Amplification for Wilson Watt Puppy 7s or 8s

Hello,

I owned WATT/Puppy a few years ago. The biggest problem of these speakers is limited dynamic range so you must use very, very power amplifiers.

I would suggest a bit more expensive preamp REX by BAT (if you like BAT sound) driving pairs of cheaper Spectron monoblocks. Every reviewer who examine this amps compare them with excellent tube amplifier. One of the reviewer who will publish next month another review sold his VTL Siegfrieds (and its better then 400 you target) and kept Spectrons for himself

Even cheaper and musically better is combination of Spectron with the latest Joule-Electra flagship amplifier, LA-300ME. I owned both LA-300 and REX driving my pair of Spectron into 802N speakers and I choose LA-300 but REX is fantastic too ( much better then 52 you targeted).

Finally, a friend of mine owns WTT/Puppy 7 which he drives with Spectron and ARC REF preamp (#1 or #2). I do not like this particular ARC.


Good Luck,
Rafael

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

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

"Dob, you might want to try it before you write off tubes with the WPs "

Hello AthmaShere: Both amplifiers I mentioned in regard to the sound of W/P were tube amplifiers: AEC Classic 60 (60 wpcs) and Equilibre (225 wpc)

I did so call "soprano experiments" to test amplifiers when I decided to change my old ARC 60: In other words when soprano coming to crescendo then all but Equilibre amplifiers (and I tested almost every tube amp under the sun) recreated her gorgeous voice as police siren - so many distortions was there at 2 kHz. Only Equilibre could show this voice(s) equally gorgeous at low and high levels and I grabbed it!!!!

" ....you could play it to a very nice volume and yet the VU meters on the amps hardly move "

As I am sure you are well aware, NAD experiments showed that human ear/brain is sensitive to musical peaks of even 3 msec duration and unless its heavy metal it will rarely be longer then 500 msec (may be less then 0.1% of recorded music). That means that while your ear/brain will register the peak (distorted or not)- your VU meter will barely move and I doubt if you could see its movement over just a few hundred milliseconds duration.

When I read your post I checked McCormack and Spectron specs - since the author of this thread is interested in these two amplifiers.

Most interesting is that at full output McCormack distortion level is 1% and Spectrons is 0.3% or 30 time better.

So, if he - in his testing - will stress his system with Mahler symphonies then.... I am waiting for his report !!!!

All The Best
Rafael

" i've also used SS - levinson and pass (XA.5)"

I, personally, don;t like Levinson but some Pass Lab amplifiers (besides being latest and class A) - if match well - can produce magic.

What Wilson speakers and what Pass Lab amplifier did you use? Without this info your statement is useless.

Thank you