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Tubed Monos for Focal Aria 948s

I'm considering a pair of tubed monos for my Aria 948s. Given that their efficiency is at 92.5 it seems that I could swap the 130W SS monos for the warmer tube sound in the 40W range and not have any issues. Any ideas how much bass would be lost? Do I need to factor gain into the equation? Already have a tube preamp and like the way that sounds, even like the the way the SS monos sound but since the Focals are so clear my thought is that tubes would pair very well.

Thanks
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erik_squires
15,657 posts
 
My past experience with Focals is that they can develop a distinct L, C and R image, but without the ability to fill in between.  I was able to fix this with just a little toe in. 
zyphryx's avatar
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zyphryx OP
128 posts
 
@arctikdeth I'm running a pair of 180w mono blocks into them now. I would like to keep the wattage up there if possible.

@erik_squires That's exactly what I noticed too. I spread the speakers further apart and removed the toe-in which seems to have worked in my room.
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atmasphere
11,575 posts
 
If no-one's mentioned it, that speaker should be on the 4-ohm tap if using tubes. The woofer array is nominally 4 ohms- that's where you power is.
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zyphryx OP
128 posts
 
@atmasphere First I've heard of it. The amps don't have a 4 ohm option otherwise I'd give it a try
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atmasphere
11,575 posts
 
@zyphryx  A transformer-coupled tube amp without a four ohm tap??

No worries- a set of ZEROs (www.zeroimpedance.com) can fix that. If the speaker is bi-wirable you can try putting the ZEROs just on the woofer section. 
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