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Amps for Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage

I have a pair of Stradivaris that I love, but I´m having a little trouble finding the right amps for them. My system consists of: Emmlabs CDSA SE latest version, Clearaudio Champion Level two/ SME V/ Benz Ruby, ARC REF3, MSB 202 monos.
I have driven the speakers with a set of Pass XA 100.5 before, but they sounded compresed quite quickly. The MSB´s offer more power than the 100.5´s and sound more detailed and airy, but also leaner and brighter.
I love detail and air, but I also crawe bass slam and body in the midths and highs. I absolutly hate lean and bright sound, no matter how detailed it might bee.
I have owned quite a lot of Krell gear in the past. I liked the bass of the ols stuf like the KSA s series + the first FPB stuff. The rest of the frequency range however, sounded rough and "solid state" to me. I liked the detail of the MCX 450´s, but they sounded to lean in the low frequences to me. I have tried tube amps as well, but I have not yet found a pair that did´nt sound like tubes in the bass region
So I am dreaming of a set of amps that delivers a full bodied, warm but detailed sound with bass slam and bass detail as well.
Any recomendations ?
NB: English is not my native language, so I hope for your understanding if my spelling is off !
0461
0461 OP
18 posts
 
Hi Johnb30,

How funny... I have also ordred a set of 160.5
Considred the 200.5, but I think they are to expensive compared to the 160.5.
As stated in the beginning of this tread, I had a set of 100.5 which I loved the sound of in combination with the Strads and the Ref3, but I felt I lacked power. So now I look forward to learn if the 160.5´s are powerfull enough.
onemug
784 posts
 
0461,

I'm curious as to when you had your 100.5s, how much were the needles moving when your Strads were sounding compressed?

I love the combo of Pass and SF. The 30.5 is one of the amps I rotate in to drive my Guarneri Homages in my home office. Hope the 160.5's do it for you.
johnb30
25 posts
 
0461:

The amps should arrive this week or next week...i will let you know about the sound. Also let me know if u listened to X200.5 and if the upgrade is worthing or XA160.5 is enough for Strads even at very loud levels.
What preamp and what loudspeaker cable and interconnects do u have ?
gfe
11 posts
 
Hi,
I have owned the Strad for a few years, I was using Electrocompaniet Nemo and it was working ok for me but not superb, however my Nemo amps was not upgraded to the latest version and there is most likely a different sound from the Nemo amps made in the recent years.
At present I'm using BAT VK 600 SE M monoblock configuration and are very pleased with the results, my front end is dCS Scarlatti (transport-dac and clock), but it was fine using the older Elgar+ stack as well.
I use kimber select 1130 and 3038 for the cables

I have no plan to change out the amps, the only disadvantage is the heat from the amps especially during spring/summer time.
So I reccomend these amps, there is more then sufficient power and finesse from my point of view.

Gfe
Norway
0461 OP
18 posts
 
To onemug,

The needles did´nt move much, even at high levels. But the bass became "floppy" and undefined. The timing became off beat, and the mids and highs lost body and warmth. The soundstage became compresed and the airy and transparent quality that I so love the Pass amps for, went out the window. Admitted.. I like to rock the house every now and then, but the above occured at to low levels to my taste. Before the Strads I had a set of Wilson WP6 and drowe them with the Pass amps to very high listening lewels with out problems... appart from listening fatiuqe ! The MSB´s I use now, are rated at 400W in 4 ohms, and they deliver more bass control and air at high listening levels than the XA 100.5 did, but with less warmth, bass slam, and midrange body.So at the end of the day, by ordering the 160.5 I hope for the 100.5 sound, but with more V8 tourqe and power.
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