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Amp advice for Sound Lab M-2's

Looking for opinions for a amp to use with my Sound Lab M-2 speakers. I am down to considering the Bryston 7b – SST, Parasound JC – 1, and the new Sanders Sound ESL amp. The former owner of the M-2’s used a Pass X-350, but I found that it sounded dry, and very thin. No warmth at all. Lots of older Krells out there, great bottom ends, but again often very cool sounding. I’m not that familiar with the Levinson’s, another option, maybe. The Sound Labs do need a good honest 300 watts > 8 ohms, and 600 watts > 4 ohms. Most amps don’t have the combination of voltage and current ratings to handle the speakers. I am leaning towards the Brystons. Overall they seem to be an amp that is easy to live with, while maybe not the best over all, they do a lot right. Ideas and experiences appreciated. By the way, the listening room is 23x21, with a ceiling that is 9 feet on one long wall, and slopes up to 16 feet on the other long wall. 15 feet of the highest long wall is open right in the middle of the wall. So the room can really suck up speaker output. Thanks.
128x128gammastrep
metralla
945 posts
 
On a number of occasions, Sound Labs showed their speakers at CES in the late Bob Crump's room with the CTC Blowtorch pre-amp and Richard Schram's Parasound JC-1s. We had a ton of fun in that room - the sound was excellent and the company stimulating.

Regards,
rgd
656 posts
 
If considering used Bryston amps make sure they are the latest production incorporating the "swedish choke" mod which has become current production specs. Get the serial numbers and email Bryston to ensure you are getting the latest version. I had my 14B-SST upgraded and it tamed the top end a bit (at least to my ears) and made it a better amp over-all. You can have the amps upgraded I believe at a cost of $250 each but it will entail freight both ways, wait times, etc.
twb2
129 posts
 
I have experience with the Parasound JC-1's, Wolcott P220 tube amps, and now the Ayre MX-R's. All of these do a great job of driving the Sound Labs, but without doubt the Ayre amps are the best yet. The JC-1's are my least favorite among the 3, but still do a credible job. I can't speak for the others.
brimac
59 posts
 
I 've used the aforementioned JC 1's with my Soundlab A1's, found that Nuforce 9 SE V2 worked better, which came as a surprise, and am now using Bel Canto Ref 1000's. All these amps drove the A1 well, The JC 1 was great, but the Nuforce and BelCanto's expanded the sound stage beyond what the JC 1 could and were somewhat more articulate. The bass has been better with the Nuforce and Bel Canto amps as well, which was the biggest surprise. Digital amps, they're not just for breakfast anymore....
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