Legacy Speaker Owners Assistance Request

Tom, glad you are finding the conversation helpful.

Over the years pretty much the listing of amps above; I tend to work with pairs of stereo amps especially if they can be bridged to Mono. I do so because some of the speakers I use are only single wire capable and others are bi-wire capable, and the Whisper is tri-wire/tri-ampable.

I used the Cambridge Audio Azur 840W a fair bit for the bass; I had two of them and bridged them to Mono, something like 800+ wpc. But they throw off a lot of heat, fyi. I'm currently looking for a new amp for the bass.

I have two Innamorata which are superb, and I thought of buying an Akasha just for the bass for the Whsiper; that's a sizable outlay primarily for one task as it would not be needed for any other installation. I am considering options for an alternative class D amp which could be stout enough to use as stereo amp for other speakers, perhaps 500wpc to 1,000 wpc. I would also consider monos.
It's been a couple years since I did some serious comparisons of Class D and it's about time again. That may sound contradictory to my statement about not wanting to be locking in with a class D amp for the bass, but I need flexibility in cables and for other rigs. Based on sound alone I would not hesitate to add the Akasha simply for bass, but I have to consider varieties of systems and other utilization.

Regarding speaker cables, the two brands I have used the longest are WireWorld and Clarity Cable. If I use WireWorld I typically will use a mix of the silver and copper cabling. I place passively networked cables in the same category as power conditioners/filters; in my experience they alter the signal in some respects which might be considered beneficial, but also damage it as much as help.

Yes! Enjoying the ongoing Doug!

Regarding new D class.

I have been investigating non ICE powered for the W-HD.

So far the Anthem M1 (1000@8 & 2000@4) seems to be getting some good ink.
Also the Pascal is also garnering favor from the DIY'ers.
Others are Ncore based and numerous. prices can be stiff on some though.

Been thinking 1-M1 and an Innamorata per W-HD might be worth a try if the impedance is matchable.

Also looking at used Krell FBP600 for the bass amp. Again, if it can match impedance.

Thanks for the Innamorata input! I have read all that is available now.

Thanks for the wire info also> What gauge would you recommend for low range and also for the mid/high?

The runs will be quite short: 3-5ft

The longest interconnect runs will be to the rear amp(s) and rear sub. That will be up to 20ft!

A little concerned about signal degradation at that distance.
Any Thoughts on this?

Pre-amp: Some of the new pre's I have been looking at offer variable input/output gain management.

he new CODA 7x has great specs for this and multi out's.

But also been considering VTL 7.5 and ARC 40th/10 for two channel??

This is too much fun!!!
Kindest Regards,
Tom

Tom, whichever amps you buy, most will be well within tolerances for impedance that you can switch them from Bass duties to M/T duties. Be sure to try them out both ways; you may be very surprised by the results.

Also, do not believe the notion that with a processor you can mimick the precisely same sound as a different amp/brand, i.e. that you can put an el cheapo amp on the bass through the processor and get as good of sound as if you used a premium amp. I have conducted the tests and the quality of the amp shows itself even when a processor is used. If you like the sound quality of an amp, you likely will enjoy it used for the bass. You may get good quality with an active x-over and an inexpensive amp, but you will not get the same quality as with a finer amp.

My experience in cable has consistently been that more total gauge, i.e. 10, and copper conductors yield the best sound for the money. I find that the better sounding cables are superior across the frequency spectrum, not only for bass. Silver conductors have been tricky, potentially excellent in some cases, but overall thinner sounding.

If you are doing longer interconnect runs you will probably want to work with amps having balanced connections. I strongly recommend you use XLR/balanced interconnects for the longer runs, so your amps receiving the longer runs of interconnects will need to have XLR inputs.

More circuitry means more signal degradation. You may wish to consider a dedicated preamp for two channel listening.

Doug!
Thank again my friend!
I have been considering a good dedicated 2 ch pre for sure.
Been looking at ARC 5se and ref 40 used. any recommendations appreciated.
A 5.2 ch pro for mutli-channel and switch the wiring when necessary. No problem doing this at all.

XLR's for the runs to the amps for sure. But boy does it get pricey! LOL.

Also been looking at 10 ga OFC for bass and 12-14 ga OFC for M/T.

Owe you a big piece of smoked salmon!
T

Tom, I'm glad you're enjoying the process of building the rig. It is terrifically gratifying when one hears the result.

You don't have to switch the wiring with the 5.2 processor; just feed the two channels of the stereo pre into the inputs of the 5.2, but make absolutely sure the main L/R inputs are calibrated for the level of the stereo preamp feeding them! It's not hard to do. One way to ensure you never have an accident is to put the volume down entirely every time you use the stereo preamp when finished. Also, check that it is down before starting up any video, surround music, etc. There is slightly more degradation of the L/R when doing video but the benefit by not having to rewire to hear stereo music is important too.

I do that very thing; whatever I have as my stereo preamp for music I feed into the main L/R of the 7.1 Outlaw processor for surround AV. Works great!

I use 10 Ga for all drivers and typically have achieved superior sound across the frequ. spectrum by doing so.

Sounds like you're getting closer to your goal.