10 years ago!) and made for almost theoretical/mythical purposes...'what would happen if we absolutely demolished the budget?'

 

[dcc]

More Krell - Evolution One

2x2500 VA transformers
120,000 uF of caps charged at 160V - 1540 joule.

 

[FrantzM]

The Krell MRA is something completly different than the Krell EVO series. I have heard both the Evo Ones and the Evo 600s several times. They are not even close.

In terms of sheer power I can only think of two amps that can compete. It would be the Sovereign Audio THE SOVEREIGN and the Boulder 3050. I do however think the Boulder 3050 draws the short straw. The Krell MRA provides 16000W into a 0,5 Ohm load. It has 212 Motorola output devices pr channel and a capacitor bank of 3.3 Farad. They weigh 680 lbs each. Looking at the picture of the Boulder 3050 above, they seem small by comparison.

The Krell MRA brings a scale, control and dynamic contrast to the system which is like nothing I have heard. Still its very refined and can be very delicate on small scale music. Like the earlier FPB MCX series it has a warm and musical character.

The Krell MRA is however a design from more than ten years ago. You will find more resolved amplifiers with wider bandwith made today. I am sure the Boulder 3050 is one of those. Still the Krell MRA can hold its own to a very high level also in this regard, and it still certainly must be the only amplifier even today that gives the listener the feeling of headroom and utter control to this degree. It must still be the ultimate bass amplifier in my opinion. They are Dan D'Agostino's greatest masterpiece.

What I have written here is of course highly subjective and reflects only my opinion.

Hi

I have not heard the MRA. I have heard however the KRS-200 and the KAS-200. Those were in my book the best krell ever. I am also not of the opinion that much has been made int term of circuit designs these past 10 years. Not sure either there are many amplifiers today with the Krell KAS Mhz bandwidth.
After many years in Audio I am coming to term with the fact that newer designs seem to just have a different sound, not a necessarily "better" sound. IOW I suspect the MRA, KRS and KAS would still kick some butts out there including any and all Krell Evo and many of today highly touted amps.These amps were masterpieces

Too bad D'Agostino had to come with a different design. much has been said about the Class AB he chose for the momentum, I suspect that the designs he did for Krell are protected by Krell-owned patents or rights of some sorts.