@crustycoot kinda what I was thinking, crust!
If you are set on a new amp, please check out Odyssey. Klaus builds fantastic gear ... I have a Kismet Amp that I will never part!
New Falcon ls3/5a Silvers in the house
I picked up a pair of new b-stock Falcon silver badge ls3/5a’s last week and have been getting used to them since then. I work in the city and have an apartment where I stay 4 days a week and my real home is a couple hours north where my main stereo system resides. So the Falcons are essentially in a 2nd system setup that is mostly near field. Streaming only right now which is an Ifi Zen Stream powered by a 12V LHY linear supply feeding a 30 year old California Audio Labs Sigma ii tubed dac (16/44.1 only).
My amp at home is usually the Van Alstine SET 120 paired with a Van Alstine RB10 tubed preamp. (And my speakers with that set up are Fritz Carbon 7 se mk2).
So I’m currently using my beloved old 1977 Yamaha CA-2010 to drive the Falcons.
and it’s actually a pretty surprising and sweet pairing. The Yamaha has a Class A setting which outputs 30wpc vs its normal 120. (Into 8ohms).
The imaging , the floating center voices , the textures and the superb bass in this near field set up are truly impressive. I’m so glad I made the impulsive purchase to pick up these speakers. And I’m really happy I have an amp that is driving them well… but… I do wonder if I’m leaving anything on the table by not using a different amp that is known to pair exquisitely with ls3/5a’s?
I’m not really in the market for a new expensive amplifier purchase but I am poking around at some used solid state amps (power or integrated) like Exposure, Sugden, Belles and also some vintage el34 or el84 tube amps .
Curious if anyone has any suggestions for something that would raise the bar from the vintage Yamaha that isn’t going to break the bank. I’m thinking in the less than $1500 zone … used market.
pics linked
thanks
JS
@crustycoot kinda what I was thinking, crust! If you are set on a new amp, please check out Odyssey. Klaus builds fantastic gear ... I have a Kismet Amp that I will never part!
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"I was considering the VT-70 as well..but thought the absence of 16 ohm taps on the transformers may be an issue. " That’s not an issue. I doubt that you would find any modern tube amp with 16 ohm taps. BTW, I’ve owned many LS3/5a type speakers ( including 15 ohm Falcons) and they are all oustanding with tube amplification! |