what amplifier should I choose?

[Walter66]

For the OP, In my experience the higher end speakers i've owned are influenced by the partnering components and it's just as valid to select your components first and then demo speakers that go with them best.

With power amps, it's just the opposite procedure when building a system from scratch. First select speakers, then the matching amps. Speakers are the most important component, and after them in a rank, its the front end of a system. Therefore amps can be swapped easily in and out of a system, while speakers are highly dependend on room acoustics. That makes it so important to be sure to have them fitted into the room.
Most people swap amps ten times more often than their speakers.

 

[steve59]

With power amps, it's just the opposite procedure when building a system from scratch. First select speakers, then the matching amps. Speakers are the most important component, and after them in a rank, its the front end of a system. Therefore amps can be swapped easily in and out of a system, while speakers are highly dependend on room acoustics. That makes it so important to be sure to have them fitted into the room.
Most people swap amps ten times more often than their speakers.

While I completely agree with everything you said if budget is in any way a concern selecting a pair of speakers uninformed can be a bottomless pit. I won't bore you with my hard luck tales, but some speakers can be really fickle.

 

[Walter66]

While I completely agree with everything you said if budget is in any way a concern selecting a pair of speakers uninformed can be a bottomless pit. I won't bore you with my hard luck tales, but some speakers can be really fickle.

That's right. A speaker should be choosed with the necessary amp power for it in the mind. Or, if someone loves low powered amps, no low efficiency speaker should be choosen for e.g. I had hard luck with a Martin Logan CLS, it only can be powered in perfect manner with a high wattage tube amp it seems. But that's not what I intended to use, so it ended the project without satisfaction, but some seriously big money destroyed.

 

[Gregadd]

Amplifier/speaker interface(cable}
Way more controversial. It varies form not important to vitals, ala Spectral/Avalon.

 

[bonzo75]

I would choose neither speaker nor amp, I would choose recordings first, and then evaluate which speaker and amp.

Before I got into recordings, I liked both Apogees and horns, and that meant my choices covered Krell to SETs.

Then, I realised some horns can do the midbass weight and kick same as apogee grands, with the nuance of SETs/horns

Further along the line, I realised originals sounds best through valves. Reissues can sound good on both, but realism from originals via SETs horns was maximum.

Then, it came down to matching SETs with the horns. The crossoverless high sensitivity pnoe in the lowest watt amp range possible (46, 45, 2a3), the Thomas Mayer 46 in an entire capacitorless circuit was the ultimate, with a a couple of the great DIY horns including MIsho's Altec and Leif's could perform with sub 10 watts but should also work with more, including branded amps like Lamm and Kondo, and my next choice in horns universum works with around 20 - 40 watts. There are many choices here in the SETs family.

I also realised the important choice here is to decide between they are here vs you are there, so your recordings and preference to the who is where will drive your choice.

As big speakers are not very realistic from a livability point of view, and should that be a constraint, next choice looking at a size perspective to fit into a living room would be audionec evo 2, which I have heard sound great with thrax hybrids but would prefer with 20w SETs that I have heard.

A further budget compromised choice would be Devore Orangutans which sound best with some 12wattish push pulls, and the vintage Tannoys would require a bit more power. Lower watts do give more purity, agility, when possible, but have to be balanced with the drive required for the speaker.

So it then becomes an ongoing balance between speaker and amp, but the amps are still within a SET range and allowing the recordings to show through. However, at the budget of Orangutans and vintage Tannoys I also like Martin Logan hybrids, and would happily switch amp strategy, though what I don't like anymore is the lifestyle of sitting in one place to listen to music at home. Though there are some who don't mind that, it is just not me.

The Sigma MAAT cones sound ulimate too, so it is not just about horns, but they work with Kondo. So again, there are cones to horns falling in the sub 50 watt strategy

 

[treitz3]

I would choose neither speaker nor amp, I would choose recordings first, and then evaluate which speaker and amp.

Why would you do that? Music preferences change. Some, over a lifetime. Others, when they are introduced into a new genre or style of music they had never heard before.

But I digress, with respect....this is your way of choosing an amplifier. I can respect that.

Tom

 

[bonzo75]

Why would you do that? Music preferences change.

I am referring to classical, jazz, and classic rock with recordings as a TYPE, e.g. original Decca, RCA, etc, not as a specific record. If you evaluate using a rock reissue with bass truncated vs a Vertigo first press, your choice of gear could change due to the bass on the record. Even for digital I would look at a digitally optimised system, best I have heard Lampi pacific 242 with audionet stern and heisenberg into Wilson Benesch + subs, but that still means I am choosing based on the source.

 

[bonzo75]

This strategy makes sense with some fullrange speakers like Lowther or WE 755A, for example. They fail to reproduce the bass for electronic music like Led Zep or others. No amp can compensate for that inability to reproduce real bass.

One can say, before choosing the speaker, look at the room it has to play music in. This makes any sense, as a small speaker can't reproduce and fill a big room with enough energy (soundwaves). And a too big speaker has problems in too small rooms, too. So better match the speaker to the room acoustics.

why would a guy named bonzo want a strategy to not produce led zep? At least read the thing properly before replying. What you replied has nothing to do with what I said

 

[Walter66]

This Thread isn't about a guy named Bonzo choosing a speaker system...LOL

 

[VinylSavor]

Then, it came down to matching SETs with the horns. The crossoverless high sensitivity pnoe in the lowest watt amp range possible (46, 45, 2a3), the Thomas Mayer 46 in an entire capacitorless circuit was the ultimate

Thanks for the compliment but the mentioned amplifier is not a SET ;-)

Best regards

Thomas

 

[bonzo75]

Thanks for the compliment but the mentioned amplifier is not a SET ;-)

Best regards

Thomas

Ok 46 is not technically a triode and one of your versions was also a 3w or so push pull I recall. It does fall into the very low watt family with agility and purity, i assume the circuit was simpler compared to the bigger triodes

 

[VinylSavor]

The capacitorless circuit is a differential push pull amp. The 46 intended use it is designed for is as triode so for me it is ok to regard it as such