Keith's Dream Amplifier Thread

Skanda

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Skanda, are you saying that speakers need more power or the soundstage will be between the speakers? In your first post, you seem to say that Magicos are plagued with "between-the-speakers soundstage" implying that it is a characteristic of the brand, but with YG, they do not seem to be plagued with this same affliction. With YG it is a matter of having enough power. Are Magico's different from YG in this regard?

In my experience, if one hears the soundstage between the speakers, any speakers, it is either that the amplifier is not well matched, or there is something seriously wrong with the room or set up.

Keith, are you hearing different soundstage characteristics with the different amps that you have been trying, or is it something else?

Good question, it wasn't my intention to phrase it that way and i agree that soundstage issues that extreme are symptoms of some wrong in the chain be it amp or room.

In my experience, more power has impacted the soundstage greatly. On my old raidhos the difference between the kismet, an ayon spirit 3, and an arc d120 were similar i.e. more power was opening up the soundstage.

Regarding between the speakers, I mean that the sound wasnt as saturating in terms of height, width, and depth and so my attention was more drawn to the sound in between the speakers. they certainly image outside their physical presence but it wasn't as obvious as it is with the higher power amps. i haven't had the pleasure of trying a 100+ watt tube amp on these so not sure if that would be more like what i'm hearing with the high powered ss
 
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rbbert

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...My guess is new issue Gold Lion 6922 may shape opinions poorly on them...
True, it's hard to imagine the Gold Lions really being close sonically to any number of NOS 6922's (of which I have a few pairs)
 

DaveC

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True, it's hard to imagine the Gold Lions really being close sonically to any number of NOS 6922's (of which I have a few pairs)

I have Gold Lion KT-77 and 5AR4, they compare favorably to NOS, the KT-77 are actually better than most, old or new.
 

rbbert

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The KT77 is a different breed of tube, and although I have not done any personal testing there does seem to be a prevailing opinion that it is Gold Lion’s best effort, at least by the yardstick of how it compares to NOS KT-77’s.
 

rbbert

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I find it amusing no one likes my amplifier choice!
Actually I like the fact that you are seriously investigating amplifiers that many would consider too "low end" for your speakers. Since I don't think any of the responders own the Hailey 2.2's, their opinions mean even less than usual (since ultimately yours is the only one that matters). I am a bit surprised that you have dismissed Pass, since Mark at Reno HiFi (as of a couple of years ago) was fairly sure he had sold many Pass amps to YG owners (though not necessarily the Hailey 2.2) without them coming back (per his generous home trial and return policy)
 

dan31

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I hope the PS Audio’s are a great fit.

If not, I still think the parasound amps are worth looking at JC5 stereo or JC1 monoblocks. Not exactly breaking the bank with the other amps floating around this forum.
 

musicfirst1

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I know this will be unsatisfying, and I apologize for not knowing the model names or numbers, but I am unfamiliar with the Soulution and Audionet model lines. I personally never cared for Audionet driving YG in GTT demos two, three, four years ago at shows. Kedar says Audionet's new top models sound different.
The truth is that once I find a system on the cool-sounding or sterile-sounding side I kind of tune out. I fully appreciate and respect that what is to me cool-sounding or sterile-sounding is to many audiophiles desirable neutrality and accuracy.

Yet Marty loves his Soulutions on his big Wilsons, so maybe I have never heard Soulution with complementary associated components.
Here Ron and I agree, the Audionet MAXs are spectacular on many things, but I'm not a fan of them on any of the YG's; too much of the same flavour. I have heard the top of the line Audionet 'Scientist', electronics (Stern and Heisenbergs & Humboldt Integrated), and they were a great match on the YG's for those of us who like out sound on the neutral side of warm.
I think that the Lamm M2.2 would be awesome with the YGs; the proverbial match made in heaven. I've heard them both, although I've never heard the pairing.
 
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Skanda

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Here Ron and I agree, the Audionet MAXs are spectacular on many things, but I'm not a fan of them on any of the YG's; too much of the same flavour. I have heard the top of the line Audionet 'Scientist', electronics (Stern and Heisenbergs & Humboldt Integrated), and they were a great match on the YG's for those of us who like out sound on the neutral side of warm.
I think that the Lamm ML2.2 would be awesome with the YGs; the proverbial match made in heaven. I've heard them both, although I've never heard the pairing.

this is an interesting reccomendation...have you heard the ml2.2 power other speakers with a similar sensitivity to the yg? the ocassional ml2.1 pops up here and there on the usual used sites at great prices and i'm always tempted to have a go. i've seen them in person and they are gorgeous but 18watts always gives me pause (i have previously run/my brother currently runs dynaudio bookshelves with a nice line magnetic 22watt pushpull - it's a great sound for sure)
 

Skanda

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I find it amusing no one likes my amplifier choice!

even though i suggested other amps, i like the choice. why? i've never heard the ps monos but have been interested given the history of the designer and they look great to boot. so...i'm eager to read your thoughts on them after you've spent some time with the pair.
 

jeff1225

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Here Ron and I agree, the Audionet MAXs are spectacular on many things, but I'm not a fan of them on any of the YG's; too much of the same flavour. I have heard the top of the line Audionet 'Scientist', electronics (Stern and Heisenbergs & Humboldt Integrated), and they were a great match on the YG's for those of us who like out sound on the neutral side of warm.
I think that the Lamm ML2.2 would be awesome with the YGs; the proverbial match made in heaven. I've heard them both, although I've never heard the pairing.
I believe you meant to say M2.2, the 200 watt hybrid amp from Lamm. The ML2.2 18 watt SET amp would be like trying to power the YG’s with an iPod.
 

knghifi

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i run my kraft with a soulution pre. i'm happy i went with the kraft instead of a solution amp and, to me, i think thats a big compliment for the kraft. i'm getting precision, speed, resolution and a tone that is just magical. im tempted by the synergy of an sl pre but i'll see if that comes to fruition. (on a personal note, i like to mix and match amps and pres). i'm sorry if sound like a commercial but i just really love this amp and wish that more people got to hear it.

Klaus himself posted on another forum that his 3 favorite amps of all time (not that he's heard all of them) are the kraft, one of the big cat monos, and lamm ss hybrid - in no particular order. that's just his opinion but regardless of whether or not the amp is right for you, one thing is for certain: klaus is a stand up guy and real easy to work with. i hope kiethr and others get a chance to hear this amp particularly on the high res power hungry speakers.
What Soulution model? Did you connect by XLR or RCA? I'm considering Soulution pre but heard sounds best RCA. Some of my amps are XLR input only.

I have CAT JL7 and one of the best regardless tube or SS. It's unfortunate CAT doesn't get the attention as more popular brands.
 
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Lagonda

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I believe you meant to say M2.2, the 200 watt hybrid amp from Lamm. The ML2.2 18 watt SET amp would be like trying to power the YG’s with an iPod.
And some people will still insist on doing it ! ;)
 
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andromedaaudio

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What Soulution model? Did you connect by XLR or RCA? I'm considering Soulution pre but heard sounds best RCA. Some of my amps are XLR input only.

I have CAT JL7 and one of the best regardless tube or SS. It's unfortunate CAT doesn't get the attention as more popular brands.

Did you try the CAT pre ?
 
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Skanda

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What Soulution model? Did you connect by XLR or RCA? I'm considering Soulution pre but heard sounds best RCA. Some of my amps are XLR input only.

I have CAT JL7 and one of the best regardless tube or SS. It's unfortunate CAT doesn't get the attention as more popular brands.

i'm running the 721 as i didn't need the phono. it can be upgraded to the 725 as well but something i haven't felt the need to do just yet. i run everything rca and it sounds great to me but i've never tried xlr and never really got into the whole xlr interconnects and balanced amps etc. rca has always worked for me and i'm keeping that can of worms closed :)

the soulution pre is (as expected at this price) world class. beautiful bass, space, and speed/dynamics. it's a clear window so paired with the right amp you can get that the attributes that soulution is best known for without going as extreme (both $ and transparency wise) as a full soulution stack. in my opinion, outside of the speakers, the pre is the piece that imparts the most tonality in a system so i bought this and originally paired it with the kismet and it was a great combo as well but more lean than the kraft.

the pre itself is probably the finest i've heard and i have 0 desire to change it. every now and then i feel guilty having such an expensive preamp for only 1 input (im digital only) but i remind myself that its a big part of my system despite being "only" a volume control. by the way, adjustable gain has been a very helpful feature for me.

the only pre i've heard that i like as much is the ch l1+x1. crazy money and different tone. the midrange on that is delicate and airy in such a pleasant way. but quality wise the 721 is on par but a bit more of a bottom-up sound. ch is refined to a point that it makes solution seem bombastic and wild. the analogy i like to use is ch is classical music while soulution is rock n roll. granted, that's trying to distill alot into one sentence. if you have any more questions about soulution or ch, feel free to dm me and i'll do my best to offer more details

p.s. for what it's worth. cat pre with sl kraft was a popular combo from what i understand. also the founder of cat ken stevens, once said - forgive me, it's often misquoted but i got to the bottom of this a couple years back - that if he had to choose an ss amp to live with, he'd got for the kraft 400 monos. some people say he said this about the kraft in general but after further digging it seems to be about the 400's. unfortunately, i don't know how the 300 compares to 400's but i'm sure its on the same path at the very least.

p.p.s. this is a quote from klaus on another forum that i was referencing earlier: " Keep in mind that our amps are mini-me Kraft's, but the 250 / 300's are just beasts !!!! In my lifetime I have heard 3 amps that I regard as the best, which are the Kraft's, the CAT sig's, and the Lamm hybrids....ss, tube, hybrid, and all are very similar...now, I also know Rolf, Ken, and Vladimir, and how they approach listening, tweaking and testing, and all 3 amps have been matured over the years, which to me is the real success of all world-class gear....."
 
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KeithR

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I think that the Lamm ML2.2 would be awesome with the YGs; the proverbial match made in heaven. I've heard them both, although I've never heard the pairing.

It could be - just I haven't seen a pair for sale in the six months I've had an eye out. I don't think the M2.2 is a popular Lamm amp, so not as many pairs in the field to begin with.

But if I love the PS Audios, then that's probably my end game. If not, I'll probably stick with class a/b SS. The decision won't be hard and PS Audios regularly trade on the used market.
 
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