My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
Neutrality is essential for truthful sound. The 3 biggest offenders that color the sound in speakers are: 1. Crossover- regardless the cost of the parts they will impart a coloration. They will rob transparency they will cause phase shift , timing errors 2. Conventional Drivers- they will store energy and will ultimately affect the sound they don’t release it as quick as the energy enters it. 3. Enclosure- regardless of the type of speaker you are using if it is utilizing a box or enclosure this will cause an asymmetrical waveform. This waveform Will cause distortion within the box and will lose the purity as if the driver itself was not contained in an enclosure. With regard to lower frequencies they will interact negatively with the room and that what is called room node issues.
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I previously sent some posts and videos regarding the GT Audioworks speakers as Jay visited our exhibit at Axpona. The speakers have the latest upgraded drivers and sound even better when Jay had heard them at Axpona. I just took this video with the regular microphone in my iPhone and it sounds pretty good. https://youtu.be/7P5LJlUMkqY |
Thanks guys for your input. The new GT Audio Works Reference 3’s will be completed in 4-6 weeks. The model 3.2 is fully upgradeable to the new Reference 3 planar drivers for a reasonable charge. Unlike other manufacturers that come out with a 20.1 then a 20.7 speaker and you have to basically sell what you have And take a huge loss- that is not the case with GT Audio works the speakers have a lifetime upgradability warrantee and lifetime warranty on the drivers. We have been selling speakers going on nine years and our sales have been increasing every year. You truly have to hear this speaker in person I know the videos only give you somewhat of an idea of what the speaker can do. You have to experience the dynamics transparency and virtual reality that this speaker exhibits. The New membrane is even more of a resemblance to Kevlar - in that the way the membrane is constructed prevents any type of distortion when high volumes are presented to the driver-this coupled with pure 6N copper traces, vibration technology control built into the frames and lack of a crossover Will contribute to a sound that seems to defy description. |
We are now going into our 8th year of production at GT Audio Works and most of our customers who have our speakers certainly did their fair share of auditioning before deciding on our speakers. Ricevs is correct in his statement that the GT’s do not utilize a Crossover on the crucial main panel of the speaker. Any crossover despite its cost will add time shift, delay issues, rob amplifier power and most importantly will absolutely cause a loss of transparency. Even Aylsavox uses a crossover on their six figure speakers. It has taken a insurmountable amount of research and development to develop a planar Magnetic driver that is mechanically tuned to achieve a very favorable frequency response without the use of a crossover which is essentially a Band-Aid to achieve a desired frequency response. I am presently unaware of any other planar speaker that forgoes the use of a crossover on its main planar panel. Additionally, all other planar designs and electro stats do not utilize the type of proprietary membrane that the GT Speakers use in order to eliminate distortion when the music is cranked up at very high levels. Stay tuned as the new Reference 3 speakers will be released in the next few months - with even improved musicality and dynamics. |
Chazzzy007 - I never ever said in any of my posts how great the GT speakers are- I simply described the technology involved and what one should anticipate to expect if they had the chance to audition them. Last time I looked I wasn’t in Russia or North Korea and I am not restricted to my freedom of speech. Specifically this blog in part dealt with the type of loudspeakers white Camarro SS was using and I have every right to interject how the GT speakers could affect his evaluations with respect to the amplifiers and equipment that were chosen to be reviewed. We have had several members of this forum audition the speakers as a result of this blog and that is all I desire to have as many on this blog and elsewhere audition the speakers and let those individuals give their assessments of the speakers. In a court of law yes I am a biased witness. But anyone else who auditioned the speakers is not considered biased. |
Chazzzy007 - you do not speak for a vast majority of the members who are on this blog. In fact I can tell you that many members of this blog as a result of my input have in fact been turned on to a Company that gives audiophiles the most value for their money. In fact White Camarro SS actually visited us at the last Axpona as a result of the posts and the information that we had given to everyone about the speakers. I do not tell you how to conduct your business and in all fairness you should not be telling me how to conduct my business. All I am doing is letting people decide for themselves to listen to the speakers and decide for themselves. |
Chazzzy007- I asked you nicely to refrain from your negative bashing of our company- but you insist to impose your opinion as reflective of everyone on this thread- which incidentally is not true. As long as their is full disclosure that I represent GT Audio Works there is nothing you can do to ban my posts. |
We run a 220v line in our showroom which in turn is hooked up to a 5kw isolation transformer the transformer has 110 v outlets so your equipment can be plugged into it. This gives the equipment a constant 5,000 watts. What this does is separates you from Sharing the same transformer that is on the electrical pole with everyone else in the neighborhood. By not sharing this transformer you remove all electrical noise (emi/rfi) from polluting your electrical signal. What you get is increased dynamics (due to the constant on tap available power of 5,000 watts)and zero noise floor. |
All isolation transformers Vary from one company to another The one we use is a Richard Gray RM 400 which weighs about 150lbs. According to the manufacturer they maintain it does have up to 5,000 watt availability. I neglected to mention that the Synergistic UEF 12 SE is plugged into the transformer as which does contribute to the lower noise floor as well. It is really not one size fits all in our situation this has given us the best results even over ac regenerators. |
I did prefer the JC 1 over the Merrill. It is all relative as You Tube is not even CD Quality so we are making this comparison and decision based on a flawed Low quality audio resolution format. In any event I did send Jay a video that we did with the same Dire Straits to compare. I did not want to post it here because this is not the place for me to do this. The main reason Why I am posting is that I do believe if Jay gets his hands on a Audio Research reference 10 there will be a lot more of the qualities that were described about the Merrill that will shine through even more on the JC1 amps. |
Hi whitecamarross I have been following your thread on the pass labs amplifiers and associated speakers you have been using. I will disclose then I am a pass labs dealer located in Long Island, New York the name of our store is Sound Insight and I have been on this high-end journey as an audiophile and dealer for almost 30 years. I will have to say that you must seriously audition any pass labs amplifier with a speaker that does not possess a crossover and that does not produce Omni directional sound waves that seriously interact with you our rooms acoustics. I have sold and heard some of the worlds greatest loudspeaker systems ever introduced at a retail level. I welcome you to audtion a speaker that does not contain a crossover on the main panel -does not interact with the rooms acoustics as it operates in an open dipole horizontally disbursed manner. The speakers are from GT audio works and I welcome you to go to their website or our stores facebook page just Google Sound Insight high-end audio There you will see many videos of us in action and have won many audio shows winning best sound of show. Additionally you must realize that it is been my experience that the sound of any loudspeaker is compromised when you have any type of low-frequency transducer [woofer] in the same cabinet or enclosure as the mid range drivers There is an audible smearing and lack of transparency that occurs when you do this. Therefore the GT speakers are mated to open baffle servodriven sub Woofers crossed at 65hz that do not compete with the main speakers. The technology in the speakers is remarkable From the pure copper traces on the membrane, the only planar magnetic or electrostatic speaker known to possess a membrane that is not just mylar or kapton but possesses a double membrane to break up any resonances that occur or that plasticky sound. Special frame within frame construction to reduce any mechanical resonances or vibrations that you get in any box or open dipole speaker. We have a pair of pass labs XA 60.8 mono blocks running the speakers as they are 93DB1 W efficient. |
Sorry I am reposting my prior response In order to correct some information on the GT Audio Speakers. Hi whitecamarross I have been following your thread on the pass labs amplifiers and associated speakers you have been using. I will disclose then I am a pass labs dealer located in Long Island, New York the name of our store is Sound Insight and I have been on this high-end journey as an audiophile and dealer for almost 30 years. I will have to say that you must seriously audition any pass labs amplifier with a speaker that does not possess a crossover and that does not produce Omni directional sound waves that seriously interact with you our rooms acoustics. I have sold and heard some of the worlds greatest loudspeaker systems ever introduced at a retail level. I welcome you to audtion a speaker that does not contain a crossover on the main panel -does not interact with the rooms acoustics as it operates in an open dipole horizontally disbursed manner. The speakers are from GT audio works and I welcome you to go to their website or our stores facebook page just Google Sound Insight high-end audio There you will see many videos of us in action and have won many audio shows winning best sound of show. Additionally you must realize that it is been my experience that the sound of any loudspeaker is compromised when you have any type of low-frequency transducer [woofer] in the same cabinet or enclosure as the mid range drivers There is an audible smearing and lack of transparency that occurs when you do this. Therefore the GT speakers are mated to open baffle servodriven sub Woofers crossed at 65hz that do not compete with the main speakers. The technology in the speakers is remarkable From the pure copper traces on the membrane, the only planar magnetic or electrostatic speaker known to possess a membrane that is not just mylar or kapton but possesses a proprietary membrane to break up any resonances that occur or that plasticky sound. Special frame within frame construction to reduce any mechanical resonances or vibrations that you get in any box or open dipole speaker. We have a pair of pass labs XA 60.8 mono blocks running the speakers as they are 93DB1 W efficient. |
Thanks Viber6 but GT Audio Works will be releasing it’s new Reference 3 speakers in about a month. In comparison to what you heard previously these are a major upgrade sonically in every department. The planar magnetic panel has undergone a major design change. this design change has resulted in an absolute reduction in any resonance on the membrane. You and any members on this forum are welcome to contact me as we are going to begin social distancing auditions once we have the speakers in our show room. |
Just to set the record straight dracule 1 has to be aware of the fact that the GT 3 AR speakers are true planar magnetic designs that use true neodymium magnets. They do not use MDF but use it much more expensive and more inert material called Medex. They are also utilizing a special membrane that is sourced from Japan that is unlike The other designs you have mentioned in you post in that they do not have any resonance break points.These other manufacturers are only using either mylar or kapton in their speakers. This is not the case with the GT speakers they are utilizing a quasi-membrane that is just thin as the other planar membranes but are more durable and do not Exhibit those aforementioned resonances. Additionally, GT speakers are utilizing an ultra thin space-age pure 6N copper- not inferior aluminum traces. There is no crossover on the main 6 foot planar magnetic panel. Greg Takesh personally mechanically Tunesevery speaker to avoid any comb filtering between the main 6 foot tunnel and the truth ribbon tweeter. The speakers also exhibit frame within frame vibration control technology the actual 6 foot tall planar magnetic driver is on a special frame that is constrained layer Baltic Birch wood that eliminates resonabce break up on the driver that in turn is mounted to be specially constructed MedEx frame. They received rave reviews at 2018 capital audio fest- you can clearly go onto audionirvana website and read the review from Miles Astor who thought that they were great speakers. You need to audtion these speakers before passing judgment there will be a review out very soon from AVS show rooms that will quiet all critics of the speaker. Most people criticize what they don’t know or fear. |
Viber6 and other posters on this blog need to contact Sound Insight to hear then new GT Audio Works planar speakers with the open baffle servo subs -as they have been redesigned and are vatly improved Over past models. They were exhibited at Capital audio fest 2018 and received rave reviews from Avs showrooms on their reviewers view video At the 7 minute 20 second Mark of the video. Other great reviews were from Part Time Audiophile, Myles Astor from Audionirvana and Todd Anderson from AV Nirvana. |
The Coincident Line Stage Mk II will be a better more truer to the source preamp than the Ref 10 at a fraction of the cost. Unlike the Audio research it uses point to point wiring not circuit boards uses true transformer based volume control and the most linear signal tubes ever created 101 dht’s. However the stock tubes were replaced with Psvane we replicas. In comparison the Audio research sounded as if it had a sock pulled over it. The CLS has incredible transparency prat and organic sound. |
Yes I agree transparency is very important and I thought it was apparent by my profile that I was in fact a dealer. I am simply trying to invite people to have an open mind and listen to this loudspeaker system I am not telling anybody or forcing anybody to buy this speaker. I am simply trying to educate the audiophile community into understanding that there are dedicated individuals out there Who truly believe that the performance of the loudspeaker is directly related to the engineering and the complete non use of crossover components. Not to mention the best premium parts, research design and engineering that goes into producing a planar magnetic speaker that does not exhibit the typical problems with resonance and vibration. I am simply trying to indicate that I have represented and sold some of the worlds greatest loud speaker systems and have traveled to and exhibited at numerous audio shows and customer homes to understand and appreciate what good sound is truly all about. We can blog and pontificate all we want but the truth is in having an open mind and auditioning any given speaker. System synergy is very important on any given component and can interact and sound great on a given set of speakers as opposed to sounding completely different and maybe not as good on a different set of speakers. |
Yes Viber6 eminent technology represents a very good bang for the buck. However, it is important to note that the GT Audioworks speakers are a completely different design even though technically they are a planarmagnetic design. Conventional planar magnetic diaphragms are essentially either a kapton or mylar. The use of either of these materials does in fact cause various points of resonance on the driver. In fact when the speakers were measured by stereophile they in fact exhibited a very steep resonance between 80 and 120 Hz. Aside from this resonance - Higher volumes resulting in higher SPL’s also cause the diaphgram to resonate in an overall uncontrolled manner. The propietary diaphgram Utilized in the GT speakers does not suffer from this type of resonance or vibration anomalies. Additionally unlike other manufacturers the GT speakers utilize a frame within frame technology. Specifically, the actual outer frame is a very dense MedEx material upon which the inner frame where the actual membrane is mounted is mounted on a sub frame which is a constrained layer frame which also eliminates vibration. Unlike other planar loudspeaker designs GT Only utilizes pure 6N copper traces on the membrane (not aluminum) and most importantly no crossover components on this main panel. Where the panel rolls off at around 50 to 60 Hz the open baffle servo subwoofers take over producing the lower bass. There is a highly sophisticated computer On the servo circuit board in the servo plate amps that pulls the woofers back as quickly as it excurts so they’re there is no bloat or overhang as you get on a conventional woofer. These open baffle servo woofers are available in either 2,3,4 or 6 woofers per side depending upon the size of your room. They play flat 15 hz and will scare the beJesus out of you. |
In response to bigddesign3 concerns about the size of the servo subs - we offer a smaller system with only 2-12 inch woofers per side. The servo sub woofer system is modular by design which means that you can add as many additional modules up to six per side. The 2-12 inch servo subs are only 15 inches across and maybe 32 inches in height. See below videohttps://youtu.be/aqz0s9QSgcU |
I know many of you me feel I am very partial or bias to the GT audio works planar speaker system- but I am quite sincere and letting you know that being an audio dealer for almost 30 years and have heard almost everything out there including the Neoliths as we were a Martin Logan dealer- that there is nothing that comes close to what the GT system can produce sonically. All I am asking is that you have an open mind and if you have an opportunity to listen to them we will be at Axpona this coming April from the 12th to the 14th in room 1430 we will be exhibiting with Zanden Audio and Sound Insight. I look forward to meeting anyone that is reading or posting on this forum. |
In response to all vinyl and Viber6 comments we would like to point out that unlike other Manufacturers that are constantly making the consumer buy an upgraded or new model which essentially forces you to sell your speakers for you to buy the upgraded model - when you purchase a GT AudioWorks speaker system you do not have to worry about this as this is not a concern as Greg offers a lifetime warranty on any and all future upgrades.The speakers are designed in such a way that you simply remove the back grill cloth which are attached by a series of screws and you have access to the drivers which are mounted on the vibration free frame all you need is a screwdriver to remove the 6 foot tall planar driver. The frame is then sent to Greg To retrofit the new driver. And yes I personally guarantee that we are very receptive to playing any requests or music that anyone may bring into our room at Axpona. We are looking forward to having Zanden Audio Providing their world class amplifiers, preamp, phono preamp cabling and room acoustics to our exhibit. We are also going to have the top-of-the-line Kronos turntable spinning vinyl Please stop by room1430. Look forward to seeing you all. |
In response to your post Audio Troy I do believe you are a dealer In Jersey City in a court of law you and I would be a biased interested witness therefore whatever we would have to say would have to be discounted. I do not believe you were in my room at Axpona and if you did you did not introduce yourself to either me or Greg. Well I have to say is that you have completely disregarded any of white Camaro SS posts with regard to how impressed he was he was with the GT system. He visited our room on three separate occasions and spent quite a long time listening to the system and was shaking his head in disbelief I know he love the system. Let the consumer decide You are correct in what you say and that they should listen to your system and to the GT audio works system. |
Since Viber6’s visit to hear the GT system, I should point out that the GT’s have been updated to the 3.1’s - this update substantially increases the clarity and be ability for the speakers to sound like they are Cut from the same cloth. We demonstrated this at Axpona too many attendees by having them put their ear to the tweeter and then to the main panel going back-and-forth you do not hear a discontinuity between the sound of the tweeter and the sound of the main panel like you do on many conventional speakers and other planar magnetic designs. I believe white Camaro SS was there when I demonstrated this. I did notice that you can hear the difference between the tweeter and the main panel on the Alsyvox as I listened to the speaker on two occasions. |
Viber 6 these are very good questions. 1. According to Greg the designer of the speakers he told me that it is not a good idea to have any type of high frequency transducer especially a ribbon tweeter to reproduce frequencies As low as 850 Hz. This type of lower frequency reeks havoc on the tweeter as it is a stressor. According to Greg a ribbon tweeter should not be playing at this level of frequency as it will audibly cause more distortion and decrease clarity. Essentially it is playing down to low in frequency for this type of driver. 2. The new ribbon tweeter In the GT Speakers has been upgraded which is part of the 3.1 upgrade this essentially creates a ribbon Tweeter that is Lower in mass and as a result will produce frequencies that are more extended detailed and relaxed as they are crossed over at around 2.5 kHz. Greg is now using a second order network utilizing only a 1 ohm Path Audio resistor, the new 12uf OMID Vcap and .68 mh copper foil inductor. This new configuration has resulted in a seamless blend between the ribbon tweeter and the crossoverless main planar driver. We demonstrated this phenomenon with white Camaro SS in the room by by having one’s head shift between the main panel and the tweeter and not hearing the dissimilarity or discontinuity between the drivers. 3. The main panel or main planar driver that is now Used on the speaker has been reconfigured and is now rated at 5.3 ohms. By doing so this now becomes a much more friendly impedance or load for a vacuum tube amplifier as Demonstrated at Axpona. This new driver has been reconfigured to Better integrate with the servo sub woofers that are used in the system. In sum it is a much more refined and better sounding speaker than what you had heard many months ago. Unlike Alysavox this speaker does not have a crossover on the main panel and does not use cheap refrigerator magnets but very expensive neodymium magnets it also utilizes a special membrane that is unlike what is typically used in speakers like Alysavox - which would be either Kapton or mylar. The research and development of the speaker has unequivocally shown that by using either kapton or mylar results in audible resonances. The GT Speakers also utilize a constrained layer frame within frame technology to further eliminate resonance. |
In response to Viber6 comments- the main midrange panel utilizes a proprietary membrane that is impervious to any type of stress or breakup even down to 40hz- Greg has been testing these membranes for years and the panels were measured at Axpona at over 110db with no strain- White Camarro SS was in our room 3 times and can attest to the fact That we were playing the system at rock concert levels and it was effortless - you can’t do that with any other type membrane.Very expensive neodymium magnets are used in the panel versus ceramic magnets. NEOS produce a much greater magnetic field which results in a more efficient driver and in general sounds better than ceramic magnets. |
In response to Mrdecibel’s accusations that I am lying about the 110 dB all I can say is that the measurement was taken by an attendee after show hours with his own spl meter. In fact I saw Whitecammarro SS measure the spl’s with the app on his phone because he was curious himself about how loud we were playing as we cranked up Iggy Azzalae, Marcus Miller and Robin Thicke at concert level volumes. You are more than welcome to confirm this with white Camaro SS. |
I believe I told WhitecamaroSS to try to evaluate a system by playing live un mastered songs that are well recorded. One such song I played for you in the GT Audioworks Room at Axpona was Marcus Miller From Tutto Revisted - the song was Jean Pierre track 5- I saw you shaking your head in disbelief when I was demoing the system. Another cd is Rodrigo y Gabriella Live in Japan song is Stairway to Heaven. These songs are a must when evaluating any system. Listen up then I hope you listen to them again on the GT system. |
In response to WC post about the wiring Love his new dedicated room I can only tell you that I have found that over the past 30 years the best way to approach this is to utilize the following: 1. Run one or two dedicated to 220v lines. 2. Utilize the audience internal wiring that will go from the breaker box to the wall receptacle. 3. Purchased the appropriate breaker whether it be 30 amp or 50 amp and send it to audience for them to treat and they will mail it back to you for your to install in the breaker box. 4. Use a 220 V wall receptacle. You may want to ask Audience if they can treat this wall receptacle as well. 5. In order for your equipment to work with the 220 V line you can use the richard 220v Richard gray isolation transformer. This simply plugs into your 220 V line and you have 110 outlets on the unit for you to plug your gear into. This will give you an extra 600 W of power (2400 total watts) as opposed to just using a straight 220 V line -it is pure balanced power and will completely isolate you from the grid. |
In response to white Camaro SS comments about possibly finding a speaker under $30,000 that would Be better than the Neo’s - I just wanted to remind you how impressed you were with the GT Audio works planar speakers with open baffle Servo Subs. The system that you listened to Axpona was 35k. The 2-12 inch Servo Subs or smaller system comes in at under 30,000. |
Thanks Viber 6 for your comments. I have extended an open invitation to Jay to audition the new Reference 3 GT Audioworks once they are delivered and set up at our showroom.There are huge differences in the GT’s vs. any other planars or ESL. specifically, the membrane in the GT’s don’t exhibit resonance like a conventional planar driver as most speaker companies rely solely upon Kapton or mylar. The GT membrane is a proprietary membrane that is not comprised of just mylar or Kapton. Additionally, it unlike all others Does not possess a transparency Robbing crossover on the main planar drivers, pure copper traces and A lot more anti-vibration technology not only surrounding the drivers but the actual main frame itself. it is also important to note that based on the room - many of our customers can start out with only 2-12 inch subwoofers per side and gradually add on additional subwoofers if they so desire or move to a bigger room. |
Jay I really Wished you got to hear the Pass XS Amps and Preamp Altogether on the GT Audio Works speaker at Capital Audiofest this weekend. You have truly never heard how incredible this gear is until you listen to them on the GT Speakers. Here is the first review from Stereophile - which basically said the sound was spectacular and relaxing and can compete with anything out there cost no object. https://www.stereophile.com/content/gt-audioworks-loudspeakers-pass-laboratories-eletronics-basis-au... |
This was another review from Mr. Shook from Part Time Audiophile- where he Indicates that the Pass XS 150 amplifiers brought the level of the GT Audio Works speakers to best of sound status at Capital Audiofest 2019. This review came after he left the million dollar van Schweikert VAC room. https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/11/06/gt-audio-works-showstopping-sound-along-with-basis-my-soni... |
My customer Bill had the Revel Salons 2’s in his room to compare to his GT Audioworks- He is also good friends with the owner of American Audiophile in Lynbrook, NY All I can say it was a joke - The GT’s were a million times more transparent, dynamic and 3 dimensional. If you don’t believe you can PM me and I can give you his number. |
The eq argument is a simply a band aid for a correcting the inherent problems all speakers with crossovers possess. Specifically, these problems center around phase shift, timing and delay issues - not to mention the overall loss of transparency when compared to a speaker with no crossover. We welcome all who audition the GT Audioworks speakers to bring any speaker to our showroom so we can do a side by side comparison to prove our aforementioned point. As Herb Reichert of Stereophile said when he auditioned the GT’s -that they can go toe to toe with any cost no object speaker. |
Greg and I have been doing shows for many years and the best show that we ever did was at 2019 CAF . Being that there is no transparency robbing crossover you truly get to hear as to how amazing these Pass XS 150’s were sounding on the speakers. It went beyond magical it went beyond dynamic it went beyond transparent. In comparison to what is out there it’s in a league of its own. Just in case you’re lucky enough to get these speakers as there is now a very long waiting list do not part with these amplifiers. We previously sent you some of the reviews on my prior posts. |
Bigddesign3 let me put your fears to rest about the viability of GT Audioworks. GTA has been building speakers for almost 10 years, customers who bought them still have a lifetime warranty and not one has ever been repaired or failed. The design of the driver is unlike any other in that the membrane is almost like a Kevlar vest in terms of its durability. Unlike other planar designs most of them will fail or deteriorate due to the fact they are aluminum traces and it is almost impossible to get a proper solder joint on aluminum. GT Speakers use pure 6N copper traces and the solder joints will never fail. At the present moment GT Audio Works has enough replacement driver materials for every single customer who has purchased them over the last 10 years. Additionally, all current and past speakers that have been sold come with lifetime upgradability- if and when a change is made to the planar drivers. The current model is light years better than previous models and must be auditioned to truly be appreciated as the greatest buy in hi end audio. Greg, myself and all our entire company stand behind this warranty until the last day on earth. |
Thanks guys. Unfortunately, the sound at Axpona was not even in the same galaxy that we had at Capital Audiofest 2019. Several factors contributed to what I consider handicaps 1. Although the GT Speakers or 93B be efficient they do like solid state high current as preferred amplification. The speakers are voiced with Pass Labs and other high current solid-state amplifiers 2. We were also severely limited by the fact that we could not move the furniture in that hotel room and could not get the speaker set up the way we wanted them to be set up- coupled with the fact that this was basically a closet not a true room to exhibit the speakers. 3. It was a completely different animal at Capital Audiofest we had a 35 x 27 room and had the pass XS 150’s and XS pre and XS phono pre. not to mention the 125,000 Basis turntable. yes the speakers do sound better with the XS gear but the speakers do sound pretty good on their own even with the $13,000 XA 60.8’s. |
All amplifiers are system dependent. Specifically, the GT Audioworks Planars are measured in room to 40 hz the heavy bass frequencies are handled by the sophisticated open baffle servo woofers with its own dedicated 1600 watt amps. My point being is that most of the juice or current of an amplifier is utilized in reproducing the lowest frequencies in the motor structure of the woofer. This is where most amplifiers are stressed the most. The main amplifier(s) on the planars are basically seeing an easy load as they don’t have to expend current to move woofers. The planars are 93db efficient (due to a lack of a crossover) and are a nominal 4 to 5 ohm load. We achieve great results with 30 watt amps and yes with the XS 150 Amps the GT’s really come alive with greater dimensionality, transparency, spatiality and organic richness. The XS amps are truly spectacular in their portrayal of the recorded event. Although other amps are able to drive the speakers to very high sound pressure levels the XS amps do it with a much more graceful ease and - with the best tonality. |
