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Amplification for Wilson Watt Puppy 7s or 8s

Putting together a new system and would like feedback from those within the community who own Puppy 7s or 8s in particular. I am trying to narrow my choice regarding amplification from the following. Would appreciate your feedback regarding your experience using these in your system:

VTL S-400 Reference; VTL 450 monos w/ VTL T.L6.5 preamp
BAT VK 150SE monos w/ VK 52SE preamp
VAC Phi-200 monos w/renaissance preamp
E.A.R. 890 monos w/E.A.R. 912 preamp

My listening room is 25"L x 17'W x 12'T . I listen to all genres of jazz, blues, house music, classical, gospel and spoken word. Yes it is eclectic but I truly love all forms of music. From time to time I will turn the volume up quite high but this is the exception, not the rule.

I hope to acquire most, if not all, of the components pre-owned but well taken care of. If I need to buy new, I will as a last resort.
winston50
dob
577 posts
 
I respectfully disagree with Atmashere. I owned WATT/Puppy 5 and they had impedance dip at about 2 kHz doen to 2.5 Ohms. I used old Audio Reasearch classic 60 and I was happy but when I got 225 watts Equilibre tube amp from Audio Matiere (now Audio Aero) - then and only then I understood correlcation between specs and music

Current WATT/Puppy - "Sasha" dip at 100 Hz to 1.8 Ohm. So, to drive them with OTL amp...but not very well.

I heard Watt/Puppy 7 with Spectorns (not mine, I have 802D) and its was SPECTACULAR !!!

Lubes 3,
I never been great lover of DNA series amplifiers ( I always hear "glassy" highs there and with time it drives me literally nuts) but I did not audiotioned one you are having now.

Good Luck
Rafael
perrew
299 posts
 
Dob what was rest of equip when Spectron and W
p7s were good?
lubes3
35 posts
 
Atmasphere,

In my conversations with Wilson, they currently use Spectral amps to design their speakers. Don't know what they did in the past. Wilson also said that because the WP8s dip to 2.3 ohms at 80 Hz, they will certainly benefit from a high current amp, especially if you like some high playback levels, which I do entertian on occasion.

The McCormacks are sounding better, as they only have about 20 hours on them now. My Wilsons now have about 100 hours, so they are loosening up, as well. Bass is getting better. Ray Brown Trio has such a deep organic bass, solid, tight, yet punchy with great low-end resonance. Piano is also fantastic. I don't notice any glassy highs on the 750s, just the contrary. Very smooth and maybe forgiving at the top, though, Cymbals may not have the last word in detail, and vocals may not be as silky smooth as I remember the Spectron, when running 4 channels into my PBNs. Again, only 20 hours on the 750s.

I'll get the Spectrons on Tuesday, and hope to compare by Thursday.Unfortunately out of town Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Talk to you then.
Lubes3
dob
577 posts
 
Hello Perrew,

The preamp was Joule-Electra LA-150 Signature and front end Marantz SACD Player ( I can't recall the model number).

Lubes 3: I think I use word "glassy" as oppose to silky smooth, liquidity etc. But again, I did not audition the DNA-750 - they could be different.

All The Best
Rafael
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,967 posts
 
Dob, you might want to try it before you write off tubes with the WPs. There was a resonant peak that you referred to in the Watts at 2KHz, so Wilson installed a trap that set the impedance to 2 ohms or less. What do many transistor amps do with low impedances? They make more power as we all know. This exacerbates the resonance issue. Now put a tube amp on there and what do you get? The power goes down, and the tweeter resonance is controlled.

For some reason, the low impedance in the woofer range of the Sasha does not seem to bother our MA-1. It might be due to the phase angle, but in the system I heard you could play it to a very nice volume and yet the VU meters on the amps hardly move.
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