Amplifier For Compression Drivers In A Tri-Amp Setup...?


Hello all. Long time lurker (creeper?), first time poster. Thought you fine folks may very well be the best suited to help with the following quandary so here we are.


I've come across a pair of speakers which require tri-amping and looking very much forward to making them sing again. Each driver (or pair) has it's own input and no internal network. They originally came with an active analog crossover but that piece has been lost in the fray so I'm attempting a work-around here. I have a 4x200w amplifier (Theta Dread) to run the woofers and mids but am still uncertain on where to go powering the compression drivers (EV N/DYM1).

The compression drivers have a sensitivity of 112dB/1w so a quiet amp is an absolute must. We're figuring with the sensitivity of the mids being roughly 87dB (Dynaudio 15w75 x2 per speaker, wired in parallel) that we should be somewhere around 50w-75w on the highs with 200w each on the mids and woofers. The woofers are an unknown as I have yet to measure them, a custom job by Tom Holman.

Any recommendations for an amplifier in that power range which is quiet, has a smooth upper frequency signature, is hopefully a balanced design, and can be had for around $2,000 or less on the used market? I am not against an older model needing a recap as I do have a fair bit of experience with the iron.

Thank you all.


Best,
Travis
128x128talsgard
You hardly need any power to make this happen! 15 watts is **plenty** of power!! If the drivers really are 112db, you can likely make do with an amp that only makes about a watt.

A type 45 triode power tube makes about 0.75 watts operated single-ended; an amp like that should be fine.
I did take a quick look at the Benchmark AHB2 but got stopped dead in my tracks at the under hood shot. Any time I see SMDs and ICs packed on a board, the product gets a firm and immediate no.

It does have outstanding specs and may very well be quite reliable but that's not a risk I'm willing to take with my money.
As per Stereophile, the Benchmark amp is super quiet.  The model name escapes me but it was reviewed maybe two years ago and Atkinson was shocked by how quiet it measured.