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Keeping it Simple - An Integrated Amp for Golden Ear Triton One.R Speakers

A’gon Members!

Its time to build a new basement system, and my aim is a mid-level setup that is highly musical, and good value for money. As you can see from the previous systems in my profile, I’ve enjoyed some fun and relatively high end setups over the years. This time around I’m going for powered speakers (sub section) and an integrated amp as the foundation of the system. II’ll pull digital from my Meridian/Roon setup that feeds the rest of the house, and a VPI deck to satisfy my vinyl cravings. The basement is a relatively large space (30’ x40’) and I’m looking forward to using the tunable bass output of the Triton One.R speakers to appropriately couple with the room. The budget for the integrated is in the $5k - $8k range. So what say you A’gon members? Which integrated amps would you recommend? I’m particularly interested in comments from Triton One.R owners!

Thanks...
cbd0815
9 responses Add your response
shahram
115 posts
 
I'm not a Triton One owner but I can suggest a few Integrated Amps that are universally well regarded in that range. If I were getting an integrated I'd get one of the following.

Luxman 507uX II
Pass Labs INT-60 (you can probably get a demo one from Reno Hifi)
Line Magnetic LM-805IA or LM-150IA (cause you gotta have a tube option)

This one is pretty far under the budget, but should be a good match.
Musical Fidelity M6si

shahram
115 posts
 
I forgot to mention that the Pass Labs puts 30 Watts in Class A. And actually goes all the way to 80 watts at 1% distortion. Should be plenty of power for the Triton, which is rated at 90db.
cbd0815 OP
41 posts
 
Thanks for the feedback Shahram.  Pass Labs INT 60 is on the list.  I don’t know much about Luxman’s offering but will look into it.  
avanti1960
1,480 posts
 
Since the woofer section of the 1Rs is powered by the internal amplifier, your new amplifier will have an easy time driving two mids and a tweeter at 100Hz and up.
As such you can easily use a refined, musical, sweet sounding tube integrated and still have an extremely dynamic, large room filling full range sound.

GE and primaluna have partnered for the past few years at the AXPONA audio show doing exactly this, quite a feat for a large ball room filled with the din of a large hotel.

I liked but didn’t love the sound of the primaluna EVO 400, there are several that I would choose including the Raven Audio Osprey, Jadis Orchestra, Cary SLI80, and Triode Corp TRZ 300W.
The Japan made Triode and US made Raven Audio are my favorites of the bunch and I love their stunning, open transparency and smoothness they offer.



stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,405 posts
 
I have GE Triton Reference speakers coupled with McIntosh equipment.  My secondary system is GE Triton Ones with A McIntosh 200wpc integrated amp.  Both systems sound fantastic.  
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
cbd0815 OP
An Integrated Amp for Golden Ear Triton One.R Speakers
in a relatively large space (30’ x40’)

To get the best out of them, especially in the bass, in a big room your going to need CURRENT!!

You can’t go wrong with a new or used a John Curl designed Parasound Halo Hint or later Hint 6,
They have a ESS Sabre32 Reference DAC (ES9018K2M)
HT bypass
Phono input for MM, MC and MI with 100 Ω or 47k Ω load
Can be used as a power amp also.

Or if you can afford it Gryphon Diablo 120 or 300

They both use bi-polar transistors which can give more current into those Tritons bass impedance than mofest can. Because the Tritons go down to 3ohms in the mid bass and have a nasty -60 to -80 degree phase angle below that, they need current, to keep them driving and tight down there.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/1119GET1Rfig1.jpg

Cheers George

stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,405 posts
 
I had the original Parasound integrated and it was not a good match with my GE Triton Ones.  Moving up to the McIntosh was a revelation.

avanti1960
1,480 posts
 
@georgehifi 
the OP does not need much current because the Triton woofers are actively amplified.  
he just needs to drive the midrange and tweeters at 100hz and up.  
perfect opportunity for a quality tube amp.  
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
avanti1960
the OP does not need much current because the Triton woofers are actively amplified.

If you cared to look at the impedance graph I posted above, it is the load presented to the users amplifier used by the two mid/bass drivers from 100Hz up, you’ll see that the load presented to an amp.
The combined load of at 100hz is 4ohms and -50 degrees of negative phase angle, needs current, so to the 3.1ohm from 290-400hz, these speakers will need current from an amp as I mentioned, between 100hz to 500hz https://www.stereophile.com/images/1119GET1Rfig1.jpg
Stereophile
The solid trace in fig.1 reveals that the impedance magnitude ranges between 3 and 6 ohms for much of the audioband, with a minimum value of 3.1 ohms between 290Hz and 390Hz. Like the original One, the One.R’s use of a passive high-pass filter with a low corner frequency means that the electrical phase angle becomes increasingly capacitive below that frequency.

Cheers George
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