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H2O 250 vs Mono's vs Spectron Musician III HELP

Guys, I have lived with Tube amps for the past year, but, have been trying to get more extension, presence, better soundstaging, bass, treble extension, and still not loose the midrange magic. My speakers are Reimer Tetons which vary from 3.8-4ohm, and are about 95db. I want it all, low level detail, with the ability to play louder than the loudest rock concert you have ever been too. I tried the DK design, but am returning it. I have read wonderful reports from many here on audiogon about these amps. I have tried the modded channel islands, gaincard, and gainclones(which were IMHO best of these)but was left wanting for dimensionality, and turned off by sterility of sound. The extension was magnificent, and detail retrieval 2nd to none. But, my heart still went back to Wavelength Cardinal X1's with WE 300B tubes, which could not gove me the volume I desire at times.

Please help guide me in my next pursuit.

Thanks in advance

Steve
711smilin
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Steve, I have at various times tried powerful ss amps, some were very good, such as the Cellos, but I keep coming back to SETs of low power. I will soon be trying a more powerful 845 amp, but that is still only 20 watts. The Wavac 833s are great sounding but beyond what I will buy. The only solution I know of is to seek efficient speakers.
711smilin OP
513 posts
 
Tbg, my new speakers are 95db, if my room was better, I would probably have either Johns, Avantgarde, some other horn facsimile. I must say, though, these Tetons are pretty amazing speakers, when compared side by side with my modified cornwalls, the additional deteail retrieval, and realism was outstanding. The bass was tighter, mid bass much more defined, midrange was smoother, more real sounding to my ears, and the real surprise came from the tweeter. The decay,and detail was much better. I had a real hard time moving away from horns.

I am waiting for a pair of TRL GT-200's to be built, so, this is propbably just a stop, gap for me. I figure 200 watts triode, should be sufficient for me, I hope.

The DK, once dialed in with the right pre-amp tubes, sounded wonderful at low to mid level, but grainy at higher SPL. Once again, the search continues.
muralman1
1,527 posts
 
I would strongly suggest the H2O Signatures, if you want to rock. These will blast you out of your mind. For the first time, you will be aware of the separate members of the band, at any given moment. They will be there. The H2O Signatures will slam, without ever seeming dry. They will coax out the slightest nuances of your recordings.
711smilin OP
513 posts
 
Henry will call me when he has a pair ready for me to buy(try)interconnect, and PC suggestions would be appreciated.
drhst20
71 posts
 
I love the Spectron, but I do not think it is right for you (although it is a good choice for me). It focuses on detail retrival and is about as dynamic an amp as I have heard (probably the biggest reason I love it). Have you considered the JC-1's. They seem more up your ally. They provide a good top end, great bottom end, and have just enough of that tube like magic you may be looking for. They are a nice mix of tube and solid state like qualities.
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