One has to ponder that there are things listeners can clearly hear that (At least for now) aren’t being measured or maybe can’t be measured.In this case I don't think so. The Luxman is able to behave as a proper voltage source within certain limits, and the 8 ohm power they are getting out of it suggests that it might be set up so that it can put out a bit more power into lower impedances. This is done by simply 'light loading' the tubes in the output section by setting the primary winding of the output transformer to a bit higher impedance. On top of that I'm pretty sure that Luxman did their homework on the output transformer and has something that is spec'ed decently in there. This all does not seem that mysterious to me- I've seen it before.
Thoughts on Tube vs SS amplification for Sony SS AR1s
Hi all~
Was hoping someone with more knowledge than me may be able to help clear up some confusion I’ve been having.
I recently was able to acquire my ‘unicorn’ speakers, the SS AR1s. 4 ohms, 88 dB, 28hz-60khz.
i have an integrated tube amp, the Luxman LX-380, which on paper doesnt seem to deliver a lot of power for these speakers (14 w into 4 ohms), but i have been really surprised by how full/robust everything sounds with the Luxman in place. I had been advised that a more powerful SS amp (‘at least 200 w per channel!’) would be needed to get the most out of the SS AR1s (and i have had a lot of SS amps in the past), but To be honest I’m pretty impressed with how it sounds already - So, i was just hoping someone with more experience here could weigh in? Is it necessarily true that tubes just aren’t a good match for a speaker of this sensitivity? Would a more powerful amp like the luxman mQ-88uc (25 w into 4 ohms) be worth looking into? Would a powerful SS amp really make these speaker sing (and i just dont know what I’m missing)? I want to take advantage of the low-end of these new speakers (which is the main difference from my previous pair), so looking for some guidance re tube amps and exerting control over speakers like these.
thanks much!
Was hoping someone with more knowledge than me may be able to help clear up some confusion I’ve been having.
I recently was able to acquire my ‘unicorn’ speakers, the SS AR1s. 4 ohms, 88 dB, 28hz-60khz.
i have an integrated tube amp, the Luxman LX-380, which on paper doesnt seem to deliver a lot of power for these speakers (14 w into 4 ohms), but i have been really surprised by how full/robust everything sounds with the Luxman in place. I had been advised that a more powerful SS amp (‘at least 200 w per channel!’) would be needed to get the most out of the SS AR1s (and i have had a lot of SS amps in the past), but To be honest I’m pretty impressed with how it sounds already - So, i was just hoping someone with more experience here could weigh in? Is it necessarily true that tubes just aren’t a good match for a speaker of this sensitivity? Would a more powerful amp like the luxman mQ-88uc (25 w into 4 ohms) be worth looking into? Would a powerful SS amp really make these speaker sing (and i just dont know what I’m missing)? I want to take advantage of the low-end of these new speakers (which is the main difference from my previous pair), so looking for some guidance re tube amps and exerting control over speakers like these.
thanks much!
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- 47 posts total
- 47 posts total