HA HA HA.... Not to laugh at your situation, but while i was reading your post, i was thinking that the Sunfire would do the job for you. You then wrote exactly what i was thinking.
The model that you are thinking of is simply called the "Sunfire" amp. It is marketed as a "load invariant" amp for good reason. The bigger, more powerful model is called the "Sunfire Signature".
Current is only part of the amplifier equation. Voltage, which the Sunfire design thrives on and supplies plenty of, is the other part. The fact that it is both a high voltage / high current design lets it deal with most "difficult" loads relatively easy. Keep in mind that the Sunfire can produce a LOT of power at lower impedances i.e. 600 wpc at 4 ohms continuously and 1200 wpc at 2 ohms for reasonable periods of time. While the DR-9 is a well built amp, it can probably only do about 200 wpc at 4 ohms and 400 wpc at 2 ohms. With what boils down to appr 3 times the reserve power, it is no wonder why the Sunfire sounds far less strained at equivalent volume settings when compared to the highly thought of but less powerful Classe'.
I ran into a similar situation with speakers that are 4 ohms and about 86 db's. I was bi-amping them with 400+ wpc on top and 500+ wpc on the bottom end. When "jamming", i could still drive the amps into compression. The sound would get smeary, hard, glaring, brittle, etc... ALL of those unpleasant words. Yes, it was LOUD but it was also distorted. I switched over to running the speakers full range from one Sunfire Signature ( 1200 wpc ) and the difference was quite stunning. The Sunfire Signature would play measurably louder and NEVER sound anything but relaxed or crystal clear. Turning up the volume just made it louder. The Sunfire NEVER seems to run out of steam or get "jumbled". I've heard the same comment come from several dealers, even some that no longer carry the line.
My suggestion is to look for a Sunfire or Sunfire Signature. You've already heard the combo and know that it will work for you. No sense in "fooling around" with other combinations when that one is already "battle proven" and within your price range. You might want to try contacting Jeff or Dan at JSV and see what you can work out with them. While i have no idea about the specifics or time frame involving your transaction with them, i've always found these guys to be very good to work with. I'm sure that they'll do what they can for you. Sean
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The model that you are thinking of is simply called the "Sunfire" amp. It is marketed as a "load invariant" amp for good reason. The bigger, more powerful model is called the "Sunfire Signature".
Current is only part of the amplifier equation. Voltage, which the Sunfire design thrives on and supplies plenty of, is the other part. The fact that it is both a high voltage / high current design lets it deal with most "difficult" loads relatively easy. Keep in mind that the Sunfire can produce a LOT of power at lower impedances i.e. 600 wpc at 4 ohms continuously and 1200 wpc at 2 ohms for reasonable periods of time. While the DR-9 is a well built amp, it can probably only do about 200 wpc at 4 ohms and 400 wpc at 2 ohms. With what boils down to appr 3 times the reserve power, it is no wonder why the Sunfire sounds far less strained at equivalent volume settings when compared to the highly thought of but less powerful Classe'.
I ran into a similar situation with speakers that are 4 ohms and about 86 db's. I was bi-amping them with 400+ wpc on top and 500+ wpc on the bottom end. When "jamming", i could still drive the amps into compression. The sound would get smeary, hard, glaring, brittle, etc... ALL of those unpleasant words. Yes, it was LOUD but it was also distorted. I switched over to running the speakers full range from one Sunfire Signature ( 1200 wpc ) and the difference was quite stunning. The Sunfire Signature would play measurably louder and NEVER sound anything but relaxed or crystal clear. Turning up the volume just made it louder. The Sunfire NEVER seems to run out of steam or get "jumbled". I've heard the same comment come from several dealers, even some that no longer carry the line.
My suggestion is to look for a Sunfire or Sunfire Signature. You've already heard the combo and know that it will work for you. No sense in "fooling around" with other combinations when that one is already "battle proven" and within your price range. You might want to try contacting Jeff or Dan at JSV and see what you can work out with them. While i have no idea about the specifics or time frame involving your transaction with them, i've always found these guys to be very good to work with. I'm sure that they'll do what they can for you. Sean
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