@jdl57 If your Sound Labs have the original toroid backpanel, there's a tweak you can do that makes the speakers a lot easier (and better sounding) to drive! Alternatively you could get the new "Toroidal 2" backpanel that pretty much does the same thing. If you really want to hear what ESLs do, traditionally since the Quads first appeared, ESLs and OTLs have been the way to do it. If your Sound Labs are so old that they have the original EI transformers for the high frequencies then they are already easy to drive, unless the bias controls are damaged which is very common with the older Sound Labs.
How far have ss amps really come in the last twenty years?
I have owned and enjoyed my Jeff Rowland model 8 ( recently modded and upgraded by Jeff to the last version) for many years. I recently had the opportunity of comparing it ( after mods) to a few of the current ss models from Gamut, D'Agostino, YBA, Parasound, Sim audio, CH precision, Constellation,PS audio,Pass Labs and Musical Fidelity. The results were very interesting, because to my ears and in the systems that we did the comparison, the Rowland held its own against all but the most expensive D'Ag and CH amps. Even those were only very slightly outclassing the Rowland in the areas of top end resolution...and a tad in the bottom end resolution. Now the thing is that the last revision to the Rowland 8 was designed by Jeff over ten years ago!
So, my question for those more technically inclined than myself is...how far has the design of ss amps come in the last ten...or even twenty years?
So, my question for those more technically inclined than myself is...how far has the design of ss amps come in the last ten...or even twenty years?
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- 151 posts total