alon model 5 mk 2

Norman, I don't have any experience with the Stratos or Sim. I'm sure they're both very good amps, but I encourage you to audition a pure Class A amp if you stay with solid state. -Mark

While I don't have a pair of the Model 5's, I do have a pair of Model 1's and a pair of the Lotus SE mk ll's and found that both models benefited from using MIT2 Bi-wire speaker cables and another option is AQ DBS Bi-wire cables which really brought my Alon 1's to life.

I agree about the tube amplification but if care is taken, one can get away with SS without too much loss. I am getting VERY good results with a Sonic Euphoria PLC passive preamp driving a Pass Labs Aleph 3 via AQ DBS Bi-wire Volcano speaker cables upgraded to 48VDC DBS/Alon 1's.
The Lotus' were/are being driven by a refurbished EICO 2050 integrated amp with spectacular results. There is a magic that vintage iron and Alnico have that is hard to deny :-) (The 2050 just needs a new PS FE cap to bring it back to life which I have on hand but have been away on business)

I have the Alon Black Orpheus Tri-wire cables and while it is better to use the tri-wire harness over using jumpers, the MIT and the AQ cables bested the Black Orpheus in all areas but the results may be different if different amps/IC's/system were used.

Cheers,

Nmmusicman

The Alon Vs can be tricky. They sound pretty good with a wide variety of amplification but they can sound truly outstanding with certain amps.

I used the solid state Herron M150 mono amps on my Alon V MkIIs with the tubed Herron preamp VTSP1a-166 and it was an outstanding, natural, highly musical combo. I learned later that Keith voiced the 150s on his Circes. I can't recommend Keith's gear enough.

In general Alons/Nolas really sing with tubes. But the Herrons have a good deal of that "inner fife" of tubes amps and sounded wonderful with the Alons. The tubed VTL450s sounded fabulous, but I couldn't afford them. And the Herrons were better on the bottom end.

I used the Black Orpheus tri-wire, which was OK, and also Coincident, but liked best of all the TG Audio wire Bob Crump made up for me. Tri-wirung is the way to go with the Vs IMO.

the preamp/poweramp mentioned are good as i am not experienced with a lot of gears
i just sold the monarchy se 100 deluxe which is 100w mosfet
class a cause the bass is not as weighty as the odyseey and i cannot afford to keep the amps
any good pre/power combo which has high performance/price ratio
norman

I tried for years to get the V MkII's to sing with a variety of components. I actually upgraded those speakers to above the Circe level with all new Alon alnico drivers, internal wiring, and a pair of Carl's outboard crossovers that according to Carl "contain more expensive components and are better than the Circe crossover." It just wouldn't happen for me, even when using a tubed preamp. They simply sound better with tubes, and I didn't want to go to a tubed amp. They also like power. I would suggest a tubed amp of at least 100 wpc (more would be better), and probably a tubed preamp also. As a hint, I believe I read that Carl likes the ASL Hurricanes.

I finally sold my pair of V's to achieve better dynamics in the midrange/mid-bass region, and a better mid-bass to bass transition. The V's caused a distinct mid-bass hump in two very different rooms I used them in. Carl began using two bass drivers in the Viper (I believe with staggered crossover frequencies) to remedy that issue. Reactions to the Alon/Nola speakers seem to be that users either love them, or prefer a different type of sound. The latest review in TAS of the Viper Reference explains the sound pretty good, and still applies to the sound of the V's.

Finally, I find Mingles' quote from Carl interesting since Black Orpheus uses a different connector for the bass run than for the other two runs, but I am sure it is voiced for the speaker. A used set of those should be inexpensive and should work fine. Good luck.