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Adding another ARC AMP to Tympani - D-400 or 2x 100.2 (SS) ..or 2x D-150 (tube) ??

Hello All. I have ARC PRE SP6 and D-250 Mk-ll tube AMP, but going for bi-amp now.

Current 2nd market offer here in Europe allows me to choose among these three (as of now).

D-400 would go on mid-bass (great to keep my valve sound on treble) and seem to be the most appropriate combo. Well, Keep in mind this is not the MK ll version (1993). (Does it matter??)

2x 100.2 (or D-150) would go on treble section. 150 offers tube coherence,  100.2 is possibly more reliable, modern and precise? (I never heard any, l just trust ARC Zunreservedly

My Tympani system has 6+4 panels, another reason to prefer the D-400 capacity?

In case, l can hold on waiting for st else, anyway keep in mind that my budget is 2-4000$ max.

Yes, l love funk music played aloud, and chamber music sometimes.
gian54

Showing 3 responses by bdp24

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bdp24
10,096 posts
 
My first great loudspeaker was the original Tympani T-I, bought in 1973. I now have a pair of Tympani T-IVa, the final version of the speaker. I bought them knowing the outboard cross-overs had been gutted (all that is left are the chassis, no internals), but since I was intending to bi-amp them with an active x-o, didn't care. If you can find one (it is out-of-production), the First Watt B4 is a nice little x/o, very well designed, built, and versatile.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,096 posts
 

The T-ID has 3 panels per side, so how do you end up with 6 + 4?

The x/o between the midrange driver and the tweeter is almost always left as is, though some fanatics replace the stock parts with boutique ones of the same value. Separating the mid from the tweet electronically (and amplifying them separately) doesn't afford any improvement over stock.

When I said brace the bass panels, I didn't mean to each other (thought that IS a good idea), but rather to the ceiling or back wall. Another way to do that is with the Mye stands Grant makes for the Tympanis. Not cheap, but real good.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,096 posts
 

With 6 + 4 panels, you may have the big daddy of the Tympani’s---the T-III. A rare beast, congratulations! If not, what are they---T-I’s or T-IV’s with extra bass panels? By the way, the mid-bass produced by Tympani’s (and bass down to almost 30Hz if the panels are braced) remains the most life-like I have ever heard, though Apogees---which I have never heard---are reported to also do bass very well. I gotta ask you: how are you running all those panels without bi-amping them?!

Are you currently satisfied with the D-250 in regard to midrange and highs? The solid state D-400 and paired D-100’s are better used on the bass panels, if you want to keep an all-ARC set-up. Why not, it’s a classic! The D-150 remains a particular favorite with ARC enthusiasts, as does the SP-10 (Brooks Berdan owned that combination until the end), but the D-250 is no slouch. So if you’re happy with the D-250, just add whichever bass-panel amp you prefer. Or, put the D-150 on the m/t panels, the D-250 on the bass. Those bass panels can eat as much power as you throw at them; Satie over on The Planar Speaker Asylum feeds his T-IV bass panels 2000 watts a side!

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