Amp for Apogee Stage's

The H2O gives even the most demanding Apogee all the current it needs, plus, like I pointed out, set a new standard for leading edge, transparency, and decay.

I have heard Stages on a couple of occasions with Classe amps. While the sound was not bad, it did not really allow the potential of the Stages to present space and the Classes had greying, glaring, congestion and soundstage uncertainties that solid state seems to suffer from. I heard the Grands with Krells in a demo, and they sounded impressivey huge and dynamic, but also seemed to glare when I heard them. I used Melos Triode 200 high current hybrid tube amps on my Stages at the time, and I was impressed that they sounded better, but they did suffer from some softness by comparison. The Triode 200's, however, were superior in spatial presentation and timbre, and were easier to listen to.
When I use my Bel Canto Evo 200.2's full range through the passive crossover, they have the traditional virtues of solid state in lower midrange and bass control/damping. However, they are better than other sold state amps in attack, tone, and spatial addressing and separation, like tubes. The Bel Canto's seem to be somewhat musty as they go into the upper midrange, however. The H2O amps seem to have a better reputation in this regard.
The case for high current with the Apogees seems to be grossly overstated. I am currently using an active crossover with ASL 805 SET amps on the high ribbon. These are the most pathetic, current starved horrible measuring amps around and the sound is glorious and is vastly better than either the VTL 450 Sig monoblocks, Bel Canto Evo's, or the high current amps in my Yamaha RX Z9. No, I don't believe that I am in love with the distortion products, the amps are too simple in construction to pull any kind of elaborate tricks. A European audio critic that posts on the Apogee forum uses a 20 watt SET amp with the inefficient Calipers, and he says the sound is outstanding. At this point, I wouldn't trade the 805's for all of the Krells, Thresholds, Classes and Levinsons in the world. The 805's also drive the Stages full range through the passive crossover with aplomb and high volume levels, and the sound is not he least bit soft or impaired in the high frequencies. Rather, they tend to lack body in the lower midrange and bass, although the overall effect is charming.
Allen Wright is even working on a modest powered tube amp to use with the dreaded Scintillas, and if he manages it, I bet they will sound great.

Cjfrbw,

Unless you do the measurements, you can't know what's going
on.

I've put current limited tubes amps on the Stages - have seen
the tube amps strain, and fail to deliver the current needed
to compensate for the depressed impedance, and had audiophile
friends gush over how "liquid" and "lush" the sound was.

Then you put on the hefty high current amps - and they do put
out the current to keep the Stages accurate - and the
attending audiophiles complain about "glare" and being
"etched".

I think some audiophiles just plain LIKE some of the natural
rolloffs that tubes provide.

Even the simplest single-tube amp is not perfectly linear;
the output characteristics of a tube are not perfectly
linear - they do "roll-off" at higher signal levels.
[That's why you hear that tubes clip more "softly" than
solid state - they are NOT linear up to the clipping point.]

It doesn't take a complex amp to have these non-linear
characteristics - the basic characteristics of the tubes
have these non-linearities.

If you like that sound, fine - go with what you like.

Just don't fool yourself that your system is accurate.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

Morbius, what are you using to drive your Minigrands?

There wouldn't be amplifiers at all if it weren't for rigorous scientific types making observations about materials and circuits. They certainly make a greater contribution than the mincing aesthetes.
However, there is a point where the mono maniacal pursuit of concepts such as "accuracy" merely become alternate superstitions. I wouldn't claim any stereo system is "accurate", whether tubed or solid state, whether the input and ouput waveforms looked like each other or not. "Accuracy" is such a limiting concept when applied to audio.
However, when a tubed amplifier allows me to distinctly hear and follow four voices in a vocal harmony with ease and a solid state amplifier makes it sound like one voice, I know which one I want to listen to.
The point is that Apogees do not absolutely require the high current amp refrain that has been passed around for years. There are alternatives and everybody needs to let their own ears be their guides, as usual.