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Tube amps you have heard with Quad 989

I listened to Quad 989s being driven by the new Plinius SA 102 amplifier, a 125 Watt high current SS design. The combination was pretty special, and belies much of what has been written about the Quads. These speakers were astonishingly good to my ears.

I would like to find a tube amplifier that works better than the Plinius, if there is one. The 989s can sound hard and unpleasant when paired with the wrong amplifier - innersound being a case in point.

Has anyone heard the 989s with tubes and liked them?
Are atma-sphere 60 watt monoblocks a possibility?
Has anyone heard them with the Wolcott Presence?

If you have any listening experience, you could save me some steps.

Thanks
judit
12 responses Add your response
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Ivanj, Teles and goldpin mullards on the input side, 8 mullards, double getters, for drivers. Expensive but worth it. Did so on the advice of Albert Porter. On the SS side, I still swear on Spectral amps,(360 monos) by the way. Cheers,
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ivanj
35 posts
 
Detlof, I'm glad you confirmed what I surmised. What input and driver tubes are you using in the Wolcotts? It seems for electrostats the Pass and Plinius rule in SS and Wolcott and Atmasphere are the arbiters of the thermionic realm...Bless Peter Walker and Dr. West.
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Got unto this thread late...am running Quad 989 with Wolcotts. Perfect soundstage, beautiful open sound, nice highs and plenty of slamm in the bass. Highly recommended combination to my ears!
judit OP
217 posts
 
Sbank, Interesting comment. I heard the spectral amps driving Avalon Opus speakers and they were WAY too sterile and analytical. Sounds like this characterstic holds across other speakers as well.

Ivanj, interesting comment on the pass stuff. In researching these speakers, pass labs is the amplifier that comes up the most frequently as associated electronics. The comment on bass is pertinent too - the bass I heard come out of the 989s was REALLY powerful. It seemed like overkill to even consider a sub.
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ivanj
35 posts
 
Judit, I used the 63s for years with the Pass Aleph series with great results. Other correspondents have commented on the similarity of sound of the Plinius with the Aleph, perhaps with better bass.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
I've heard a nice demo w/ CJ Premier 8s. Heard the Spectral dma-150 at the same store, but wasn't impressed with the match.
Eventually, I bought a Cary Rocket 88 to drive my ESL-63 USA Monitors, and are very happy with the combo in a moderate sized room. Good luck.
judit OP
217 posts
 
Gregm,

I am not surprised by your comment about SS. I couldn't get over how well the Plinius sounded with these speakers.

Judith
gregm
3,395 posts
 
Auditioned 989s (single pair) with the folowing gear thru a digital source (music: concerti & lieder only):

* their own tube electronics
* KR 8000 mono + KR pre/CAT Ultimate pre (preferred CAT)
* Pathos mono + pathos pre/CAT Ult. pre (ditto CAT),

* some SS gear (S-Line & Burmester) but NOT your Plinius so I can't compare, sorry! So, & for what it's worth:

My experience with the KR was the most fulfilling (esp. in louder orch passages). The Pathos was charmingly musical but (uncharacteristically) made me think of adding a sub to the system...
Strangely, the best sound overall to my ears in THIS experiment was with ss gear!
steveboeck
14 posts
 
I am using V.T.L. MB250 signatures with E.I.kt 90s 280watts of triode power,sounds great.
judit OP
217 posts
 
Ivanj,
Emphatically not. No honky tonk forwardness in the mid piano octaves with the QUADs. And believe me, I have searched long and hard to find speakers that light my fire.

Ed Sawyer,
Thanks for the offer. I will try to listen to a pair locally.
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ivanj
35 posts
 
As a longtime QUAD owner I am glad they are back on a good path with their new production. Just goes to show the necessity of system matching and experience with real music. Judit, do they do that funky thing in the midrange with pianos that you posted previously? Guess not, you like them.
ed_sawyer
588 posts
 
I powered up a set with my CJ Premier 5s - it was very nice. 100wpc was more than enough (in triode mode). If it hadn't been I could have always switched back to Ultralinear for 200wpc. Ultimately I passed on the 989s, mostly for space/money reasons. But they are very nice and it was a good combo. (Coincidentally I have the amps for sale too... email if interested.)

thanks
-Ed
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