Since there's a bit of interest here on this thread, there is yet another great review on Audiocircle just posted praising the synergy between the Modwright and Lou's speakers. See the recent post to the thread by VinylLady. Grant - I wondered the same thing when I read that. |
Seems I may have stated this before on another thread, so pardon me if I'm playing the broken record here - check into Modwright's new KWA 150 - a great pairing with Daedelus. See my input and disclaimer on this Audiocircle thread along with the input of others on that relatively new amp. I heard the Modwright+Daedulus pairing in Amboy at Dan's shop and it was a great combination (RA-1's there). Yours are larger speakers, but I can't help but think it would be a great match given Lou's response - check in with him if you have not already. |
Here's a good explanation of "high-current" (see the "best answer" at the top of this page). As I understand it, it basically means that the amp has a whole lot of idle power immediately available on tap when it is needed (as in Class A designs - read HOT). The KWA I use, as some other designs, are Class A for the the first 'X' watts and then A/B for those after. Still, it runs pretty dam hot in high-bias (around 140 degrees F). Sound is outstanding though. Dodgealum - thanks for that clarification. I'm surprised that Lou likes the Parasounds - I've only heard those amps sounding mighty cold and sterile to my ears...never heard them with his speakers though. I've not heard the Claytons at all. Indeed, the KWA does run hot and is large. I've had the Bel Canto Ref. 1000's for a while and enjoyed them (original version), but after living with them for many months I ended up going back to tubes for the added level of presence they offered. I heard the new Ref's at CES and they sounded great there but cannot recall the speakers they were using and obviously could not compare to anything directly. Another amp I liked a whole lot is the Ayre V5Xe, which deserves consideration, it is a bit smaller than the KWA and does run cooler as I recall. Never compared the two head-to-head so couldn't comment, but enjoyed both very much. Good luck - nice speakers! |
I kind of get it. Someone correct me where I'm off in my metaphor. The single most difficult task in the system is the transfer of electrical energy into mechanical energy at the speaker. The amp/speaker interface is critical as a poor match can absolutely ruin an otherwise fine system. The energy that it takes to move the speakers parts may vary over the spectrum of sound from high to low (at one point it may take very little energy to move them, while another may demand tremendous reserves from the amp). This can otherwise be seen in the impedence curve of the speakers in question (where it dips down low the amp will have to put out significantly more power). An amplifier with a specific amount of power to offer can deliver that power, or rather make that power available, in different ways. To make it simplistic for anyone to understand, lets say the demands of your speaker are that of a burning building that can go from a trickle of smoke to a raging fire and back again. Lets say the amps we compare both have 10 battalions of fire fighters to offer up, no more. A high current amp would have all ten battalions at the scene of the fire at all times, even if the fire were just smoldering. A different type of amp would only send a single battalion to that smoldering scene, and send the others there as needed and they would leave immediately back to their stations once their need was filled. Of course going to and from the station takes time, whereas the high-current version has all its resources right there at the site of the fire at all times. I guess this is also a metaphor for a Class A amplifier. Can someone explain to me in simplistic terms the distinction between a "high-current amp" and a Class A amp? |
