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What makes you build a system around an amplifier?

Serious question. I almost always care about the room and speakers first, then build around that. However, this is not the only way to do things.

If you have ever insisted on keeping your amplifier, but were willing to change everything else around it, please let us know why. What made an amp so outstanding in your mind that it was worth making it your center piece. Imaging? slam?

Be specific about the amp and speakers or other gear that you shuffled through.

Thanks!

E
erik_squires
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Atmasphere,
You present a very rational explanation for selecting an amplifier "then" choosing an appropriate speaker match. I’ve done it either way over the years but discovered that at least for me deciding on the amplifier first proved to be most sucessful.

I also acknowledge that  this option puts me in the distinct minority in the audiophile community but that’s okay with me. What you wrote mimics my thought process in beginning with the power amplifier. Again, most will find eventual success with either approach. 
Charles
wolf_garcia
6,783 posts
 
Hey…you asked...My current favorite amp (by a mile) is a Dennis Had "Inspire" Fire Bottle SEP (pentode) HO (high output, and the only item ever in my gear heap that says "HO" on it). Bought it on a whim when a slightly used one appeared, and it's been big fun…extremely sensitive (in a good way) to any tube swapping including rectifiers, only has 4 tubes so less cost to roll everything, is the cleanest and quietest amp I've ever used in a system, and has that sound that I personally got tired of hearing about…until I bought this thing…one of the few times the hype (mostly from Had himself in his Ebay rants with misspellings and unbridled enthusiasm) held up to the product. Note that I've realized in my enthusiastic support of these amps that they're nearly unobtainable relative to other stuff…somewhat randomly marketed on Ebay whenever he cranks out another one, although his well regarded headphone amps can be bought through Moon in NC. I bet Shindo and Audio Note amps sound great, but at 1500 bucks or so the Fire Bottle is so laughably inexpensive for a "boutique" hand wired and well thought out amp it makes you wonder how the other guys get away with selling their stuff for many thousands more.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,187 posts
 

An amp and a speaker make a "system", no matter what two they are. They are intrinsically, interdependently-related to each other. A particular speaker prefers (or even requires) a certain "kind" of amp, a particular amp performs better with certain "kinds" of speakers. An actively-driven speaker, a speaker with a dedicated power amp, is a really good idea.

Roger Modjeski of Music Reference is now offering an ESL of his own design and build, with a dedicated direct-drive tube amp---the amp has no output transformer, the ESL no input transformer, the ESL panels driven directly by the output tubes! THAT is the ultimate, perfectionist way to do it.

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atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,116 posts
 
Roger Modjeski of Music Reference is now offering an ESL of his own design and build, with a dedicated direct-drive tube amp---the amp has no output transformer, the ESL no input transformer, the ESL panels driven directly by the output tubes! THAT is the ultimate, perfectionist way to do it.
Its a way that can yield excellent results but I would not call it perfectionist. If you encounter any circumstances that mean a change is needed (such as more power, want deeper bass, etc.) you have to start over from scratch.
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