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Best tube amp for electrostatic speakers

For over 35 years I've almost exclusively used either ribbons or electrostats with solid state amplification and have been generally happy with the sound. Over the last several years, though, my hearing has become somewhat degraded and more sensitive to certain frequencies. The frequencies which seem to cause the most discomfort occur in the 1400 to 1900Hz range and come across as "bright" to my hearing. After researching this matter and having been given some expert advice, I've decided to pursue the idea of replacing my present amplification equipment with tube based gear.

The purpose of this post, then, is to solicit advice regarding the best approach to making this decision based on the following information: the current basic equipment is Shanling Solid state CD player, Peachtree Audio Nova used as preamp, two DBX 1531 EQ's to help compensate for age related hearing loss, Peachtree 220 amp, Silversonic T114 cable and Martin Logan Ethos speakers.

The listening area is our living room measuring 15 by 22 feet with my listening position 16 feet from the plane of the 2 speakers which are positioned 11 feet apart measured center to center. Located between the 2 speakers is an entertainment center which is about 9 feet wide. My listening interests are varied from solo guitar and light jazz to occasional orchestral music. I don't generally listen at high volumes and am not particularly interested in strong bass except for the rare action movie background.

Unless not advisable for some reason, I would like to keep the Peachtree Nova as a preamp because of the significant latitude for source connection and what seems to have a decent internal DAC. If this option would substantially defeat the purpose of the intended modification I would work around it. I can no longer deal with sounds that are "bright" which I now find uncomfortable but detailed sound is very important.

So, the questions are: is the move to tubes the best option and, if so, what might be some reasonably priced amps that could accomplish the goal. This, of course, would take into consideration room size, etc. for determining power requirements. If there are other more practical and less expensive options to consider, I would appreciate that advice as well.
broadstone

Showing 6 responses by bifwynne

bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
George, I agree with you in principle. But to my knowledge, there are not many tube amps with 2 ohm taps out there ... at least at the quality level of Ralph's Atmasphere or my ARC Ref 150.

I respectively repeat what I said above. Maybe the ZERO artifact is not a perfect fix, but the sonic benefits may well outweigh the sonic costs.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
George .... IMO, audio is about compromises. I just bought a DEQX PreMate to correct room effects and improve my speakers time coherence. The device is inserted between my linestage and amp. I am **NOT** happy about inserting any artifact into the signal path, least of all an active component like the PreMATE.

Having said that, the PreMATE adds more than it takes. Same point with Ralph's suggestion on using ZERO's. I think ML is crazy to design a STAT with .5 OHM impedance in the upper frequencies. Why not just short the amp??? If ZEROs can help, even if at some cost, the trade-off may be worth it.

Just sayin'.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
@Broadstone ... you may have caught some of my posts on another thread about the DEQX product. I mention it here because it may be a worthwhile tool for one to throw into their audio toolkit.

On the one hand, I am *NOT* thrilled that my DEQX PreMATE is inserted between my linestage and amp. It *IS* an artifact that must have some effect on the signal integrity. But having said that, the sonic benefits of the DEQX far out-weight its sonic detriments.

I mention the DEQX here because it might help smooth out some of the harshness that some say they hear with their ESLs ... heck any speaker. No ... the DEQX will not fix a serious amp/speaker impedance mismatch problem. But it will definitely help make a pair of very good speakers sound much better.

Plus, of course, there's the added benefit that the DEQX will correct, or at least mitigate, time incoherence issues with one's speakers. I surmise that ML ESLs are probably time coherent with respect to the acoustic spectrum handled by the STAT panels. But there might be some time incoherence between the woofers and STAT panels.

ZERO comments (pun intended) on the benefits (or not) of using ZERO autofomers. Gotta tell ya though ... .5 ohms in the high treble region .... not for my ARC Ref 150. Wouldn't even try it. No sir. Hard to understand how any amp (tube or SS) can even drive a near short.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
George ... right you are. The capacitive phase angle north of 2K Hz is less of a concern than the negative phase angle below 75 Hz, especially coupled with the low impedance.

Yup ... I have a non-techie familiarity with EPDR. Didn't click on your link, but here's a great article on the subject:

http://www.stereophile.com/reference/707heavy

The bottom line is I'll never know for sure how my amp mates with the S-5s until I arrange a realistic audition.

One other positive factor in my favor is that my amp has pretty robust power supply ... 1040 joules. Presumably, ... hopefully, ... that kind of PS muscle can smooth over demands for current in the bass region. But as just stated, I won't know for sure until I plug the S-5s into my rig.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
Mapman ... .5 ohm in high treble is a near short. Hard to believe that ANY amp could drive clean power into that kind of load. But look ... if Ralph (Atmasphere) and other smart guys say that MLs work well with the right amp, then so be it. Personally, I wouldn't hook my amp up to those speakers with such a crazy impedance curve.

Right now, I am interested in auditioning a pair of Magico S-5s. Take a look at the NRC specs on these beasts here:

http://www.soundstage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1043:nrc-measurements-magico-s5-loudspeakers&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153

Low impedance ... yes. Nominally 4 to 6 ohms. But flat ... really flat. I surmise that my amp could drive the S-5s very nicely off the 4 ohm tap. The distortion figures and FR specs are unbelievable. Would probably still need my DEQX to correct for my room problems and to straighten out the high order crossover/time coherence issues.

If I sprung for the S5s, I'd probably dump my subwoofer and just go with the S5s flat out. Biggest issue is with my wife.
bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
George ... I concur that the impedance and phase angle traces between 3K and 10K Hz look rough. But I suspect an amp will not be asked to deliver tons of power in that spectrum.

By contrast, I think the "power region" will be south of 1K Hz and maybe even below that. That is where I'd be focusing attention. The impedance curve in the lower bass goes off the chart. It's almost an open circuit.

Are there amps out there that can really drive these beasts. Btw, inserting a Zero would seem to exacerbate the "open circuit" look of the impedance trace in the lower bass.

These are tough hombres.
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