Amp for Eidolon again

Look no further. This would be the last amp you would purchase for a long time. There are maybe a handful of amps that could even begin to approach the detail, transparency, tonal accuracy, speed, bass, etc. of this amp. But those others are many times the price of this one. And in my opinion, the others will still fall short in some to many categories.

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?ampstran&1039985342

-IME

Try the Classe CAM 350 monoblock, at 7000.00 list they are a lot better than more costly amps out there. Plus you do not have to pay list. Makes the Eidolons sound very good.

I was VERY impressed with Eidolons being driven by a pair of Spectral DMA-360s. Being that the 360 was out of my price range, I asked the dealer to switch to the Spectral DMA-150 Mk2 stereo amp.

I honestly could not detect a difference in the sound between the two amps. Either way the sound was fantastic! Both amps seemed equal in their ability to "open up" the speakers.

I should point out that I listened only at my "normal" levels (or just slightly above). I did not try to crank up the volume in order to see if the amp would run out of juice.

You should definitely try to demo a more powerful amp with your speakers before giving up on your BEL amps. You may not need the extra power.

It's also important to keep in mind that the power rating of an amp doesn't tell the whole story. The 150 wpc Spectral amp gets my Aerial 10Ts to open up as good as -- or possibly even better than -- the 300 wpc Krell FPB-300 that it replaced.

Ken

The BEL amps are about as good as it gets!! Only the
Spectral DMA360s are better!!!! Though I would try the
Spectral DMA200 which I find is a steal of amp for less
than $2000. Beats the CAM350 by a mile.

I have Eidolons, and had a Spectral DMA 150 amp before buying a pair of 360 mono's. The 360's are superior to the 150 in having noticeably better channel separation, lower noise, better dynamics, and better bass. The sound is similar enough that, without experience with the system, you may not notice the differences at first audition. The price on a used DMA 150 is far better than for a new pair of 360's. If you choose Spectral, I'd recommend checking out MIT's Oracle speaker cables; MIT's newer lines are some of their best yet and work well with Spectral/Eidolon.

Have heard thru the grapevine that Avalon DOES use Spectral to voice speakers -- so maybe DMA200 is a good choice (I heard the speakers w/ 360). BUT I didn't know that they retailed for $2k -- which makes them unbeatable.

Another amp that spoke to my heart with Eidolons was a Kraft 250 (Symphonic Line). When I heard it, it was partnered with a CAT Ultimate pre. Pls note that I like the sound of both Kraft & Eidolon, so my opinion is VERY subjective!

DMA200 is used; not new!!!!! 1986 to 1990 was production.
The cost new was $5500 to $6000. They along with their original DMA100 were pure class A brutes; much better low
end than the DMA180; about the same as DMA150 or DMA360.
Slightly more veiled than latter models, but resolution,
dynamics are excellent, actually they measured better
rise/settling times than either the DMA180 or DMA150, not sure about the DMA360. Crosstalk was 5dB better in latter
models but at 90DB+ who can hear that difference??? Weigh
about 85 lbs. DMA200: greased lightning, they can handle
about any load over 2 ohms. Drive my very low efficient
Acoustats to roof raising levels without sweat, though
idle power is 800 watts!!! The best amp new or used under
$2K bar none!!!! I think Detlof thinks along the same lines.

Bobbob, I have heard a pair of Eidolons being driven by the BEL 1001's, Spectral 360's, and the Classe CAM 350's at my dealer. Of the three, the Spectrals were probably the best, with the BEL's running a close second. However, the CAM 350's sounded very smooth, with lots of power, as well. That being said, the BEL's have plenty of power for the Eidolons, unless your listening room is huge. My dealer's listening room is about 15 x 22, and the BEL's never lacked for power in comparison to the other amps in that listening room. As the Eidolons are not very inefficient at 87 dB and can handle power between 50 to 500 watts, the BEL's power rating should not be of concern, particularly as the BEL's are known for being excellent at driving difficult loads. However, without knowing something about your room size, room treatments, associated equipment, and tastes in music, it is difficult to determine why you seem to feel the BEL's may lack power with the Eidolons.

I forgot, I own two now; just purchased a second one for
$1500 from Goodwin's an absolute steal!!!! Plus if you ever
have problems with any Spectral product, they will service it of course for a price which i find very reasonable!!!!

Try the Foresell Statement.Truly amazing !!!!

Thanks for correcting me Shubert. I should have said retailED, as you imply.
Still think that those Spectrals for less than $2k are unbeatable...

Thanks for responses. My BELS are MK IIs.I hear the MKIVs and higher are even better at driving difficult loads. My room is approx. 15 by 30 and the spkrs are situated along the short wall. I think the BELS excel at bass control, if not ultimate bass drive, and have a see thru clarity that I love which is why I am hesitant to replace them. One aspect that I've noticed with them is that the midbass seems a little subdued which is why I feel I may need a little more power. I also noticed this character when I used one BEL to drive my previous ML Aerious's. One note - there is a glass window between the spkrs which I always felt should be covered with sound absorption. Then yesterday on a whim I covered the window with a wooden board. Right away the midbass bloom improved dramatically as well as bass dynamics. Strange. I really feel though that I need to see how these spkrs sound with a very powerful amp. Thanks again.