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Cary 805 vs v12

I really enjoy my janszen speakers and have powered them with six PAC el34 triodes for almost a year. I tried a mcintosh mc275 for a time, but found I prefer the el34 to the kt tube family. I was considering finding a used v12 with the ultralinear switch to get more out of my system. But, then I thought, " hmm...I wonder what the 805ae would sound like?"

Anyone care to compare the 805ae to the six pacs to the v12? I lean towards warm and full bodied sound and do not care for the hyper detailed krell sound.

System:
Emotive Sira pre
Sony hapz1es
Svs stereo subs
Six PAC mono blocks
Janszen za2.1
sgtbrad
thaluza's avatar
thaluza
285 posts
 
I owned the 805AE and the V12R at the same time and was able to compare them. I had Quad ESL-988 speakers. The 805AE did not work very well with them. The amp was dull and lifeless compared to my V12R. Although the 805AE is rated at 50 watts a channel, I think it works better with a speaker with higher sensitivity and impedance. The V12R was a great sounding amp. It got very hot, though, and I had tube rush through the speakers that I did not hear from other amps.
sgtbrad OP
7 posts
 
Thanks everyone for the posts. I have purchased from Kevin deal and have spoken with John rutan in the past. I try not to pester the dealers too much but I may have too in this regard. I was just hoping someone had a direct comparison between either the six packs and the 805 or the v12 and 805. Fwiw I have spent a lot of time tweaking my set up and absolutely love the sound. But isn't there always better sound to be had?😜
sgtbrad OP
7 posts
 
Oops. Somehow I posted before my browser refreshed and I didn't get to see the last two posts. Thank you again for the replies. And thank you for the direct comparison. "Dull and lifeless" is definitely not what I am looking for. It would be my exact description of the mc275 in my system. It's funny how system synergy comes into play. I hate to hear it though. I was secretly hoping to hear how stunning the 805s were so that I could justify a trial. As it stands I will probably sit tight and look for a v12 to try.
brf
1,715 posts
 
The Cary 805 is capable of providing stunning results IF paired with the correct speaker. The 805 is a single ended directly heated triode amplifier, therefore, don't ask it to do something that it was not optimally designed for. You don't buy a sports car to haul wood.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
Brad, the last few posts give good advice. It's all about the speaker match and your Sensitivity: 87dB /1W/1m
Impedance: 6 ohms nominal
doesn't sound like a good match for the 805s. In general, 211s, 845s, etc. will go better with >90db and >8ohm loads.

The most common way to "go ballsier" is with pentode beasts using your EL34, 6550s etc. Many including me are partial to triode magic, so be sure to demo before buying any pentode amps based on reviews, etc.

It's always a trade off of priorities and personal preferences! cheers,
Spencer
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