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Assistance with Coincident set-up

I have Coincident Total Victory IV speakers with Frankenstein II 300b amps and a Supratek Cortese Preamp. The components sound very good but when I listen to classical music I would like to have a little more push when the music goes from a soft passage to something loud.
I don’t want to lose any low level detail , that the Frankenstein amp is known for, or as little as possible.
I have $4000-$5000 to spend on new or used.I can’t afford the Dragon II amps they are 10K, and that is out of the question but if I had the money that is what I would get.
My question is will a more powerful amp help or if I changed the preamp would that give the classical music a little more up front push? I want a remote control and phono with the preamp.The Coincident speakers and amps sound very good, My system never sounded so good , I hate to mess with it but if I can make the classical music a little more dynamic I’ll be all set .
I’ve only had two tube amps in the past one a 300b and the other a 45. Is there another tube other than the 300b someone can recommend ?
I’ll keep the Frankenstein until I can find and amp that has the low level detail of the Frank with more power.I may keep the Frankenstein forever it is that good !

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, my listening room is 12 feet wide and 17 feet long with 7.5 feet ceilings.

Abill
abill
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,249 posts
 
Abill,
My system is similar except I have the Total EclipseII speakers(possibly an easier load?) in a 14x 25x8 room that open into a 16x 25 space. I have no volume or sound pressure issues. However I do use the Coincident linestage which is a very powerful sounding with wonderful dynamic scale and gravitas. This linestage combined with the Frankenstein is superb! i most often listen to jazz,small combo and big band, both sound great. When I do occasionally play larger scale classical it handles it well, no congestion and maintains a sense of ease at 90-95db levels.

If large scale classical is your main music fare, then a bigger amp would likely fit your needs. The linestage will also make a significant difference. There are some trade offs,there are amplifiers with more power but may be hard pressed to equal what the Frankenstein does so well.
Best of Luck,
abill OP
80 posts
 
I agree with Onemuk , as I would think long and hard befor I let the Franks. I don't think I will ever let them go.

It may be my preamp, I was considering the Coincident but I need rca connections for my tuner, cdplayer and I also listen to vinyl.
I also like a remote control. I never used a preamp with dual volume controls. When I change the volume I guess I need to change them both ? It seems like a hassle, change both channels volume and keeping the balance between the channels correct ??

Most of my listening is 50% vinly, 25% cd's and 25% tuner ( TU-X1 ).

Thank you everyone for the excellent comments.
I may call Israel and dicsuss this.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,249 posts
 
Abill,
Another point, the initial production CSL had 20db of gain and this was far too much for my system. the current CSL has 10db of gain which is just right for me. If you`re interested give Israel a call for his suggestion concerning gain choices.
onemug
784 posts
 
I have not heard the Shindo preamp so I didn't comment on it. I've read it's a great preamp and I think I read that it has a high output impedance, maybe in the 1000's???. If that's true, you may benefit from another preamp. Synergy goes a long way.

No doubt that Coincident would be a great choice. I am very happy with a CJ ACT 2.2 and ART 3 for my pres. They do that "dynamic contrast" thing well. I enjoy their remote and there's plenty of rca inputs. No phono though, but I like the idea of choosing my own phono stage for that "synergy" thing. The "thing" is very big with me. :-)
maril555
619 posts
 
Abill,
I have auditioned Coincident Franks. with Coincident speakers (Pure Reference) on more, than one occassion, since I was going to buy that particular combo.
What was very clear to me, is that Frankensteins simply do not have enough power to drive these speakers adequately on dynamic music. I had exactly the same feeling, as you do.
All Coincident speakers have an efficiency rating of 92-94 dBs, which according to some measurements, is somewhat "optimistic", and even then, assuming the efficiency claims were accurate, there is no way in hell 6 Wt.of SE power is anywhere near enough to play dynamic music realistically.
My current speakers are 108 dB efficient and my amp is 25 Wt/Ch., and sometimes I get a feeling, that they could benefit from more power.
If you had a chance to listen to a speaker, similar to mine, you would understand, what "dynamic" really means.
And again, "dynamic" has nothing to do with the speaker's ability to play loud, absolutely nothing.
IMHO, i don't think you can address this issue with a different preamplifier, cables, etc.simply because, you cannot change certain laws of physics, there is no substitute for power in this particular instance.
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