@atmasphere , the listening distance is indeed near field (6-7 feet from the plane of the speakers). However, I do understand your point of these speakers needing a lot of power. Why do you suggest Class D and not A, AB ?
40+ watts SET, cost is not a problem
Friends,
Hope everyone is well here. I am visiting after a long time. I have a query on behalf of a close buddy of mine. He is using a pair of TAD CR1x loudspeakers. Gorgeous speakers for sure. The source is an EMT 927 TT & JPA66 preamp. For the amplification things are getting tricky. He has tried the TAD M700s reference power amp and while it sounds very controlled, it doesn't have the openness and dimensionality of tone that a good tube/SET amp provides. We are considering trying a good SET for this system. Given that TAD needs some power blossom well and expand on effortlessly, at least 40 watts of SET power would be needed. The quick choices are Kondo Kagura & Wavac HE833 Mk2. But I need more suggestions on these and other comparative products.
1. Has anyone heard the Kondo and Wavac gears to suggest a comparison? I am just a bit worried on the amount of Silver used in Kondo. I have normally found that silver takes away something from the flow and harmonics. Tell me more about it.
2. What other options can be considered in this realm? No SS please. Looking for SET options primarily.
Room size is moderate 17 x 13 feet. Music preferred are classic rock, jazz, pop and some classical
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+1 @dogearedaudio - Berning 211 / 845 Monoblock Amplifiers |
I've heard, and generally liked the Berning amps I've heard. I don't care if they are, or are not, true output transformerless amps (OTL). To me, they have that immediate, exciting and vivid sound of OTL amps. But, like ANY amp choice, it does come down to personal preferences. For my taste, Bernings are on the slightly too lean sounding side. But, I suspect that the OP IS looking a bit in that direction so they are certainly good candidates. I know the OP is looking for some fairly high end amplifier/linestage combinations. Still, I think there are some shockingly good value amps that should at least be auditioned. Again, Synthesis Audio makes super bargain amps that I would be perfectly happy to use in my system. They do make some fairly pricey high-powered amps, but my personal preference is for the amps that run the KT-66 tube and the best from them is a pair of monobloc amps that cost "only" $20k or so. |
Having heard multiple Berning amps, they ultimately sound a bit sterile to me because of the switch mode power supply. If an audio designer can't even hear the basics of music and figure out what is lost with a switching PSU and just uses it for specs, I have no respect for such designers. And the industry is full of such people. Thats why high end audio is so difficult to get right, musically :-( |
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