Class D Amp For 'Stats?

I too have the SL A1's. Earlier this year I tried the H20 non-signature stereo amp here. Once I got passed the claimed "inapplicability" of these amps with MIT ICs, I had pretty much the same results with NBS ICs....the H20 was fine but not a musical match with the A1s. Resolving, yes......involving it simply was not. An older Counterpoint NPS400 had far more portrayal of space and body even though it lacked the ultimate extension at the frequency extremes. The CAT JL-3 Signature amps took the musicality so far beyond the H20, but of course at a price. The CAT's dynamics and incredible resolution brings out these same strengths of the SL's.

I have also heard the JL-2 with the SL speakers and for the price, it is unbeatable. This on the used market is not too much different from a pair of the fully decked out H20 mono amps and the JL-2 would simply destroy the H20's with the SLs.

And Nealhood brings up another great option with the Atmaspheres. I also heard the MA1's with the SL's and these too are incredibly musical with a more rich and full lower midrange but not quite the dynamics and ultimate resolution of the CAT JL-2. This was a back-to-back comparison of the SL U1's last year.

As for Brystons, before I had the A1's, I had the Magnepan 3.3 and 3.5 for 6 years. Several amps that I owned, ARC VT130, Wolcott 220, even the Counterpoint NPS400 hybrid drove the Magnepans to a musical level the Brystons simply could not touch. Speaker drivability is only part of the equation. Why anyone would use the Bryston amps with Maggies is beyond me and yet that is often what you read about with these speakers. And to consider them on the much more dynamic and resolving SL speakers makes no sense at all.

The whole issue of low impedance Apogee speakers and the H2O's ability is irrelevant. Since this is not the case for the A1's, discussing an amp that handles sub 1-ohm loads is a "don't care" issue in this thread.

Pure and simple, if you have invested in a $15k speaker like the A1, you need to put the same amount of attention to find an amp of the same calibre to hear what you paid for with the speaker. Again, pure and simple - the H20 does not cut it to convey the many awesome strengths of the SoundLab speakers. We can talk all we want about driveability, but again, this has nothing to do with musicality - the portrayal of space, silence between the notes, dynamic contrasts, ability to play material with a high level of low frequency extension and not have the mids and trebles crumble at the same time, etc., etc., etc.

The CAT amp is not euphonic at all, and the one JL-2 will not generate that much heat. You really should try to hear this to get an idea as to what your speakers are capable of. And try to get the H20 on loan so you can even more greatly appreciate the CAT's ability. Once you hear it, the H20's will be gone.

John

Congratulations.

Brian at EssentialAudio (also his A'gon name) has much experience with the JC-1s driving the SL speakers. He also has a lot of experience with the Atmaspheres and the CAT's. So I suspect he would be a good source of advice to get the most out of these.