2. amps-preamps
  3. 1441061124

Sanders magtech or odyssey kismet

I am looking for a "last amp purchase" one I can keep for 20+ years and pass down to my son someday.
This probably won't happen, but it is a very good possibility.

I have gone through numerous over the years, with fairly bad luck with them, UNRELIABILITY!

I have narrowed it to these two amps. I know they are both very good.

I would like thoughts on them from other audio people as yourselves.
Before you say these speakers suck, I wanted to say I auditioned A LOT of different ones before settling on these. I use energy rc-70's, only about 45-50 hours on them, nowhere near broken in yet. I LOVE their sound, period.

People say these amps are too good for the speaks, I think not.
Maybe sanders preamp.

I have heard magtech sounds thin, and others say it's amazing.

Anyway, what's your thoughts on odyssey kismet monos or sanders magtech. Thanks
arcticdeth
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,097 posts
 

That’s the kind of thing I’m wondering about Rodman. I have a PS Audio 200C that’s okay, but it’s "only" 200w/ch @ 8 ohms and 400 @ 4. I’ll try it first, but have been warned the Tympani’s can use and may require a lot more than that. Tympani aficionado Satie over at Planar Speaker Asylum uses a 2500w/ch @ 4 ohms (!) Crown on his (with a tube amp on the M/T panels), and says it sometimes clips! The bass panels will be used up to only about 250Hz, so I don’t need (or want to pay for!) great sound above bass frequencies. I’d love a Sanders amp, but don’t have an extra five grand laying around just for a woofer amp.

I haven’t heard the current Crown amps, or any since the DC-300/A and D-150, a long time ago. I know the Current Crowns aren’t audiophile approved, and for good reason. But why would a current one (no pun intended ;-) "lose" the low frequency ambiance in a recording?

rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
@bdp24- I’m not crazy about typing, so I’ll try to keep this brief. Never having owned Tympanis, I’ve nothing concrete to offer there. I’m powering two SEAS L26ROY D1001s for bottom(X @ 250Hz/10th order), so the only commonality is a 4 Ohm/ch load. From some of your other posts, I’ve gathered you have a familiarity with live music in live venues and the sound. SS amps are generally good with initial transients and not as good with decay and bloom, until their prices/quality increase. Without getting into tube vs bi-polar vs MOS-FET, I’ve personally found the later to be a good compromise. The cues as to the volume and height of a recording space depend on an amp’s ability to convey each instrument’s sustain and decay, reverberating into that venue. I always recommended Crown(back in the day), for live reinforcement, do to their dependability/ruggedness and ambiance was(of course) generated within the venue. Regarding a current SS amp that won’t break the bank, Odyssey(as I mentioned earlier) offers some that would serve you well, probably better with their PS upgrades, given your need for juice. Don’t go too cheap and rob yourself of realism. btw: I often wonder about the power ratings stated by some manufacturers, not given in RMS.
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
@bdp24- @bdp24- Here’s an item of interest, if you can stand the fan noise or have a closet for isolation: (http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAFLER-Pro-500-Power-Amplifier-Two-Channel-225-watts-per-channel-25062/17217...) I used a DH500 for bottom end, 20+ years, with great results. This one already has polypropylene caps, on it’s board.  btw: Don't know if it will be an issue, but- most of your, "pro" amps will have XLR and 1/4" inputs, rather than RCAs.  Not hard to modify, but good to be aware.  I was glad my 9505 had all options
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,097 posts
 
All right, thanks. I've done some more digging, and it looks like there are different levels of Crowns these days, with different designs, power supplies, etc. The fan noise the Pro amps are notorious for possessing would rule one out for me anyway, so I'll just hafta find a brute amp from a Hi-Fi company at a bargain price, something like a Parasound A21.
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
bdp24,
your post referencing member Satie & his amp output power was indeed illuminating to me.
yeah, the Tympanis want some real power, eh!

PArasound is a good choice for a brute amp at a reasonable price. Here are 2 choices that might fit:

https://www.parasound.com/vintage/hca2200.php

http://www.parasound.com/vintage/hca1500a.php

needless to say they are both discontinued but the HCA in the model number tells its a high-current output esp. the 2200 - 2 toroidal xformers.

this one might be even better:

http://www.parasound.com/vintage/hca3500.php

but I think the best route for you is very likely a class-D power amp - small size & most of them can output large wattages. Seeing a 500W/ch into 8 Ohms in a diminutive size is quite the norm these days. If you are looking for 2500W/ch into 4 like Satie has you are going to go broke if you try to get a class-A/class-AB amp. The only amps that i know of that output such large wattages are frightfully expensive (think Boulder, MBL, Rowland's new Daemon integrated, Gryphon).  
More to discover