My apologies_Upgrade path from Wilson WattPuppy 7's?

Below is the lab test done on the Yvette’s, although not as current hungry as the 7’s it still needs an amp with current if you want to get the best from them as the 1.5ohms at 65hz indicates .
"which makes the Yvette a more than averagely challenging amplifier load "


"Wilson Audio is being conservative when it rates the Yvette at just 86dB for 2.83V at 1m: our ‘industry standard’ pink noise figure of 87.8dB indicates that an 88dB specification would be justified. Low impedance helps achieve this. Nominal impedance is specified as 4ohm with minimum of 2.94ohm at 90Hz, and we indeed measured a dip to 2.9ohm at 94Hz. Together with quite high impedance phase angles this causes the EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation resistance) to fall to a minimum of 1.5ohms at 64Hz, which makes the Yvette a more than averagely challenging amplifier load."

Cheers George

my only reservation about this amp would be its low input impedance
(spec’d at 10K/20K unbalanced/balanced

• Power:
• 333.3W @ 8 ohms,
• 499.4W @ 4 ohms

As Al posted, this H30 input impedance will make for a hard impedance match with tube, TVC or passive preamps. Solid state preamps should be fine.

Also the independent wattage figures (which relate to current ability), that Al found, are not so good either, as an indication of great current ability so tread carefully.

BTW: I’m sure Al or I could come up with some amp (with good current ability) recommendations, and a higher more usable input impedance, if you want that from us?  

Cheers George

Tested H30.
" Not only is 350Wpc a hefty output power, the H30 meets the challenge of driving current-hungry loudspeakers by nearly doubling its 8-ohm-rated output power when driving 4 ohms (675Wpc into 4 ohms)."

Good choice, now you will hear the WP7’s for what they can do. Hope you get the H30 before changing anything else.
Pity it doesn't use Bi-Polar outputs instead of Mosfets, then they would have given some great 2ohm figures in the test done on it as well, and not just down to 4ohm.


Cheers George

Here is how the Boulder amp behaves into the simulated easy NHT load, note the grey scale is almost the same as the pure resistive ones. This is how an amp should behave into the NHT’s easy simulated load.
Yes it will be a little worse into the WP7’s but nowhere near as bad as the Mac 275 would be.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/217B2150fig1.jpg

Cheers George

Ok here is the (misprint 8) 4ohm tap (gray) into the easy NHT simulated load, the Wilson will be significantly worse, probably double as bad. Especially around 100hz where the 7’s are 2ohm and -40 negative phase angle, which could equate to a EPDR of nearly 1ohm!!!! as seen by the amp.
.
If you like the sound not flat in frequency response, then good for you Al, I know you like your tubes, but the line has to be drawn somewhere between what your hear is the a flat FR, or one that’s very contoured the, 275 will be different in sound with all hard to drive speakers, such as the 7’s ect.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/1010Macfig02.jpg

Cheers George

Ken Kantor of NHT designed Stereophile’s "simulated loudspeaker load" network for them to use for their tests, as a copy of what NHT’s speakers load an amp like.

This (the grey trace) is the McIntosh 275’s effective frequency response into that "simulated speaker load) load, (it’s acting like a tone control)
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/1010Macfig03.jpg

Now everyone here who knows their speakers, knows that the Wilson 7’s would be a far worse load than the simulated "NHT" load, have a look at any floor standing NHT load graph compared to the Wilson 7's. 
So it’s safe to say that the Mac 275’s frequency response into a "Wilson 7’s simulated load" would look even more awful than the NHT’s

Sorry Gerry, but it should be clear to most here now, that the Mac 275 is far from the ideal amp for the Wilson 7’s, unless you like listening to a tone control as an amp.

Cheers George

To All:
Audiotroy is a bad apple troll

Thought there was something not quite right with the first post. Shilling for something came to mind.

Cheers George

Gerry the Wilson 7’s needs good current to sound their best full stop.
The Mac 275 cannot do that, it would have to almost double it’s wattage for each halving of speaker load.
EG:
8ohms- 75w
4ohms-150w
2ohms-300w

This is why Stereophile reviewed the Wilson 7’s using the Halcro DM68 monoblocks

I say it again because you said you were naive, you have not heard the Wilson 7’s at their best with this Mac amp driving them.

Cheers George

(1) My McIntosh 275 VI has been measured at 90 watts, and has more than adequate current to drive the Wilson WP7 speakers that I own;

Sorry to say, it may sound good, but you have never heard the WP7’s at their best, with this amp.

You said in your first post you were naive, you really need to absorb what Stereophile has said here about the 7’s:

" Quote from Stereophile measurments:
" They will need a good high-current amplifier before it can be driven to satisfying levels. Its impedance drops to 2.4 ohms at 78Hz and remains below 6 ohms for much of the region where music has its maximum energy (fig.1). In addition, an impedance of 4 ohms at 59Hz is associated with an electrical phase angle of -34 degrees, which will add to the drive difficulty."

This is what the reviewer said about them, and what he used to drive them with, Halcro dm88 Reference monoblock power amplifier 
" The WATT/Puppy 7s produced an enormous sonic picture in my room, with the second most effortless presentation of depth and layered images that I’ve heard there."


You have a great speaker in the 7’s, you just need the right amp on them to hear them at their best, then you really think twice about changing them.


Cheers George

Just looked at your other posts, seems you have a  McIntosh 275? it is a very good amp with the right speakers!
But with the WP7's???? a total mismatch, it's a wonder it hasn't herniated trying to drive the 7's.

Read here, same applies to your speakers.
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/amplification-for-wilson-audio-sasha-on-the-cheap
Cheers George

I forget to mention that I already own Watt Puppy 7 speakers

Yes I know, what I’m basically saying is to keep them, just make sure you drive them with an amp that has big current delivery, and is 100w or more to get the very best out of them. Current delivery is paramount!

Quote from Stereophile measurments:
" They will need a good high-current amplifier before it can be driven to satisfying levels. Its impedance drops to 2.4 ohms at 78Hz and remains below 6 ohms for much of the region where music has its maximum energy (fig.1). In addition, an impedance of 4 ohms at 59Hz is associated with an electrical phase angle of -34 degrees, which will add to the drive difficulty."

Cheers George

gerryah930
 Upgrade path from Wilson WattPuppy 7

I’ve heard all the WP’s that Wilson obsessed friends owned up to the 8’s Sasha and Sabina. The one out of those that stood out for me was the 7’s.
After that the Alexia I was a bit better and the Alexia II’s the best.
But in the affordable range it’s the WP 7’s, the 8’s were a step backwards.

Cheers George