Spectral Amps and Legacy Speakers?

I was using the Adcom 5800 amp with the classics and have since sold both although they were both quite good. The Adcom 5800 for the money is alot of amp but sure there are better. I felt,as good as the classics are ,in my room ,they were too boomy in bass, a bit compressed in mids. If you keep them for their positive traits,you may want to try a Spectron amp. It is faster and controls the bass better than 5800,and is better all around. But it is more revealng and will not necessarily help an already forward mid with classics.The recomendations for tubes with the classics is a good one,but I know tubes have some drawbacks too. You did not mention price but spectral is not inexpensive. I would lean a bit to the fuller mid ,rich sound in the amp to complement the classics. The tube preamp with spectron might work too as suggested but be careful not to veil that quite transparent amp.A rich sounding source and cables will help too.I have not heard the Rowland stuff,but from what I have heard about its sound ,that is also a good option. --Enjoy the music!

If you want an amplifier that transcends tubes vs solid state, is extremely fast and detailed yet sounds like MUSIC go listen to the Jeff Rowland Model 10 amplifier.

I was left totally flat by the spectral amp setup I listened to. I felt the sound was detailed, but dry and lifeless. I'm more of a tube amp person, so I tend to dislike solid state amps. I have not listened to the pass or ayre amps yet.

I had that same adcom amp. it is to warm. it dulls over the music and blurs any image much like many tube amps do. but a great value for the money. the dma 180 is my dream amp. MIT good choice. your a soundstage and image buff huh? me to. If you get the spectral amp and have the price of admission avalon speakers are a must. they are made for each other.and MIT. Of all things try a passive preamp. there amazing! and way cheaper. cheaper yet better.For the love of god try one. please. Thanks Todd k.

I cannot comment on the Legacy speakers as I have never heard them. But, I own a Spectral DMC-20 Series II preamp and a Spectral DMA-200 power amp. The Spectral gear is on the "detail" side of the detail vs. musical spectrum. With the Spectral preamp, the Spectral amp is incredible. It is veeeerrrry fast, but it is not grainy. If you go with a Spectral power amp, you need to drive it with a Spectral preamp to realize its full potential. The gain in fidelity is not additional, but rather geometric. I would not (personally) buy a DMA-180. When the 180 came out, it was touted by Spectral as being far superior to the 200; it is not. The 200 is the only full class A power amp Spectral made (except for maybe the 90?). People sold their 200's to buy the 180 per Spectral's advice. Many of these same people then turned around to sell the 180 and try to get a 200 back. I love my 200; the only problem I have had with it was a drift in the bias (occured bad enough once in 8 yrs that I had to send it back to Spectral). Before I got the Spectral preamp, I was using an old ARC SP6C1 preamp with the DMA-200. The tube preamp was actually less open, more harsh, with a bloated bottom end than the Spectral preamp. The Spectral preamp was much, much faster and smoother, so much so that the entire sound of my system was tonally different. Spectral is an investment because of the need to have matching equipment, but it is a worthwhile one.

I am driving my Classics with a Bryston 4BST fed by an AMC tubed preamp and find the combination very satisfying. The richness of the tubes combined with the power and control of the solid state power amp provides wonderful tonal qualities, a wide and deep soudstage, deep and tight bass, and plenty of etchless detail. I recently tried a friend's "A" rated Adcom passive preamp and both my wife and I found it to provide dry, flat sound. I have heard good tubed power amps, and although the highs and mids are wonderful, I have found the bass to be too loose for my tastes. The tubed preamp/solid state power amp combo gives me the best of both worlds.

Thankyou for your responses. I had considered tube gear, but my audio cabinetry won't hold anything that big. How are the Audio Research solid-state amps, then? Thanx.

Best amp for your application is the Mark Levinson 331 or the newer 334. The 331 handles it all in the solid state department. The Spectral will do it also but I find it is not quite as clear. I have owned both before going to tubes.

Spectral Amps are very fast. I am not sure how the combo would work. I have heard the Legacy Classic, a fine speaker. I don't know what you are searching for. I have never found the Adcom to be described as "Warm" nor have I heard it sound warm in my experiences with it. If you want presence you might consider a ARC tube amp. I did hear a D90 ARC amp with the Classics and it sounded much better than the solid state Legacy amp used in the demo. At least in my opinion. I am a big proponent of ARC tube gear. It gives both excellent transient response and inner detail and it also gives presence or a live sound that solid state gear in general does not. I would certainly look into tubes if you are not familiar with them. If you are and like the presentation of solid state more then a Spectral might be a good choice. Good luck