Bass of the Meadowlark Osprey


To those who own the Meadowlark Osprey, does the quality and quantity of the bass deepen after a certain amount of time? I love everything about this speaker except the bass, although they only have about 100 hrs on them and the company says it takes between 200 and 300 hrs - I'm wondering if that's true?

Also, I'm looking for an integrated amp to drive these, any recommendations in the $1000. used price range? I find it hard to believe tubes would do the job but I really don't have any concrete experience to base that on.

Any and all comments will certainly be appreciated.
Thanks
sedona
Hi. I own the Osprey and they do have amazing bass. However, they require the full 200+ hours before the bass begins to really open up. Room placement and acoustics is also important. Although the Osprey are fairly efficient( I believe 88db ) I feel they need an amp with lots of current to sound their best, particularly for deep and powerful bass output. I initially had two integrated amps driving them and had mixed results with them. I first had the Plinius 8200 Mk 1 and the bass was excellent with lots of current,providing great depth of bass. However, the overall sound was a little too dark for my tastes and the high end was a wee bit rolled off for my 50 year old ears. I then experimented with a Simaudio Moon I-5 integrated and everything went into reverse,lots of high end( excellent cymbal reproductions) and not enough bass. I recently took a gamble and sold both integrateds( I want to mention that both integrateds are extremely musical and for me if I could combine the best features of each that would be the ultimate integrated) and decided to go back into separates. I just ordered an Odyssey Extreme stereo amp and Tempest preamp, so I'm hoping this will be my dream set-up. I would imagine that the Plinius 8200 Mk II might just be the right integrated amp( if you rule out tubes and hybrids) as the Mk II version has a better high end extension as well as a bigger power supply for even more current. The Plinius also needs a good power cord and the Osprey( being time and phase-aligned) like the very best speaker cables. I am currently experimenting with some Acoustic Zen Satori and Stealth Premier II cables. Anyway, good luck in your search and I hope you enjoy your Osprey.
Don't know if this would help any, but I have the Shearwaters and they are similar to the Osprey, but only a two way. The bass, driven by my Classe CAP-80 is tremendous...its wonderful and Sherod is right, it takes a long time for the Meadowlark to start singin...

There are lots of classe amps up for sale.
best of luck.
I would love to hear about your impressions of the Osprey after they are broken in. I am currently in the market for a new set of mains and they are on my short list to audition. My amplification is a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 SE and my room is only 18 X 15 X 8. I think that they would be a good match for Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock, Classical et al. but I will have to see. Too many speaker options in this price range!!!!
Greg
I want to thank everyone for their replies - I am playing my Osprey's at least four hrs a day and hoping that at some point the bass will start to fill - I kept my Hsu sub just in case!
I owned the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III and they had plenty of bass although I am happier with the Osprey at this point - plus they look a heck of a lot better. I'm considering the Jolida integrated hybrid (1501) to drive the Osprey's.
Thank you for the comments and recommendations.