Not certain if this will help, given the impedance swings of the Amatis, but- you might contact Speltz, or Ralph Karsten(of Atma-Sphere) and inquire. Ralph used to offer a transformer, in his product line-up. http://www.zeroimpedance.com/products.html As far as a, "rich" midrange: just pick some NOS British valves(Mullard, Brimar, Ediswan) to use in your input/driver stage, whatever tubed amp you choose. Generally speaking, they tend to warm things up, quite a bit. The Cary 805's have 4, 8 and 16 Ohm taps and at 50 WPC, you may find a sweet spot to satisfy your tastes(if you're not into high SPLs).
Cary 805 questions; with Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers
I just bought a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers (92 dB efficient but some impedance dips in bass and treble). Looking for a good tube amplifier. I use a Thor TA-1000 preamp and listen to mostly vinyl (Sota Star Sapphire, Koetsu Rosewood Signature. Half jazz, the rest split between blues, classical and rock. I am quite allergic to any treble brightness but appreciate treble extension if it doesn't create fatigue. That said, I prioritize a rich, real midrange, and like a somewhat laid back stage perspective.
Stereophile described the Amati load as "The speaker is a moderately demanding load, however, as can be seen from its plots of impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle against frequency (figs.1 and 2). With a maximum of 7.8 ohms, but a value below 6 ohms in the midrange and below 4 ohms in the bass and high treble, a good 4 ohm-rated amplifier will be called for."
I appreciate any thoughts about other tube amps that might be good with the Amati's. Also I have questions about Cary 805 monos in particular because I have a chance to buy a pair locally:
1. Do the 805s have a forward presentation?
2. Do the 805 create "larger than life" images? I owned them for a short time quite a while ago and recollect that images were very big.
3. Does anyone know if they would work well with the Amatis?
thanks for any thoughts!
Stereophile described the Amati load as "The speaker is a moderately demanding load, however, as can be seen from its plots of impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle against frequency (figs.1 and 2). With a maximum of 7.8 ohms, but a value below 6 ohms in the midrange and below 4 ohms in the bass and high treble, a good 4 ohm-rated amplifier will be called for."
I appreciate any thoughts about other tube amps that might be good with the Amati's. Also I have questions about Cary 805 monos in particular because I have a chance to buy a pair locally:
1. Do the 805s have a forward presentation?
2. Do the 805 create "larger than life" images? I owned them for a short time quite a while ago and recollect that images were very big.
3. Does anyone know if they would work well with the Amatis?
thanks for any thoughts!
16 responses Add your response
Montlado... Cary 805 will work at a listenable level. Small room moderate level will be good. Midrange will be seductive and the highs will not be too edgy. The concerns here is the bass, the 805 can not control the bass drivers. My recommendation is either the old Conrad Johnson premier 8 with 6550 tubes, or the new lp250 by CJ. You can also look into the Vac 200-300. Sonus Faber great match for push and pull tube amps or solid states. Single ended will not quite move those drivers. Happy Listening! |
George I think we are ships passing in the night. I will stop trying to rephrase my question. Thanks for your time anyway!Well maybe the only way is to ask me if I believe in voodoo, the answer I’m proud to say is an emphatic no! I know you wish your 805’s could, but I’ve owned 805 monoblock’s I know what they are capable of and measure like, and with this SF speaker load they would act like a tone control, they would be "listenable" but not capable of giving what those SF are really able to give to you! Cheers George |
"...I wondered whether what is expected by the numbers always manifests itself the way you might expect, in the reproduction of actual music. " Quick answer is no. Measurements are not always an (only) indicator of how the "system" will sound. Might be a good starting point but you need to listen and trust your ears. A McIntosh MC275 VI paired with a good tube preamp, McIntosh or otherwise, will probably sound much better than the aforementioned Cary. I've heard a couple of different Sonus Faber large floor standing models paired with Pass XA100.5 amplifiers and they sounded fantastic. I think they were using an Aesthetix preamp, not sure which model. |
What I was asking is whether in 100% of the cases an apparent mismatch in impedance and Power between amp and speakers results in degradation of the musical experience.It can very well be regarded as a degradation, but it's not the only one that one should point a finger at, there are many more one should consider. Cheers George |
That's not quite what I meant George. What I was asking is whether in 100% of the cases an apparent mismatch in impedance and Power between amp and speakers results in degradation of the musical experience. I realize that speaker design is a combination of engineering and art and that we cannot ignore the math... but I wondered whether what is expected by the numbers always manifests itself the way you might expect, in the reproduction of actual music. Or are the numbers simply strong indicators but there are exceptions? |
Does the math ever not manifest in overall presentation? Is this really an open and shut case?The math and the measurements are primary feature in the design of any amp, then the designer listens to his creation. And if not happy, they go back and change things in the design, but never without math and measure again and listen again. If math and measurements were not considered in the design of an amp, I suggest you give that amp a very wide berth, like you would with any voodoo. Cheers George |
Thanks lostbears. I am okay with the bass being a tad flabby so I don't mind using less power. My priority is avoiding any etch/brightness, and having a relatively rich balance with a weighty midrange. George's point about impedance mismatch was certainly true of my current amp, a VAC Renaissance 30/30 Signature. I love this amp and think it is one of the best anywhere, but with this particular speaker the treble just did not work... beaming/shouty treble in the 2500-4000 hz range. But the bass is fine for me. So I am hunting for a new amp. |
The Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers are very nice speakers. You really want around 100 wpc in a tube amp. I know they are 92db. I have Sonus Faber Elipsa SE and use a Ref 110. If you don't have enough power the bass and sound stage can suffer. With less power, the bass of my Elipsa SE sounds less defined and not as crisp. You really need to just borrow a few different amps from a dealer and spend a few weekends comparing. The usual paring with Sonus Faber are Audio Research or McIntosh. But I am sure there are others brands that will work just as well. |
Cary 805 questions; with Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers Sorry montaldo never, not in anyones lifetime, with this SF’s impedance curve. You’ll have very little bass power, and a very peaked up upperbass and mid. https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/Sfafig02.jpg And this is the Cary’s response into 8 and 4ohm restive loads from it’s two taps, can you imagine what those 2ohm dips of the SF’s would do on top of this!!! The amps are already tone controls into 4 or 8 ohm resistors, let alone into this speakers impedance curve https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/Cary805FIG01.jpg Cheers George |