Matching an amp to speakers for beginners?

Hi Petequad,

Thanks for taking the time to play twenty questions!

Okay, it looks to me like your highest loudspeaker priorities are (more or less in order): Clarity and nuance; presentation reminiscent of a good jazz club; freedom from boxiness & colorations; naturalness of timbre; non-fatiguing; wide sweet spot; and forgiving.

The Newform Research R645's come to mind. They do most of the things you place a high priority on, but are not the most forgiving speaker out there. Usually some tweaking and modification is required, but there's an extensive network of R645 owners out there.

The Oskar Heil Kithara also comes to mind. Great clarity and presence, very open, but a little bit "wooley" and boxy in the bass. The lower priced Aulos isn't in the same league, nor (I presume) is the Syrinx.

The Sound Lab Dynastat (which I sell) is pushing it price-wise, but is an easy speaker to drive for an electrostat (reducing the hidden amplifier cost). Nice wide sweet spot (on recent models) with excellent clarity, but a bit more laid-back presentation than what I associate with jazz clubs. Earlier models didn't have as wide a sweet spot. The woofer box is the weak link, but fortunately the crossover frequency is fairly low.

Finally, the Maggie 3.6 is an exceptionally non-fatiguing speaker with very low coloration and a forgiving voicing. Not as wide a sweet spot as the others, very demanding of associated amplification, a bit on the laid-back side, and doesn't really come to life at low volume levels. But that total freedom from boxiness sure is addictive.

In looking back over this list, I realize that with the exception of the Newforms, these are going to be above your initial budget if you buy them new. And unfortunately I couldn't come up with any speaker that that "does it all". I think the Dynastat and Kithara have the best clarity and nuance as well as the widest sweet spot but the Kithara's tonal balance is less distance-dependent; the Newform has the most lively jazz-club-like presentation (but the Kithara is pretty close); the Maggie 3.6 has the lowest coloration and is the most forgiving; and I'd have a hard time picking the most natural timbre between the Maggie, Dynastat, and Kithara.

Best of luck to you,

Duke

Hello Petequad,

My suggestion would be that you make your speaker selection first, as that's the most important choice, and will dictate the direction of your amplifier choice. Once you've chosen speakers, you'll know how much power you need, and whether you need a high current amp, or maybe a tube amp. At that point you'll be able to look for an amp that synergizes particularly well with your speakers.

Being a dealer I have all sorts of ideas on how you should spend your money, but unfortunately they all involve tradeoffs. The audiophile journey is one of discovering what elements take us deeper into the musical experience, and what areas we can accept compromises in - and it's an individual thing. I may be very tolerant of poor imaging, but very intolerant of boxy colorations - and you may be just the opposite.

Since you don't have access to dealers where you can go and listen at length, I'm going to play "20 questions" with you (well, almost). Here are eighteen speaker characteristics that may or may not be important to you - make any comments you like as to which ones matter. You don't have to comment on all of them (or any of them!). I'm just trying to get a feel for what your priorities are. Of course you want it all (we all do), but note that some of these characteristics are mutually exclusive, so tradeoffs are inevitable.

1. Timbre (the natural sound of voices and instruments).
2. Clarity & nuance (you can hear all the details).
3. Dynamic contrast (impact and liveliness).
4. Superb soundstaging for a single listener.
5. Good soundstaging over a wide listening area.
6. Natural-sounding bass.
7. Extreme deep bass extension.
8. Unobtrusive size and/or visual appeal.
9. Sounds great at low volumes.
10. Sounds great at medium volumes.
11. Sounds great at high volumes.
12. Forgiving of less-than-ideal recordings and sources.
13. Ruthlessly accurate and revealing.
14. Freedom from little colorations that remind you you're listening to boxes, not live music.
15. Works well in less-than-optimum room or location.
16. Non-fatiguing over long listening sessions.
17. Recreates the immediacy of a good jazz club.
18. Recreates the lushness of a good symphony concert hall.

Also, add any other characteristics that are especially important to you, and any other considerations you'd want to take into account. We'll try to come up with suggestions that will at least be in the ballpark.

The Quest is half the fun. Thanks for including us in yours!

Best wishes,

Duke