Emerald Physics CS-2, Opinions Please

[Because you free up your SET to do only 1000 hz up really lets you hear what a SET is all about]. I disagree philefreak a SET can produce wonderful mid-bass-bass etc if loudspeakers are up to it and Ive built - heard many that are. You enjoy your system and thats the point but the above maybe right for you but not for me. I want a SET to run all and it can.

Almost too much to bear, eh Todd? Dont forget Kck ( happy CS-2 owner!)

Thanks for affirming your thoughts on the CS-2. Im very happy, but with an eye on Claytons new Mid priced DCX due out next month or so...but honestly, even if that were not in the picture.Id be perfectly happy with my sound.

George,

Great job with your set up. Knowing you have ( and have had ) a few nice set ups over the years..The Cs-2's are so very impressive indeed. 38 tubes!! WOW! Nice! I recounted in my own set up and tabbed closer to 23 tubes.....good tube amps do make a nice difference from some other nice SS amps Ive tried. I bet the Atma's and Bella's are excellent together. Happy listening ;-)

Gmood1 and Macrojack

Wonderful of you to say so...thanks for posting your thoughts...I do hope the OP will be able to try these out before too long.

Johnk, Totally agree with you... My opinion S.E.T. is totally wasted running a Tweeter alone with a fraction of a watt.. Way too much money, and capable amplification for such a task. The best Deepest beyond subwoofer type bass, mid-bass punch and magical mids I ever heard where driven by pure Low power S.E.T thru a Full range speaker, no bi-wire, no bi-amping.

I agree as well John. But, that said to get that 1000Hz down from the SET (IMHO) always required a horn bass. Which was big as a refrigerator and not very practical. Plus, the fact that a two way design with a passive crossover will suck up some watts. That's why anybody who have owned Altecs, older Klipsch, etc. found that they needed more power that they would have thought. I do wish the CS 2 would crossover at a lower point,say, 500Hz. Clayton's new reference he is designing will have a lower crossover I'm told. So, that will get some of that lower Hz magic from the SET amp. I would like to hear what you can build that would play the full range from the SET amp and have no compression, full resolution, and linear. I know the SET amp can do this and agree with you that it's the speaker needs to be up to it. I have no doubt that it can be done (by you or others) but, at what price tag? BTW, guys I'm not a speaker builder, designer. I'm just someone who has played with a lot of speakers trying to get the best out of a SET amp.I think we're on the same page but, just getting to the end result in a different manner.

Philefreak,
There is no doubt you need fairly efficient, and well designed bass drivers in a cabinet capable of air movement to get the magic of S.E.T. bass down as far as 10 hz. Some of the old' horns and klipsch with low excursion, not low tuned cabinets like most klipsch heritage series will not get you sub atomic bass, however I have heard 20 watt S.E.T do it on the right speaker, and totally kill 1000 watt subwoofers even, and the integration was so good that you laugh at using all the extra amps in the end..

I have done it all different ways, and found doing it right really requires one tube mono per channel, and you can get it all with some care and matching.. This is not always conventional or cheap however, so these Emerald physics can fill that void for those not blessed to use these options with full S.E.T power, and you can always force more low end response using DSP's and equalization to correct things in the design of the speaker or your room, win win, but takes more equimpment and more power switches to turn on and off!