Help with Acoustat Model 1 + 1


I recently bought a pair of Acoustat Model 1 + 1 with Hafler Mk121 transformers. I foolishly bought 'em without testing, and of course, the transformers were near-DOA, but I was able to get 'em repaired and the speakers working. However, I'm struggling with the following and would very much appreciate your counsel:
1. Am I best served leaving the transformers plugged in? Do they need to stay charged? They seem like an electrical fire waiting to happen.
2. I've been testing the speakers with a 150w/ch 80s HK integrated; high voltage/high current, but still need to crank the amp up to get decent volume level. Is it possible I'm underpowering even at 150w?
3. The Acoustat passive sounds marginal; will I encounter any special difficulty trying to integrate a modern powered sub?
Thanks in advance for your insights.
loomisjohnson
rrog, plato, thanks for the feedback. per your suggestions i had a buddy come by last night with a 450 w/ch carver pro amp, which although hardly an audiophile-grade piece, made a huge difference--it's clear i was underpowering them even with 150 honest watts. (a bit disconcerting when plugging in the amp makes all the lights flicker, however). the extra juice markedly improved the sub as well. quite exceptional sounding overall--narrow soundstage but eerie realism, detail, etc. i would be curious to compare them to a less challenging, power hungry speaker like the tekton or maybe zu, but these acoustats certainly do justify their reputation.
I am using Maggie 1.7s and recently added a pair of JC1 amps. These are good for 800 watts! I had read even these little Maggies need lots of power but I was not expecting the improvement over the Cambridge Audio power amp I had been using, good for 350 watts into the four ohm load. So I suggest finding the most and best watts you can afford.
Loomis,

You may want to experiment with tubes driving your 1+1s, especially if you have a friend who will loan you an amp(s). They won't produce the bass that that giant Carver will, but that 3-D magic will likely get even better. I've had various Acoustats for 30 years, switched to tubes from solid state 10 years ago, haven't looked back.

Richard
klinerm, i'm surprised that tubes would have enough juice--what specifically are you running your acoustats with?