Amplifiers and Horn Loudspeakers

I own Avanatgarde Horn loudspeakers and have used primarily tube amplifers to drive them. However, I recently purchased Avantgarde's Model 5+ solid-state integrated amplifer that sounds very good. It runs in Class A for the first 1.1 watts. Other solid-state amplifers that I thought sounded good with my horns were the Pass Labs Aleph 3 and First Watt F-3. The problem with most solid-state amps driving horns is when you turn up the volume. The sound becomes very harsh. Using a good sounding solid-state amp with horns will give your system an adrenaline boost.

My Klipsch speakers, both KLF-20's and Chorus II's, sound very good with my Plinius 8100 (int. SS). I will tell you that they sound even better with my restored Eico HF-81 (int. tube).

Hope this helps,
Mike

I think you will find that most amps with specs like you state for your own will, in most cases, employ undesirably large amounts of negative feedback, a sonic no-no IMHO.

When I first got my A/G Duos, all I had in house was my Bryston 4B NRB so that's what I used 'til my Atmaspere M60s came in. 250 watts/ch, claimed to operate in class A up to about 15 watts and definitely swathed in global NFB. Great for specs but not so great for purity of sound.

undesirably large amounts of negative feedback, a sonic no-no IMHO.

The operational amplifier is used in almost every piece of analog circuitry under the sun. Operational amplifiers are employed in circuits using negative feedback to increase their linearity (accurately represent the input signal). The audio that you listen to has been recorded and mixed in studios and often mastered in another studio....the audio signal has literally passed through 100's of feet of wire and 100's of amplifiers, all with negative feedback, by the time it reaches you on an LP or CD. If negative feedback were even slightly audible then you have already lost the battle for good sound when you leave the record store with your purchases tucked under your arm!