Emerald Physics CS-2, Opinions Please

I never said a SET amp couldn't do sub 1000Hz well. I was trying to say that I've never found a speaker that could do it correctly even though the SET amp was doing it's job perfectly well(like you said better than most other amps) I know what SETs are capable of. I beleive that power kills an any amp, tube or solid state. This is my opinion and only that. So, high power advocates please start another thread. That said all my favorite SET amps are 45, PX 4,and 2A3 output tubes. All are under 5 watts. So, It's unrelistic, and I've tried, to expect a 5 watt amp or under to run two drivers with a passive crossover to realistic levels. Realistic being 85/90 db without any strain what so ever plus, real bass and weight in the 30Hz to 1000Hz region. I know it can be done but, for goodness sakes. Look at the bass horn you'd have to have. I know and understand that a lot of you look at the CS 2 as cheating to acheive the results I'm getting or that they are capable of. I used to be one to not want any digital involvement at all or as little involvement with anything as far as that goes. Simpler was better. I just got a real digital source a couple of years ago. I've had cd players, just never took them serious. I can relate. Heck, I even got mad at tubes once and swore I'd never listen to tubes again! LOL! But, the magic (SETs) kept after me constantly as I was listening to other P/P tube designs and solid state amps. They could drive the dickens out of speakers! I could never get as involved in the music. I kept telling myself that this is accurate! So, when your talking 2 to 4 watts per channel you better have some serious speakers. After hearing the CS 2s everything just fell into place and since I've had them (CS 2) I've not bothered to upgrade anything and that's saying something for this old, never satisfied audiophile as myself!

Philefreak-I get your point. I do understand what you mean when speakers don't play to realistic levels and seem to just run out of gas. But in my experience, this usually happens at frequencies below the midrange when the speaker impedance begins to dip.

I threw out the comments about the pitch scale because I get a sense that a lot of audiophiles cannot relate a frequency given in Hz to real life. Middle C is well within the midrange and that's at 261 Hz. Human hearing is not linear.

I think a lot of the attraction that the CS2 offers based on the comments in this thread really stems from the dynamics that the CS2's offer. I find that the majority of audiophile speakers these days do a very poor job in the dynamics area and when one does find a speaker that offers dynamics the experience is eye opening. It is an experience much like the first time one hears a SET amp.

One thing that the CS2's are doing is showing the mainstream audiophile the wonders of a speaker that is not dynamically compressed. And that is a good thing.

I just find, much like Undertow, that there are plenty of speakers out there that can offer the lifelike dynamics. You just have to look in the right places.

I wouldn't buy anything that REG gives a GEA. He has a history of giving products a GEA and later saying negative things about them on his forum.

Hey Dan, curious to know which product(s) he did that for.

BTW, that sort of action reflects on REG much more than on the product itself, whatever it may be, as it becomes irrelevant when considered in that light.

My own experience with Robert Greene is that he doesn't join this or that product's "fan club"; he maintains an objective position. For example, he really likes the performance of the Gradient 1.3 and the Harbeth monitor 40, but is also well aware of each speaker's limitations and I'm sure would acknowledge them if the subject came up.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer