I believe yes, in the upper mids and highs. Class D will equal or can even better in the bass or low bass, but from mids up the JC1's especially with the higher bias Class A switch on, should be far better that the ClassD, for these reason here I posted. https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/1267957 Cheers George |
Hi dsper, The CS5i's are the first speakers I fell in love with as a young audiophile more than 20 years ago, so I hope you continue to enjoy them. As you know, they are a punishing load for an amplifier, so you need an amp that can deliver a lot of current due to low impedance and sensitivity. I believe the JC-1s would make a wonderful pairing at that price point, with a balanced tonality, authority, and continuousness (in the HP sense). Unfortunately, I don't have experience with the W4S amps, so cannot give you a real comparison in terms of performance. However, at a broad brush level, I agree with George's characterization with respect to the B&O Icepower amps I have heard (although well implemented versions, like the Jeff Rowland, can sound sweet in the midrange / treble, although lacking in ultimate refinement). Best of luck. |
Now that I’ve seen the impedance graph of the CS5i, I would say forget the WFS and go with the JC1’s. "Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/1m (equivalent to around 82dB/W/m, given the low impedance)". I didn’t realize the CS5i is so low in impedance in the bass and lower bass, below 2ohms, Class D will not drive this as well as the JC1’s http://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs5-loudspeaker-measurements-0#TU8p8MtO6awD64KO.97 Cheers George |
