2 years ago when I tried different amps on the Blades I noticed better dynamics at low to mid volumes right away. For me it was worth it.
15 responses Add your response
You can see by pricing how when someone wants them gone the price is nice. Take advantage of a great deal then if you decide you don't like them they can be moved along at a reasonable loss. Class d is a whole new realm. Try it and see. however if you can try a meaty A/B design beside it the class d will go away but at a pretty expensive increase.
My experience with blade 1's was super positive sonically however the amps being used really did work hard to get there. |
All newer ohm CLS drivers have separate tweeter crossed over fairly high though technically not a “super-teeeter”. It’s a good size L shaped room. 5xxx 12” CLS drivers have 4 3 way tone controls provided on outside of can. One is for low bass or room size. So they can be adjusted for room sizes large to small. |
Premium GaN 6.5 here:
https://classdaudio.com/product-category/collections/two-channel-gan-amp/
was listening to this combo all afternoon today. I have to say the sound is near impossible to fault, pretty well up there in all aspects. Check out the review of older model on Enjoy the Music web site. The reviewer nailed it pretty well. |
I hope to audition the Atma-Sphere class Ds in the next week or so. I’ll try to remember to report back here my findings. If I like them, I’d use them in a 2nd system which is a more intimate setting. Musicality first. Authority and impact are not unimportant, but secondary considerations. @mapman - didn’t know you had a pair of Ohm Fs. I had a pair I bought used about 1983. Loved them but they required so much more power than I had at the time (a David Hafler 100w/channel amp which struggled) with the roughly <80 db sensitivity. I’m actually considering a pair of the new Ohms for a small system - I think they could be fun. But I have fond memories of the Fs. You mentioned driving them with class Ds. May I ask which amp? |
@kr4 1! The OP should consider a pair of the Fosi V3 Monos with the 48 volt power supplies. These are giant-killer Class D amps. Spending thousands of $$$$ on those other amps is IMO a waste of money. |
Mola Mola Class D amps are very old and expensive for no reason. Bruno P. is long gone and now at Purifi. They may have new Class D amps, but I am referring to the Bruno designed $16k amps. I bought my amp with the plans of getting the Blade 2 Meta to pair with it. My CODA #16 is a great amp and would be great with the Blade 1. There is a guy local to me selling an almost new Blade 1 Meta (see USAM), I was tempted, since I have a perfect amp for it, but decided to keep my speakers. The KRELL XD Duo amps sounded great with the KEF LS50 I had before, and I bet it would be great on the Blade (the Duo 300XD and above). Though it is hard to recommend KRELL with the uncertainty about the company’s viability. Great Class A sound without the heat and the fans were never an issue for me. Another amp that I think would be good on the KEF is the Schitt Wotan for $2k. Give it a try for 15-days and maybe save a lot of money. I have one for my office system and while it is not as good as the #16 on my Livingroom speakers, it was very good and great for the price. Very strong bass on this beast. I think @kr4 used Benchmark AHB2 on his Stereophile review. I also had AHB2 monos and while I loved it for certain speakers it is a polarizing amp. I think the Blades are 6 Ohm and the AHB2 monos are best at 6 Ohm (I think). I think the stereo AHB2 is better on 2 Ohm speakers (like the Thiel CS3.7 I had). Today, for a similar sonic presentation as the AHB2, but with a more musical sound, is the SimAudio 761 North Collection amp. All these amps I mentioned sound different, but all would be a proper match with the Blades, it would depend on your sonic preferences. For me, the CODA #16 and the SimAudio 761 would be the 2 amps I would like to have in the house to rotate with the Blades. I have tried a few Class D amps. I would use Class D on my office system, if I did not love the Wotan, but not Class D on the Blades.
|
