I just replaced my Classe 300 watt monoblocks with a new BHK 250 signature.Couldn’t be happier. The Classe’s were too smooth and I couldn’t tame the bass with the Classe’s. I stuffed the ports to try to tighten up the bass and I trimmed the bass level down using my new Mcintosh C47 preamp. With the BHK, I took all the stuffing out of the ports and took out the bass trim on the preamp. I get solid bass now and the mids/highs are excellent sounding. I’m using the Usher x-tower speakers Tri-wired from the BHK.
Still looking for an amplifier upgrade- but with a new twist.....
Hello,
I am back seeking advice. Some of you may recall that I wrote before looking for feedback to upgrade the amplification I was using to drive a pair of MagicoS1mk1. I am still looking for amplification but my journey, if we want to call it that, has had an unexpected twist- I changed speakers instead of the amplification.
To make a long story short, before I owned the Magcio's I had bought a pair Thiel 3.7's. I got a very good deal on them and took a chance hoping they wouldn't look too imposing in my room and for the overall decor. Unfortunately they did look a bit too outsized which is why I got the much more room friendly Magico's. After a long time that the Thiel's were just sitting there gathering dust I finally got ready to sell them. But for fun I decided to give them a last run in my system before I boxed them up and listed them. Well, I thought they sounded so good, with improved resolution, body, air and texture than the Magico's, which themselves are really engineering marvels considering what they can do for their size, that I decided to throw caution to the wind and just live with size.
Don't get me wrong, the Thiel's are hardly perfect. Apart from being cumbersome with what many would consider controversial looks, they can also have a somewhat hot upper midrange/treble. I this respect the Magico would probably be considered better balanced. But for what I value, the Thiel's give me a better sense of the nuance of the performance with clearer spatial cue's and a more defined impact of the leading edge of notes. To some degree I found them akin to the YG Hailey's I auditioned at a friend's house this summer. The Thiel's are not in the same league but they work for me- love them.
(Btw, as an aside I also recently auditioned the Magico A3's- a simply outstanding achievement and for that price? Unheard of! Expansive soundstage, bass, fullness- just great. The one fault is I found is that resolution and more subtle cue's are not much better than the S1mk1's- and I don't know about mk2's. But for everything else they are one of the greatest designs I have had the privilege to listen to).
Ok sorry, so back to the matter at hand. Right now I am using a Mcintosh Ma7000 integrated- however I have bypassed the preamp stage with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp equipped with NOS tubes. So in essence I am running what would be an upgraded circuit mc252 amp with the Primaluna pre-amp. The improvement over the standalone Ma7000 is very significant.
So if I were to upgrade from the Mcintosh what should I consider for a budget of about $5k (probably for second hand)?
What I am trying to achieve is much greater depth and layering of the sound stage.
I have a feeling that tubes would be the ultimate combination for the Thiel's but they are difficult to drive: they are 90db but with an impedance that drops close to 2Ohms for a not insignificant portion of the frequency spectrum. So the right tube amplification might be too pricey. At least at this stage I have not found anything that would fit the bill.
Going the ss route I have thought about the BHK 250's or a pair of Parasound Jc1's with high class A bias. Pass would likely be a good match but hard to find one of the higher powered models with enough current to drive the Thiel's within my budget.
Considering the Thiel's high frequency characteristics I think the Bryston's (7b3's?) might not make an ideal match.
I know that ultimately I need to hear the equipment for myself but hearing your thoughts has always helped me a lot.
Many thanks,
PLG
I am back seeking advice. Some of you may recall that I wrote before looking for feedback to upgrade the amplification I was using to drive a pair of MagicoS1mk1. I am still looking for amplification but my journey, if we want to call it that, has had an unexpected twist- I changed speakers instead of the amplification.
To make a long story short, before I owned the Magcio's I had bought a pair Thiel 3.7's. I got a very good deal on them and took a chance hoping they wouldn't look too imposing in my room and for the overall decor. Unfortunately they did look a bit too outsized which is why I got the much more room friendly Magico's. After a long time that the Thiel's were just sitting there gathering dust I finally got ready to sell them. But for fun I decided to give them a last run in my system before I boxed them up and listed them. Well, I thought they sounded so good, with improved resolution, body, air and texture than the Magico's, which themselves are really engineering marvels considering what they can do for their size, that I decided to throw caution to the wind and just live with size.
Don't get me wrong, the Thiel's are hardly perfect. Apart from being cumbersome with what many would consider controversial looks, they can also have a somewhat hot upper midrange/treble. I this respect the Magico would probably be considered better balanced. But for what I value, the Thiel's give me a better sense of the nuance of the performance with clearer spatial cue's and a more defined impact of the leading edge of notes. To some degree I found them akin to the YG Hailey's I auditioned at a friend's house this summer. The Thiel's are not in the same league but they work for me- love them.
(Btw, as an aside I also recently auditioned the Magico A3's- a simply outstanding achievement and for that price? Unheard of! Expansive soundstage, bass, fullness- just great. The one fault is I found is that resolution and more subtle cue's are not much better than the S1mk1's- and I don't know about mk2's. But for everything else they are one of the greatest designs I have had the privilege to listen to).
Ok sorry, so back to the matter at hand. Right now I am using a Mcintosh Ma7000 integrated- however I have bypassed the preamp stage with a Primaluna Dialogue Premium preamp equipped with NOS tubes. So in essence I am running what would be an upgraded circuit mc252 amp with the Primaluna pre-amp. The improvement over the standalone Ma7000 is very significant.
So if I were to upgrade from the Mcintosh what should I consider for a budget of about $5k (probably for second hand)?
What I am trying to achieve is much greater depth and layering of the sound stage.
I have a feeling that tubes would be the ultimate combination for the Thiel's but they are difficult to drive: they are 90db but with an impedance that drops close to 2Ohms for a not insignificant portion of the frequency spectrum. So the right tube amplification might be too pricey. At least at this stage I have not found anything that would fit the bill.
Going the ss route I have thought about the BHK 250's or a pair of Parasound Jc1's with high class A bias. Pass would likely be a good match but hard to find one of the higher powered models with enough current to drive the Thiel's within my budget.
Considering the Thiel's high frequency characteristics I think the Bryston's (7b3's?) might not make an ideal match.
I know that ultimately I need to hear the equipment for myself but hearing your thoughts has always helped me a lot.
Many thanks,
PLG
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- 29 posts total
@ unsound yes, i am well aware of the difference between volume levels and ideal operating conditions- particularly for a sub 3ohm load where the amplifier needs to be capable of providing adequate sustained current and also manage dynamic peaks. as such, do you have some suggestions based on what you know about the thiel 3.7's? @ ebm pass labs would be a very good candidate but finding a 250.8 isn't easy within my budget. what is nice about .8's is the higher class a bias vs .5. Considering the Thiel's are not an easy load having that higher bias allows for a bit more listening in class a before the amp needs to switch to ab/b. @ cedergrover Ideally finding a pair of mono's would probably be a great solution but it would be very tough to stay within budget. I would be tad concerned that the stereo version might strain a little. That said, the Hailey's seemed to work quite well- they are 87db with 3Ohm minimum but I haven't seen a full measurement with an impedance graph. |
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The BHK 250 is a great choice with it's tube front end. Here is one from a respected authorized dealer. https://www.highperformancestereo.com/power-amplifiers/ps-audio-bhk-stereo-250-power-amplifier-used.... If you have concerns about the BHK then go to the PS forum and ask users, the company owner and even BHK himself. Another good option is the Modwright KWA-150SE https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649472791-modwright-kwa150-signature-edition/ I know a guy on another forum that has used the Modwright with the 3.7's for several years and no issues. |
- 29 posts total