Gamut M250 mkIII Speaker Connection

Thanks Al. Just a couple thousand more good calls and I'll know what its like to be you for a day. lol.

Hey ZD -- sounds like you were more right than you knew :-)

(See the last two paragraphs in my post).

Best regards,
-- Al

"Is it at all inprudent or dangerous to use the direct binding posts...I don't want to fry any transistors or my KEF Blades!"

You seemed concerned with damaging your speakers. I don't know what the specs are off the top of my head, but I figured they could be very efficient. Regardless, any time a manufacturer gives you gain controls on an amp, I always start out with the lowest setting and go from there. Its just to be careful so nothing gets damaged. Also, you have no idea where the last person had the gain set, so you are going to want to check anyway. Sometimes if people don't have balance controls on their preamp, they'll fool with the switches and settle for a global setting over no adjustment at all. Sorry I didn't put that in my 1st post. I got called away from the PC and didn't have the time to finish.

I agree with Raks that it would be best to present the question to Gamut. You should indicate to them that you are using Kef Blade speakers, and also the length and the capacitance per unit length of whatever speaker cables you are using. If the capacitance per unit length of the particular cable is not specified, before contacting Gamut it would be best to contact the cable manufacturer and ask them if they can tell you. But if that can't be determined, at least indicate to Gamut the make and model of the cable, as well as its length.

I couldn't find an impedance curve for your speakers, btw, which might have been helpful because a plot of impedance phase angle vs. frequency would provide a feel for how capacitive a load the speakers are at various frequencies.

Also, ZD is correct that reducing the gain of the amp by means of the internal gain select switches, that are described in the manual, will tend to minimize the chances of a problem, ***IF*** the gain select function is within the amplifier's global feedback loop. I would guess that stands a good chance of being the case, but not having specific knowledge of the design I can't say that with any certainty.

Everything else being equal, the chances that an amplifier using feedback will break into a potentially destructive oscillation are increased as its gain becomes higher, and if it is asked to drive a heavily capacitive load.

Regards,
-- Al

01-27-15: Zd542
Open them up and try lowering the gain.

BRILLIANT!!!

Emphasis added that I probably have far less electrical knowledge than the average audiophile but for what its worth, I recently purchased a Gamut D200 MKII amp and connected my Nordost Tyr speaker cables / Sonus Faber Olympia I speakers to the Direct terminals. I'm very happy with my purchase.

I had a question about whether it was OK to leave the amp on all the time so I E-mailed Gamut... and was pleasantly surprised with their fast and clearly worded response. In your case, you might want to ask Gamut for their advice.

Forgive me but how would lowering the gain assist me?
The sound seems a little more transparent through the direct unfiltered binding posts but I just want to make sure benefits outweigh risks.
Thanks

Open them up and try lowering the gain.