From Marten Coltrane to Avalon Isis, Hansen King??

Rtn1,

I am using Vitus as amplification. I think it should provide enough power, but yes I agree, it's not an easy speaker to drive.

I am not sure about the power ratings for Vitus. However, I would not think twice about putting 600-900+ watts at 4 ohms onto the Marten.

For the Isis in a large room, with few exceptions, I would be looking at 400+ watts into 4 ohms as a minimum.

Other tricks to increase bass would be in the cables. The power cords on the source have the largest effect, followed by speaker cables and interconnects, followed by power cords on the amplifiers. Elrod power cords have a striking effect on the bass.

You have great speakers. All great systems take some time to build and refine.

Maxx, Rtn1 brings up a good point. Instead of spending a fortune on new speakers you may want to try something as simple as the new Elrod Statement or Signature power cords on your amp to increase bass. These cables are phenomenal.

Rtn1, Boston,

Thanks for your thoughts. I agree, I might experiment a bit more with cables since I do like the sound of the Coltrane a lot. My amplifier actually has "only" 100W in 8/4 Ohm, but it is pure class A. And I know that my speaker/amp combination has been used on shows in the past. Power ratings don't say it all. I've had the Mark Levinson 33H in the past and although it's power rating isn't that high, it can drive pretty much any speaker. Same goes for my current amp I think. But....... I might be wrong :) :)

At the same time, 2 of the interconnects I use are the Nordost Valkyrja and Valhalla, not the cables that are known to have the best bass and probably sound a bit lean on speakers with ceramic drivers. any suggestions for alternative interconnects?

What about including a Wilson Benesch Torus sub. Heard good things about that sub in combination with the Magico Mini's

Although I would not figure Nordost to necessarily have good synergy with ceramic and diamond drivers, I do not think that would necessarily limit your bass.

I would focus on the amplification. I personally feel that people vastly underpower their speakers. I'm sure the Vitus has a great 100 watts, but those woofers need real power to have them move air. If you can biamp, try to add-in something with muscle. I'm sure the Coltrane's are a special speaker, but looking at the specs, they are going to need some real experimentation to reach their full potential.