2. amps-preamps
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Amp Recommendations for Acoustat 1+1s

Hi all,

I juat scored a beautiful pair of Acoustat 1+1s in an auction last week (thanks AudiogoN!) and am looking for a suitable amp.

First, I have to tell you about the Acoustats. They were one of the last 3 pairs of 1+1/2+2s that Acoustat made. The owner was a friend of the folks at Windham Hill Records who were friends of Jim Strickland. They asked him to make three more pair for their personal use. Mine are in MINT condition with beautiful rosewood bases and brand new black socks ordered from Italy. They also have the latest "red" medallion transformers. I'm just smitten...Can you tell?

Anyway, I'm currently driving them with an Adcom GFA-555II and it sounds great, but I know that I could do better. I also know that the Acoustats are famously difficult to drive. That being said, I hear of people recommending everything from moderately powered tube amps to high current monoblocks. Do they need current (solid state) or voltage (tubes)?

I should also mention that my room is quite large. It's 25'X35'. The Adcom doesn't seem to have any problem driving them to concert levels and the "clipping" indicators on the front of the amp never so much as flicker. The amp also doesn't get particularly hot - although it does get warm.

I was thinking about finding an Acoustat TNT-200 since I know that it was designed specifically for the Acoustats.

So, what would you recommend (less than $1,000...the cheaper the better!) to extract the best from these speakers?

I appreciate your collective assistance.
gullahisland

Showing 1 response by tomryan

tomryan
797 posts
 
I think you need lots of current for the 1 + 1s. I had a pair in the mid to late 1980s and loved them. I also used an Adcom 555 amp but also used a Janis W1 subwoofer - made a huge difference as this freed main amp from a lot of work. With a properly set up sub (I now use RELs and run main speakers full range)and cut off point at around 70-80 HZ, you should be able to use a number of amps. I would stick with SS (yet Im a tube-a-holic) with these particular speakers but would seriously consider a good tube pre-amp and even no pre-amp - go passive - Placette Audio is an excellent choice and I use one with my 300B amp.

The 1 + 1s do not have much bass and what's there does suck up a lot of current. You will have a much broader range of amp choices if you get a good subwoofer and cut off the speakers at 70-80 HZ. I think lots of current is needed more than high voltage. Good luck, these are great speakers for a large room.
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