2. amps-preamps
  3. 1207709394

Flea SET amp for Shindo Aurieges

I'm coming over from SS land and new to tubes so hope you guys can help me. I'm considering getting a flea powered SET amp to go with my Shindo Aurieges preamp. The Shindo SET are out of my reach at the moment so I'm looking for alternatives that will mate will with the Shindo's high output impedance (5,000 Ohms) and also do it justice. Is there anything out there for about $2K used that would fit the bill? I listen to a wide variety of music - from jazz to electronic and large orchestral pieces so I'm looking for something with a velvet hammer with good control over the bass if thats possible. I've been considering the Audio Note Quests, is this a good match and are there any other suggestions?
mikeyc8

Showing 7 responses by mikeyc8

mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
I currently own and love my Gershman Avant Gardes. They have nice smooth mids and good bass slam. The problem is that they are 87 dB so the flea powered amps won't drive them properly. So if I go the SET route I'll probably have to sell them and I'm considering HE models such as Audio Note, Omega, Zu, etc. At the moment I have a vintage Marantz 8 with 35wpc that is adequate to drive the Gershmans, but I find its not as open or transparent as an 8 wpc AN Conqueror amp that I heard recently, hence my possible conversion to the SET dark side.
mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
Hi Rene, yes my research also turned up a couple that you named Yamamoto, Fi and Verdier. The last two should be relatively easy to audition :) Look forward to hearing them soon.

I must confess, I'm a bit of a bass freak, will these flea amps and single driver HE speakers be able to keep me happy?
mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
Dark: My basement room is relatively small, 13' x 17' but with only a 6' ceiling. I never could get a subwoofer to blend properly with my main speakers, do you C&C subs work well with your speakers?

When you say I need to spend a lot of money, how much are you talking about?
mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
thanks for the tip Springnr, the Gemmes also sound very interesting, 20 to 20K from a 4" driver!!! I'll have to look into them also.
mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
Dark: I agree with your advice, I will look into HE speakers first to make sure I like the sound.

Gmood: the Brines you recommend look very interesting! The prices also seem very reasonable, if I can get them shipped here to Toronto it would be great. I notice you have some mods on your speakers, did Brines do these for you or did you do it yourself? What are the benefits of these mods? I would hate to buy them unheard though, wonder if its possible to audition them here in Toronto first. If not, is there another speaker with a similar sound, eg Lowther? so that I can be sure that I like the SD sound?

Thanks
mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
Jaybo: coincidentally a friend brought over his MC275 the other day, and you're right its a lot more detailed and articulate. Now you have me second guessing myself about selling the Gershmans, they are pretty damn good and I don't want to have buyers remorse in 6 months.
mikeyc8 OP
174 posts
 
Gmood: your description of the Brines is amazing and I've emailed Bob Brines for more info. Although what you describe is exactly what I'm looking for, I'd hate to buy them without hearing them first. I don't suppose you live within reasonable driving distance of Toronto? :) When you say they don't sound like other SD speakers because of the BSC do you mean that your speakers sound different from the other Brines speakers or SD speakers in general? What exactly does the BSC? I'm kinda leaning to the LTs since I have a smaller room and need the higher sensitivity. Does the BSC work on the LTs as well?
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