2. amps-preamps
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buying today,need your thoughts

today a local in Santa Barbara is BRINGING to MY HOUSE
B&W N803
Arcam CD 23
Kimber bifocal 4'
Kimber 1011 qty 1

I get to hear these thru the Perreaux 2150B and SM 2 I own.
I am buying the above for $3,000.
He is also offering the Plinius CD LAD for a great price as well...maybe $500.

So, I wanted to know:
cable ideas matching the Perreaux and Arcam and N803's
other things to help..power conditioners, cords, etc I read about from you all.

If I buy the CD LAD, do you think it is best to try it with the 2150b instead of the SM 2 to see how that sounds as a total unit?
would there be a good idea on an amp to use with the CD LAD?
should I bi amp?
is the 2150B and SM2 a good match for the N803/CD23

what would you do...

I isten to mostly rock, guitar players, Clapton,Santana, Allman Brothers, also jazz,miles and coltrane etc and acoustic like Hedges,.

I definitely like to TURN IT UP
and really desire.....the sound to be clear and refined and powerful as I increase the volume when I know a great part is coming. That is why I am spending this money...I dont want to play it loud, and then hear imperfections that get in the way of the total love and passion of the music playing.

thanks
128x128turnitup1234
turnitup1234's avatar
turnitup1234 OP
5 posts
 
I bought the N803 and Arcam CD 23 on saturday, runing them with the Perreaux, sound great, but not where I want it to be..yet. WHen I turn it up...it is almost there...but not where I want it to go...at least yet!...
SO, I will do what was suggested, play with the system, move speakers around, this and that,
I also have the CD LAD, I get to demo it for a while. So , the option remains, keep the Perreaux or get an amp to match the CD LAD..etc. by the way:
the Perreaux 2150 B amp produces
200wt at 8ohms and 400 watts at 4 ohms.
The SM2 is great too but there is no remote control. bought in 1984.
It is time for me to have this luxury. so my friends, will let you know how it goes, and will enjoy the music thinkin of how cool this all is...I will say high level recordings on some of the CD's I have sound awesome, and the CD's that arent so good, sure sound not so good.
any ideas on plinius/perreaux please let me know.
take care
Mitch
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Mitch, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun. Welcome back into the game after being out so long!
ffontan
65 posts
 
Try some of the newer Perreaux amps. I know this may get tiring as I keep recommending them to anyone who asks, but Perreaux's newer lines are very impressive. Great sound, great build quality. A whole lot of power, and high damping factor which keeps the speakers under control at all times.
turnitup1234's avatar
turnitup1234 OP
5 posts
 
any thoughts about my 2150B and SM 2

I feel they are not the best match for the N803.

I have been emailing Martin and Clinton at Perreaux, they recomended the Radiance.

I have the Plinius CD LAD to demo, any opinions on this.

Thank you for your imput..really arreciate it.

Mitch
ffontan
65 posts
 
I'm not familiar with older Perreaux amps. I started in this audiophool hobby only a couple of years ago. Now I've tried a couple of Perreaux current amps and they have all been impressive in every respect. They sound great, great dynamics, the best bass I've heard, clean highs, very natural midrange....and these things are built like tanks.

If before getting these speakers you liked the sound of your amps, I'd recommend trying a more current one, like the Radiance; I also like the 200iP a lot, so I'm guessing the separates from the Reference Line must be really good too. The 200iP has a little bit more of a sound of its own than the Radiance. The difference is slight, but is very likeable. The Radiance is more neutral, almost like that straight wire with gain ideal...

The damping factor(which would typically tell you about how good can an amp control a speaker load) of Perreaux amps is really high. There is nothing muddy sounding about the ones I've tried. Again I haven't tried your amps so I can't comment on them.
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