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DALI MEGALINE AMPS & CROSSOVER

I have recently purchased a pair of used(2nd owner) Dali Megaline speakers for a can’t pass up/ridiculous/unbelievable/put a smile on my face low price. Being a fan of ribbon Apogee speakers(currently own Studio Grands) I have high hopes for the Megalines since are more dynamic, taller & do home much theater better. I have a 100” projection screen but need to upgrade to a 125” because the gargantuan Megalines make the 100” small!   Anyway, I’m in need of some advice on what crossover & amps to use with them. I tried the Dali x-over but don’t like the sound of the x-over point of 1200hz along with a shallow slope. So I’m using a Beringer Ultrapro24/96 x-over right now at 800hz at 48db. But I know I can do much better than the Beringer or should I have the Beringer modified?!. On the amps right now I’m using digital(Merrill Veritas 400watts) on the woofers & Coda S5(class-A 50watts) on the ribbon. Sounds amazing already! But I know it can sound a lot better but don’t want too(can’t afford!) to spend more than $15-$20K. So, first please guide me in the right direction for a quality 2 way or 3-way x-over under $2K. Right now I’m looking at the DBX Venu360. I really want to do better than that but not sure what is out there for that price. Then for the amps, I really like & think a pair of stereo PS Audio BHK Sig 250 would be awesome! Being they are tube input(sweet sounding) & solid state(punch you in the face) Mosfet output! They have been getting fantastic reviews. Or maybe 4 of the new Benchmark AHB2 ran in mono, or a pair GamuT D200i’s, or should I get two more Merrill Veritas mono amps, so many possibilities! I want amps with balls(home theater) & also sweet sounding(I love music!). I’d rather stay away from all tube amps also due to hat issues here in hot NorCal. BTW- I also stuffed EACH cabinet with 3 pounds of Acousta-Stuf due to lack of cabinet damping. I really think these are going to be my dream speakers for a very longtime. Once properly setup I may never leave the house again! : -) Any & all suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

ptheo
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
ptheo,
i am an Apogee user myself (Scintilla 1-ohm version. love this speaker & haven't considered life after Scintilla....)
One thing you could do is contact Agon member "albertporter". he used to own the very same Dali you have & you can ask him how he had his setup. Right now he's using the largest JM Lab speakers. 
Thanks. 

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,577 posts
 
Albert had a custom tube crossover made of which he was emphatic that it made a huge difference- by comparison the stock crossover was so much junk. The crossover was built by Tom Tutay who does not go on the web- you have to call him. The last number I have for him is 850-244-3041 which appears to be current.
ptheo OP
72 posts
 

lynott- Yes you are correct Coda makes great amps & a pair of the new S150 may just be the ticket. My main complaint about the S5 is the low power output not the killer sound. ! I will call Doug the man tomorrow. But for some reason I’m really smitten is curiosity about the PS Audio BHK SIG 250 being it has the sweet sound of tubes with the drive of a SS which I feel would sound awesome on the MEGALINES with the ribbon tweeter. I may start a thread in the amp section asking about it. Maybe a combo of both Coda on the bottom & PS Audio on the top. But I’ve read from Albert Porter’s thread it imperative amps must be the same! May I ask lynott where have you heard the MEGALINES many times & under what conditions?

 

bombaywalla- The Scintilla is an amazing speaker that I heard many times at a friend’s house. Even better than my SG’s! I’m currently reading AP’s thread(pg91 of185) on the MEGALINES. Great thread about many things audio. I will be attempting to contact him soon to pick his very knowledgeable brain about the amps/crossovers he has tried.

 

atmosphere- I called Tom Tutay today about spoke to him about his tube crossover. Very nice guy & I’m sure it sounds great! But I don’t think that is what I’m looking for at $4K. It’s fixed at the stock crossover point(1100hz) with the shallow slope the match. I want to be able adjust the crossover & slope on the fly to suite my tastes. Check this out:

http://www.newformresearch.com/index.php/planet-audio/the-best-of-the-best/crossovers

 

Thanks guys for the input!

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lynott
87 posts
 
ptheo:

For the sake of perfect continuity, *I* would probably stick with the same make of amplifier for top and bottom.

Haven't heard the BHK, but it is getting some nice reviews. A buddy of mine was actually considering the 250, but I think he's currently leaning toward Boulder.

I've heard the Megalines a total of three times , including twice at the same person's house. As I recall, he had them driven initially by pairs of Paraound JC1s, then by big Pass stereo amps. The other person was using Classe Omegas. In both cases, if I'm remembering correctly, the stock crossover was used. 

I remember the speakers sounded HUGE (at least compared with what I was running at the time), and that impressed me on some live Deep Purple, in particular. 
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
Funny... I just upgraded my modded by Audiosmiles in the UK  Behringer Ultra Pro for the DBX 360 (tweaked by Roger Sanders).  The Behringer/Audiosmiles unit is awesome. If you are interested, I can let it go pretty cheaply.  
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