The D9 is quoted at 90 dB sensitivity and 8 ohms nominal impedance, so even allowing for typical manufacturer hyperbole, along with the Luxman and Accuphase you could also look at one of the lower powered Pass amps. You want something that runs in class A, or runs several watts in class A before transitioning to A/B.
Class A or AB Solid State Integrated Amp for Spendor D9's - Coming from Tubes
So I'm looking at getting a solid state Class A or AB integrated amp to go with my Spendor D9's and my Lumin T2. I strictly stream and do not have a turntable setup. I'm coming from my Line Magnetic 805ia which I love (will still keep it around but turn it on for those times where I want to listen to tube and not drain its life on watching TV) but I would still like to find a warmer/sweeter sound rather than a sterile, ultra-analytical sound. Some that I have considered include:
Thanks!
- Luxman 590AXII
- Accuphase E800
- Diablo 300
- Boulder 866
Thanks!
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The Sugden IA4 is a fantastic sounding unit that would save you a few bucks over the options you posted. https://www.sugdenaudio.com/ia-4-integrated-amplifier Or go all out and go for the new Riviera Labs Levante! https://www.rivieralabs.com/en/products/electronics/levante/ I've heard the Luxman, and it's a nice piece. Not had the chance to hear the other 3 you have listed. |
there are a number of very refined, powerful solid state choices out there pass ayre hegel naim in addition to luxman or accuphase already mentioned but if you like the sound of your line mag tube amp you are not going to get that lush rounded off sound from any of the above suggest you 'split the difference' with a tube linestage feeding a solid state power amp, or get a tubey sounding dac, of which there are several good ones on the market presently |
Speakers are semi at 90db. Don’t let this deter you from a high powered amp. said this 500X. Get min 300WPC! YOUMWILL NEED THE headroom for crescendos and power chords. Little 5, 10, 100,,150, 200,WPC amps,,while great, there is no match for 300WPC plus in this business. Thank me later. My speakers rated at 250W. I use 650Wpc/rms. Exclusively, always a flawless sound, no clipping of any kind. Everything is just sublime! Don’t believe the hype, watts are your friend. any good high quality amp is great. Sunfire mccormack Sanders pass go big, or go home. Will a 100W amp sound good, sure, will 300 W sound great,...YES? effortless, easy going, tight bass, ice mids, highs, and all the above! Enjoy |
I own D7.2’s and a LM805ia. You probably know this, but a sound profile like the LM is a bad match for TV/movie audio, where one actually does want sterile/analytical with lots of watts. If you must combine the music and tv in one system, I think that @jjss49 recommendations were very good. Move the warm/sweet/tubes to the music source/stage before quality SS amplification. Lumin is a good streamer but you could improve sound with a separate tube dac/line stage. Unclear on how you are sourcing your tv audio input but if you could find an integrated amp with pre-in/bypass then you could use that for the music side and use a ‘normal’ input with volume/gain for the tv source. |
SPENDOR speakers - EXPOSURE integrated amp - VAN DEN HUL cables array I heard these systems at a Toronto audiofest .... terrific https://www.stereophile.com/ssi2009/spendor-exposure-van_den_hul/index.html https://www.stereophile.com/content/bluebird-music-spendor-and-exposure |
freesole OP I would still like to find a warmer/sweeter sound I think I will go for the Diablo 300 instead.I would go the Diablo also, if anything they have that non fatiguing, slightly darker Class-A sound. Here’s a great review. https://www.whathifi.com/au/reviews/gryphon-diablo-300 A little excerpt from it, driving Wilson Alexia’s of all things, one of the worst speaker loads know to man. "The Diablo 300, on the other hand, is expertly balanced to sound natural without undue highlighting or exaggeration. And all this is offered in a soundscape of massive dimensions both laterally and in the depth perspective." Cheers George |
I have D9s with a Pass 250.8 and I think the pair sounds excellent together. I find the Pass offers a bit of warmth that goes nice with the neutral-ish sound of the D9 and the soundstage depth the D9 throws with the Pass amp is very nice! The 250.8 puts out ~25w class A and I've never got the bias meter to move with the D9s at the levels I listen to. If you like the Pass house sound checkout the INT-25 or INT-60. The XA25 really tempts me to try it with the D9, but I run all balanced and it is singled ended only. I've also tried a Bryston 4B3 and Benchmark AHB2 with the D9s, and both were very good, with the AHB2 making me think for a short moment about selling the big Pass as it sounded excellent with the D9s, not as warm or as rounded as the Pass but incredibly clean (like removing a layer of grease from a window) with great bass control too. I did not find the D9/AHB2 pair sounded bright or forward, just lots of very clean musical detail. For me, the D9s just throw the most life like 3d image with the Pass compared to the other amps I've tried which is why I have kept the Pass amplifier after trying others. The D9s are such an easy speaker to pair with different amps and get great sound; good choice on speakers! :) Good luck, it shouldn't be hard to find a nice match... |
I would go the Diablo also, if anything they have that non fatiguing, slightly darker Class-A sound. Thanks for the input! I look forward to trying the Diablo. The Class A output is very intriguing as I do like a more warm sound, coming from tubes. The D9s are such an easy speaker to pair with different amps and get great sound; good choice on speakers! :) Good luck, it shouldn't be hard to find a nice match... Thanks man. They do sound good no matter what I throw at them. They seem to especially love tubes and warmer sounding amps though (to my ears). |
