Unsound, I don't think Loveitloud is going to get a recent Rowland class D amp that fits into his budget of under $2000. |
Jeff Rowland Model 5 is your perfect match. Currently listed on Audiogon for $1600. |
Class D would be fine for your second system Clavil, but there is no class D amplifier in the same league as the Rowland. Besides, the Rowland 5 and the Stages are the same vintage. Apogee and Rowland sound wonderful together.
A lot has changed. D'Agostino is gone from Krell, Madrigal is getting picky about repairing old Levinson equipment and do you think Nelson Pass is going to repair his old Threshold amps? At least Rowland is still around and they have always been one of the best amps made. |
Matti, why do you find the Rowland recommendation confusing? Is it because the Rowland 5, which I recommended, will deliver 600wpc into a 2 ohm load and it might be too much power for the Stage?
Honestly, Aragon is nothing more than a glorified midfi amplifier. Please don't confuse this product with highend. I have seen the Aragon protection circuit turn the amp off at idle with a pair of Martin Logan CLS. A Dynaco Stereo 70 would play the CLS with ease.
You are doing an injustice to the Jeff Rowland Design Group, Loveitloud and any Audiogon memebers reading your posting that the Jeff Rowland Model 5 is not a good recommendation for a load below 4 ohms. Not to mention the poor guy trying to sell his amp here.
Wilson Audio even chose a Rowland amp to power their WOW subwoofer when they could ave had any amp they wanted. |
Matti, I am not partial to any brand of equipment. I am more interested in what components work well together. Probably the most popular amp used with Apogee speakers was the Counterpoint SA 220. |
Clavil, How do you know when you have a speaker controlled "perfectly"?
The truth is you may never hear the true potential of a speaker like the Apogee. Because this is a hard speaker to drive there is no amplifier happy with the Apogee load therefore any amplifier connected to this type of speaker will never sound it's best. |
The amount of watts is not the issue. It is the load the amplifier has to deal with. True, a higher quality amplifier will sound better, but the Apogee is a hard speaker to drive and it is the load that degrades the sound of the amplifier. |
The Stage actually goes below 4 ohms and while this may not be a problem for your monster tube amplifiers it can be a problem for other amps. However, the point I was trying to make is that an amplifier's sound quality will vary depending on the load it is driving regardless of the amplifier's power rating. Even your tube amplifiers would be happier if they were driving a speaker with an 8 ohm load.
BTW, whatever happened to the electrostics speakers you were building? |
Thank you for clearing that up. Do you think I can run the Stages with 50 watts? |
Gallant_diva, I'm still a little confused after reading Leo's statement again. He states a 50 watt receiver may drive the speakers well. His "so what" is in regards to quality.
"You might find a good receiver of, say, 50 watts/channel output that drives the speakers well, but so what? I think that the fine detail and the quality of the Stage really demand a truly fine quality amplifier. Power isn't the issue here. Quality is. So although the Stage is more widely compatible than previous Apogees we don't condone the use of poor-quality ancillaries anywhere in the chain." |
Gallant_diva, So, does that mean you agree with me?
I wrote "The amount of watts is not the issue".
You wrote "In fact, the amount of watts is the issue".
Leo Spiegel, your hero, wrote "Power isn't the issue here". |
Gallant_diva, I get the point.
The amplifier in question is a Manley Stingray. I think it meets the quality requirements of the Stage. It is an early Stingray rated at 50wpc.
Also, I spoke with you years ago when I was in the business. You mentioned you were doing something with electrostatic speakers. I thought you said you were building them. Did you give that up? |
Loveitloud, The KST 100 is a lower priced amplifier and it is not the quality of the KSA series amplifiers by Krell which were made during the same time. |
