If speakers are not OTL friendly, then Pass is the way to go.
Atma-Sphere MA2 Mk2.3 / Krell KSA 250 / Passlabs?
Good Evening Fellow Audio Heads!
I'm upgrading my amps (will be a big step up from my NAD S200) which I still love dearly.
The amps that I have the choice to purchase second hand are:
Atma-Sphere MA2 Mk2.3 - AUD $9000
Pass Labs X250.5 = AUD $6995
Krell KSA 250 = AUD $3000
Now the Krell and Atma-Sphere are class A. The Pass labs A/B. Front End will be a Atma-Sphere MP1 Mk3. Speakers are the unfriendly Dynaudio Confidence 5 (no intention of changing these lovely speakers)
Can you please advise your thoughts on what amp would sound best in this situation. Music Reggae / soul / female vocals. What amp listed is the best value? I would say either the Atma-Sphere or the Krell. I have only heard the Pass-Labs in person and that sounded nice and smooth. I like detail in my music.
Many thanks for all your help as it's impossible to do A/B comparisons.
Cheers
Che
I'm upgrading my amps (will be a big step up from my NAD S200) which I still love dearly.
The amps that I have the choice to purchase second hand are:
Atma-Sphere MA2 Mk2.3 - AUD $9000
Pass Labs X250.5 = AUD $6995
Krell KSA 250 = AUD $3000
Now the Krell and Atma-Sphere are class A. The Pass labs A/B. Front End will be a Atma-Sphere MP1 Mk3. Speakers are the unfriendly Dynaudio Confidence 5 (no intention of changing these lovely speakers)
Can you please advise your thoughts on what amp would sound best in this situation. Music Reggae / soul / female vocals. What amp listed is the best value? I would say either the Atma-Sphere or the Krell. I have only heard the Pass-Labs in person and that sounded nice and smooth. I like detail in my music.
Many thanks for all your help as it's impossible to do A/B comparisons.
Cheers
Che
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- 39 posts total
The technical specifications of the Coincidence 5 seem quite suitable for the Atma-Sphere MA-2 amplifiers: "phase correct, 6 dB per octave first-order crossover network" I must be missing something in a big way to not understand why you describe these speakers as "unfriendly." I'd encourage you to contact Ralph Karsten at Atma-Sphere to confirm, but on the surface it seems to me that the MA-2 amps would have no trouble driving these speakers. If that's indeed the case, the Atma-Sphere MA-2 would be a no-brainer choice for me. Disclaimer: Atma-Sphere MA-2 owner |
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Tvad, I don't think that spread would phase an MA-2 in the slightest, provided the quoted phase swing is not a problem (on which Ralph could opine) and the curve is not too abrupt and steep. The technical description on the web site shows the minimum impedance is above 4 ohms. My Eidolons have a minimum impedance of 3.6 and the MA-2s match exceptionally well with those speakers. The Sound Labs have a much wider spread of impedance values than quoted for the Coincidence, and, with some limited exceptions where Sound Lab went crazy low in the impedance curve to better match to ss amps, the MA-2 amps have always worked well on them. Keep in mind that the larger number of tubes in the MA-2 significantly lowers their output impedance compared to an MA-1, let alone an M-60. You are exactly correct that both of these A-S models require more careful matching. But, the MA-2 is far more tolerant and Ralph has told me that they can drive most speakers on the market provided the minimum impedance doesn't go below the mid-3 ohms range and provided there aren't crazy steep dips and rises in the curve. Perhaps Ralph will weigh in here and help us. . |
- 39 posts total