Integrated Question


I currently have Totem Forest Signatures powered by ModWright KWH 225i. I have rolled a total of three different tubes (stock JJ, Holland, Seimans), and have found the bass to be less impactful than desired. It seems to be all there, just laid back? I am considering a change in integrated.

Looking at Pass INT-250, Luxman 509z, Accuphase E-4000, and Boulder 866. Any one with experience with the above combinations? Am I heading in the right direction?

non-treated room (unable to address at this time)

Ayon S10 II / ModWright KWH 225i / Totem Forest Sig / REL S510 pr / Shunyata D6 - Delta v2 pc’s / Morrow Elite sc-interconnects (auditioning Fractal F1 next week)

Thanks

Scott

 

amboguzzi

I’ve never owned or heard any Totem speakers but some internet sleuthing seems to show that, according to the manufacturer, the speakers have a minimum  impedance of 6 ohms.  That doesn’t seem to be a hard speaker to drive.  The trouble shooting guide suggests to check the speaker connection polarity if bass or imaging is an issue.  Maybe take some room measurements using a mic and software to see if you’re sitting in a null space.  My mic cost $100 (Umik-1) and the REW software is free.  I had one room with no treatment that had bass nulls where I was sitting but plenty of bass stacked up at the front and back walls.  My new room has been treated some and it helped clean up bass response.  However, I’ve taken some measurements that show a bump around 40-50Hz so there is more to do.  All that said I know you can’t treat your room but getting a good idea of what your room is doing before you spaff $$$$ on a new SS integrated might be worth the effort.  Once you know what the room is doing speaker placement tweaks might help as well.  Also, it’s only one 6.5” driver so are you possibly expecting more than what the speaker can reasonably be expected to deliver?

I had the Modwright 225i. It had a nice midrange sound but NO bass to speak of. I had to crank it up to 80% volume to get anything out of it. The speakers were Acoustic Zen Crescendo Mark 2. MAYBE I could have kept experimenting with different speakers etc. At 90% DB on the Crescendos, this amp should have played loudly. I was never more disappointed with a piece of gear. I did speak with another owner of the 225i who felt the same way. I hope this thread fleshes out the problem I had and vindicates the Modwright. 

I own kwi 200,no bass problems...I did own a pair of forests years ago as well.They were lively and probably some one of the best imaging speakers.As for amp i had with them paired with a simple sim 5.3.No problems.As JB and csmgolf said it might not be amp at all.Go get some Bela fleck and tell me theres no bass.Dan can design an amp and i would be very surprised if he overlooked such a detail as this...a phone call to him couldnt hurt,he listens.

My thoughts on a ModWright KWH 225i that I demoed were similar. It sounded great but it left me wanting more dynamics - laid back is a good way to put it. I also had an Ayon S-10 II. This unit transformed for me when I threw in some NOS tubes. Made a big difference.

 

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