Suggestions needed for an SS Stereo Amp w/+175wpc

Dante,

In your search a useful strategy might be to go with a stereo amp that is bridgeable into mono. That may lower the cost initially but also provide the option to add a second similar amp later and double the power but only if needed. I may well end up going this way myself

Mapman,
Thanks, but eventually that may bring me back to the same space problem that I have now, no?

Dante,

Yes, it would probably take up more space, depending. so maybe not a good idea in your case.

Dante

If you're looking for a high power, compact amp to drive Ohms, I'd consider the Bel Canto (or similar ICE power designs). I've (briefly, but successfully) used their 150 WPC integrated with my Ohm 100s in a space similar in size to yours. I don't know, however, how your 1000s compare to my 100s in terms of sensitivity, or whether there would be any impedence matching issues with their power amp and your preamp(though I don't know why there would be).

Good Luck

Marty

Bob_reynolds: Do you have any idea what the output impedance is for the Carver amp? In the Sunfire amp Bob placed a 1 ohm resistor in series with the output and labeled those "Current" to provide a more tubish sound. I wonder if what you experienced with it versus the MF amp was the frequency response modification caused by the interaction between the amp's output impedance and the speaker's impedance.

Good point, Bob. I'm just about certain that the M4.0t was designed to emulate the sound of Carver's exotic Silver Seven tube amp. So it most likely did have a highish output impedance/low damping factor, with probable adverse effects on the bass, and increased sensitivity to variations in the speaker's impedance vs. frequency characteristics. And I don't think that on the M4.0t there was a choice of "voltage output" or "current output" as I believe was the case with the Sunfire's you referred to.

Mapman: It could be that the lower bass levels were just more noticeable as deficient at lower volumes. At high volumes, the rafters could be shaken by the 360 w/ch without any major tonal balance issues that I can recall. The differences in specs between Carver m4.0t and MF A3CR I recall that I could attribute this to were the power rating into 4 ohms, the damping factor, and/or the current levels available.

This strikes me as very likely. The bass weaknesses of the Carver would have been more noticeable at lower volume levels because they would have been accentuated by the Fletcher-Munson Effect, which GREATLY reduces the sensitivity of our hearing to deep bass frequencies (and also very high frequencies) relative to mid-range frequencies, when the overall volume level is low.

Martykl: I don't know ... whether there would be any impedence matching issues with their power amp and your preamp (though I don't know why there would be).

There wouldn't be. The preamp's 25 ohm output impedance is very low, and I suspect would be fully compatible with the input impedance of any power amp known to man (or woman). It's provisions for adjustable sensitivity on each input should also make it possible to avoid gain mismatches that might otherwise result in having to use the volume control near the bottom or top of its range.

Regards,
-- Al