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Thoughts on Tube vs SS amplification for Sony SS AR1s

Hi all~
Was hoping someone with more knowledge than me may be able to help clear up some confusion I’ve been having.
I recently was able to acquire my ‘unicorn’ speakers, the SS AR1s.  4 ohms, 88 dB, 28hz-60khz.
i have an integrated tube amp, the  Luxman LX-380, which on paper doesnt seem to deliver a lot of power for these speakers (14 w into 4 ohms), but i have been really surprised by how full/robust everything sounds with the Luxman in place. I had been advised that a more powerful SS amp (‘at least 200 w per channel!’)  would be needed to get the most out of the SS AR1s (and i have had a lot of SS amps in the past), but To be honest I’m pretty impressed with how it sounds already - So,  i was just hoping someone with more experience here could weigh in? Is it necessarily true that tubes just aren’t a good match for a speaker of this sensitivity? Would a more powerful amp like the luxman mQ-88uc (25 w into 4 ohms) be worth looking into? Would a powerful SS amp really make these speaker sing (and i just dont know what I’m missing)? I want to take advantage of the low-end of these new speakers (which is the main difference from my previous pair), so looking for some guidance re tube amps and exerting control over speakers like these.

thanks much!
sfmorris
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
How in the world does the low watt tube Luxman produce wonderful sound paired with this very difficult speaker load?

It may sound good to him, I guarantee he has "not" yet heard these speakers at their best though.

If it sounds good to him, then why change anything.
He started this thread for a reason because he has doubts.

I had had my eye on a few options (in keeping with the Japanese hi-fi theme of the speakers - i have a soft spot for these brands)
- accuphase e650
- marantz ma9s2
- Yamaha a s3000
Don’t draw conclusions with these amps, they are good integrated amps for normal loading speakers, but not for the nasty loads the Sony’s present


Cheers George
sfmorris OP
14 posts
 
Hey George
Thanks for the thoughts - even the mono block ma9s2 you think would be a poor fit?  I could go the route of separates if there are more options there that are likely to get the best out of these SS AR1s (I’ve only even had integrateds, so separates would be new for me)
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

Hey George
Thanks for the thoughts - even the mono block ma9s2 you think would be a poor fit?


No one has done bench tests on these, They "may" be ok, but they only have 6 outputs per channel, and they only spec them 8ohm to 4ohm wattage’s, no mention of what can be done into 2ohms or less.

So I would say no, as if they did well with even higher wattage’s into 2ohms, it’s in their best interest to say it.

You have a pair of iconic speakers, that yes are a pig to drive. That if were made today would be well over the $27k they were back then, more like $50k today. Give them the amp they deserve.

Cheers George
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,229 posts
 
The Accuphase e650 specs 30 watt class A at 8 ohms
60 watts at 4 ohms
120 watts at 2 ohms.

The Marantz is (claims)  300 watts at 8 ohms
600 watts at 4 ohms
No specs given for 2 ohms.

But what can you surmise from these listed specs ? 
The Luxman could very well be single digit watts into 2 ohms yet it sounds very good to sfmorris.
The Parasound Halo amplifier George recommended earlier is readily available and reasonable cost ( And probably can be gotten with a return clause). 

Curious how the Parasound Halo with ample current (per George)  would fare against the Luxman head to head driving the Sony's. All that matters is which would sound better to sfmorris. Superior sound is the pertinent objective. 
Charles 

audition__audio
1,304 posts
 
If you could find a used Adcom 535 you see how your speakers react and then sell this amp for nearly what you paid. This is the only amp that Adcom made that I liked. In fact this amp powers my garage system. I also owned the 555 and the 565s but could never warm to the sound.
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