Looking for amp advice (punk, rock & reggae edition)

So the fact that the speaker impedance is at its lowest in the midbass (4.2ohms at 118hz) and that I am not getting the mid bass I feel I should be getting is not related?

Yes. As I mentioned earlier, the speaker is an easy load for a tube amp, and I would *expect* that a solid state amp would be able to handle low impedances better than a tube amp...  IME experience many less expensive class D amps like the Marantz just don't do bass very well so its my opinion that is what you are hearing.

The Big Clue is that it starts to sound better when you turn it up. If it really couldn't handle the load, if anything it would get worse as you turned it up.

I think its current as a large section of the impedance curve is closer to 4ohm than 8 ohm.

Current is not the issue here. If the amp can make the power, the current is present. This is because power cannot exist without current. The power formula is
Power = Current x Voltage.

Now the idea that the speaker is 'voltage driven' is verbal shorthand for the fact that the designer of the speaker expects the amp to behave as a voltage source (otherwise amps would not be called 'power amps'...). The amp does not need to double power into half the impedance to be a proper voltage source!! If the amp has sufficient negative feedback (and it does) the amp will simply be limited to 60 watts in the 4 ohm portions, and the higher impedances will see less power; half of that if double the impedance.

It may simply be that you don't like how your amp sounds on this speaker, but the idea that it does not drive the speaker correctly is simply not true.

IOW your amp has plenty of current to do the job. The current is not the problem!

In that regard, a class A amplifier is a good suggestion, not because it might be able to make any more power or have more 'current'; it might simply be that it sounds better. Many (cheaper) class D amps don't do so well in the bass as far as sonics go, while all the time having the specs needed to drive the speaker!

If you are on a budget and 30-40 watts is enough power, you might want to try a tube amp on this speaker and see what you think. A Dynaco ST-70 should do the job and they are not particularly pricey. You may find that tube amps make better bass than you thought- I've seen many that put many class D amps to shame.

8ft each. Belden cables from BJC. I forget if they are 10 or 12 awg. I got them 5 years ago.

@gochurchgo Is there any way to shorten them up? 8 feet is getting kinda long. I would also pay attention to how tight the connections are at either end of the cables.

The Stereophile review was done using a 100wpc tube amplifier so I have been looking at more power to fill in the holes.

More power won't fill in the holes. This speaker is easy to drive and is friendly to tubes so I have trouble imagining that a class D amp can't drive it.

How long are your speaker cables?

So, I’m looking for an amplifier (separates or integrated) that has the current needed to round out the sound.

@gochurchgo   I'm suspecting that is not the case. The amp you have right now is able to act as a voltage source on your speakers.  The way you describe it sounds like its more of a room problem. Have you tried moving the speakers a bit? For example, if you move them closer to the wall behind them, you will get more bass reinforcement. It may also be that if you shorten your speaker cables that you will get more impact. You might also try auditioning different cables as well, as they can have an effect.

I would certainly exhaust easy and inexpensive things like this first before buying another amp! If  you're on a budget, the last thing you need is to find that you've not solved the problem with the next amp...

Also just a FWIW: electronics really don't care what sort of music you play. The idea that there is a certain amp or speaker out there that is best for a certain kind of music is a persistent myth.