I own the legacy focus se speakers. I’m driving them with the Mcintosh MC452 amp. It is a great amp but these speakers are pretty efficient at 95.4 db and 4 ohm. The Mac is 450wpc. I’m considering going to Don Sachs Katoonay kt88 tube amp. It’s 65wpc. It’s spoke of highly on audiogon and other forums. I could sell the Mac, buy Dons Katoonay amp and have plenty of change left for other projects. Anybody here have experience with the focus se’s and tube amps in the area of 65wpc? I guess my main concern is bass control. I am very happy with these speakers and have no disire to change. Any info would be appreciated. Thx
I would think with the nominal 4 ohm rating it must dip well below that amount in the bass frequencies. So, I would say it would not drive the Legacy very well.
Check with Legacy and see what the impedance curve is. As I recall is does have a dip in certain bass frequencies with the rest of the range being a nominal 4-ohm load. Bill and the team will get you the most accurate info. You should also get specifics from the amp manufacturer you are considering when you talk with Legacy.
I am running a 300wpc Mac MC302 amp into a pair of 93.5db efficient speakers with powered woofers (1800 watt amps built in) and the sound is full and big. When I had Mac MC152 150 wpc amp the sound was good but not as full. I would keep your amp. Even though the meters may read only 30 to 40 watts on peaks, the dynamic headroom is there for macro and micro dynamics. I think you would be going backwards by going with the smaller amp.
I think the proposed amp will drive the Legacy's but the question is how well?
what has been said to date here is right on. the bass may not get the HP it seeks all the time.
Legacy sup will definitely put you on the right track, but do have all the bases covered about the proposed tube amp in hand when you reach Legacy. JIC and FYI.... I've said it here recently I heard a Carver 75wpc stereo amp drive a pair of KEF Blade IIs pretty dog gone well in a medium sized room and thought the basss then was remarkable considering the 75w per $2500 amp doing the pushing. Really.
the Blade 2s are not as effective though they may not dip as low as the legacy either. dunno. and that part is the ticket here I'm sure. find out.
This was a long time ago, but back then I had talked to Bill Dudleston about using tube amps with his speakers. His response was: "If you buy a tube amp, all you're getting is a box of trouble."
You can take this response with a grain of salt as it was several years ago. But just something to think about...
I ran A Cary SLP 98P pre with a Cary CAD 120' s driving Whispers and not a problem. Now I'm using 50 watt Canary M350 Mono blocks and again, not a problem. More than enough power. Plenty of bass. 26x12.5x8 room.
Thanks to all who have responded to my post. I’ll have don sachs preamp here in a few days. I’ve decided it would be best to listen to this pre and my Mac for awhile then decide what I’ll do. There is nothing wrong with the Mac mc452. I love the amp but have tube amps on my mind. Thx
Holy crap, where is @audiotroy when we need him? Maybe he finally got banned. Anyway, he's a Legacy Audio dealer and will likely have some good info for you.
I have the Legacy Focus SE's and when I got them drove them with a McIntosh MC2102 (105WPC.) They sounded very good but the bass was lacking. I have 2 ,18" subs and tried them with out the subs. The subs added allot. 100 watts is not sufficient for these. I sold the MC2102 and bought a pair of MC601's hoping maybe I would not need the subs. Even with 600 watts per channel adding the subs was still a substantial improvement. The net of this combo was a significant, even dramatic increase in dynamics from the MC2102 and an expanded sound stage. The mid bass punch is excellent and the overall presentation is just wonderful.
I was a Legacy dealer for a number of years and tried all different set ups with the Focus. The focus can sound wonderful with the right higher powered tube gear.Bob Carver for example. But if you like to play your music at higher levels solid state would be your best bet. 250W minimum Mark Levinson worked exceptionally well with the Focus.Even though the sensitivity is high they love power.
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