2. amps-preamps
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mid-fi to hi-fi evolution...power questions

current:
vandy 2ce sigs in a treated room. love 'em. might add a sub.
acurus rl-11 preamp. totally under-rated. after a ken ealey massage, a giant killer at just $1k.
cal cl-10
magnum ft-101a
music hall mmf-5 & acurus p10
power has been acurus A250, then Bryston 3B-ST, currently PS Audio 200C

despite the barely mid-fi rep, i liked the acurus power amp with the vandys quite a lot actually. they are fairly inefficient (~85dB/1w/1m), 6ohm, and in a big room...they liked the big power and tamed the harsh reputation a bit.

the 3B was installed with perhaps too high expectations, and was underwhelming. underpowered? i did see the clip indicators a bit too regularly. the 4B would have been a better choice i think.

the current (25 year old!) 200C is also excellent...the best of the bunch. has the low end grunt & control of the acurus, with more refined mid/upper registers...but it's a bit long in the tooth and i worry about its longevity.

but the real truth is, i just have an itch to try something different (power, and possibly pre). budget ~$2k, maybe a touch more. i'm thinking actual (not rated) power at 8ohms of ~200wpc. that's the background...

tightwad (er, 'smart shopper') in me says 'definitely buying used'. auditioning all the varieties of used gear is impossible of course. cosmetics are not so important, but reliability is.

i have a local deal on a conrad johnson pair that is quite intriguing...very clean 17LS pre & MF2500 SS power at ~$3k. is that fair? a steal? it's a bigger fish than i though i was looking to fry, but if it's a give-away, i might bite. beyond that, it's the usual suspects...

given my fondness for the mondial (acurus) sound (really did seem to match well with the vandys), i'm thinking aragon. 8008BB @ ~$1k?

up from there, maybe a krell KSA-150? the age and the heat give me pause however. $1.5k? should i skip the KSA and move on to the FBP? that prototype FBP-200 has my eye...

the rational side of me says '4B-ST is an almost unanimously regarded amp', but given my disappointment with the 3, i'm inclined to look elsewhere, especially at $1.5k. mistake?

what else have i bookmarked? BAT VT-220? belles 150A? threshold s/500? halo a21? so many choices!

what would you add? thx...
dookie1
dookie1 OP
6 posts
 
thanks much...keep the good advice coming.

speakers do not see extended high-volume use. i can say from experience that 60w is not enough for my application (30'x18'x16'-8' [sloping cathedral] room). i had a friend's bryston 2b-lp on loan for a bit, and it was absolutely not enough.
chazzbo
1,007 posts
 
The Krell will send your electric bill up but have greatest bass "grip" if with slightly metallic mids.yeah 4 B ST would be choice.But like Threshold age is consideration so buy checked out.If you don't push them to stupid levels B&O class D is now real value watts per dollar.Check out Wyred.Good overall sound (though some find them "cool") with a slightly soft bass.But they run cool and are a value.To me sources are good and if you like pre that's great because they don't add as much IMHO as have potential to acrew things up.Amp will make difference.Rrog is right about asking them about how much is to much much but since you ran that 3B into clip I don't think you'll run into problems and your more likely to damage a speaker with too little power clipped than too much.I BTW I have owned Bryston 4 BST (great amp rated 225 but benches at 275),sold Krell for 6 years (I have to fix my 300S and flip unless I get a speaker like Vandy Quattro.Those would love my Krell which if I dipped to ohm puts out 2,400 or is 600 at 4 ohm.But I am mid range guy and that's their weakness "etched" and I prefer less clinical sound) and PS 100 Delta which I liked but had a shot of stray DC (most likely) blow my sens horns.Should have kept the tube amp on those.BTW I think that CJ combo might be your ticket.Can you buy and return?It would be a different world.
Chazz

Chazz
rrog
1,958 posts
 
Chazz, More likely to damage tweeters with too little power and damage everything else with too much. I am a long time Vandersteen fan and as I mentioned earlier and in previous posts, crossover parts are easily damaged due to over heating from too much power. The speakers will still play, but the sound will be degraded. Some models of Vandersteen speakers have LEDs that flash to warn the user of potential damage.

Dookie, Buying bigger and bigger amplifiers is not the answer with Vandersteen 2Cs whether you have cathedral ceilings or not. It could very well be the 2C is not suited for your application and you need a more efficient speaker or the speaker is already damaged.

The Vandersteen is one of those speakers that hits a brick wall and will not play any lounder regardless of power. Instead the sound becomes compressed. Adding more power will not overcome this.

Clipping your Bryston is an indication you are playing your speakers at high volume for long periods of time.

You don't have to take my advice. Call Vandersteen Audio. They know more about their speakers than anyone here.
gtortorella
17 posts
 
I see that Belles and Threshold have been mentioned. Both have had many nice designs, and both are known for their solid build quality. I have a friend that likes his BAT gear, but at about $S,000 or so (per component!) it better be nice. My whole system does not cost $5,000.
unsound
7,311 posts
 
McCormack.
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