Using tube amp with electrostatic speakers.
I had a pair of ML SL3s for years driven with an Audio Research V70 and then a Ref 110. Ideally you would want at least 100 wpc to drive the SL3s properly. I don't think the Cary Rocket 88R would be powerful enough. The SL3s will tend to sound closed in without enough power. I had a pair of Cary SLAM monos in my system for a while. They drove the SL3s without a problem. But I will be honest, my V70 was a much better sounding amp. |
If you plan to use Martin Logans with a tube amplifier, you will want to investigate getting a set of ZEROs (www.zeroimpedance.com). These will help that tube amp play the speakers without high end rolloff. |
It’s not like the end of the world will happen if you go with tube gear, and different tube gear will yield different results. If you randomly picked out a half dozen beefy solid state amps and equal number of beefy tube amps though, you might find 1 tube amp really does justice to the midrange and treble they are capable of, while almost all the solid state amps would. However, if you are up for the challenge, you may very well find something you really like. :) Personally, I would try to make my life easier with a nice CJ pre and a very solid SS amp, like a Sanders ESL for instance. That's just me, and my lack of desire to look very hard though. :) Best, Erik |
