@photomax
Ah yes - D9s. I knew that!
Ah yes - D9s. I knew that!
Need some Tube and Class A SS Suggestions
I recently purchased a pair of Spendor D7s and am just loving these speakers. I have them paired with a musical fidelity KW 500 integrated. The combo is super fast, tight, and dynamic. However, the Spendors can be a bit too revealing in the high frequencies given a harsh or bright recording. This has me headed down the rabbit hole of tube amplification and possibly Class A SS. If the lowest bass is not as tightly defined I'm ok with. It actually may be too tight and defined at the moment. Added warmth in the upper bass would be fine as well. And if I'm going to upgrade then maybe it's time for separates too!
Here are the power amps I'm considering:
I'm curious to hear if any thoughts on what I've picked out already and if there are other units worth looking.
Thanks!
Here are the power amps I'm considering:
- Primaluna EVO 400
- Pass Labs XA25
- Line Magnetic 805IA
- Schiit Aegir Monoblocks - the price is just too good.
- Rogue Audio RP-5 and RP-7
- PS Audio BHK Preamp
I'm curious to hear if any thoughts on what I've picked out already and if there are other units worth looking.
Thanks!
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@shahram What tube amp did you use previously? I had a Cary CAD120S MKii, rated 60w in triode and 120w in ultralinear. Even in UL mode it didn’t come close to driving the D7’s like the XA30.8 can. When you are listening at what you consider a loud volume, how far do you push the volume knob? Or where do you never go past on the dial? When listening to a digital source (streaming in my case) I never turn it up past 10-11 oclock on the dial. That pushes the level up to 95dB or so listening 9 feet away. And the preamp I’m using only provides 10dB of gain. When listening to vinyl I rarely go above 12 oclock. I’d say most of my listening is around 80-85dB and I’m somewhere between 9-11 oclock usually depending on source. |
I own D7’s and for last year have driven with Audio Research DSI200 SS integrated amp. 200w into 8 ohms. Sounds pretty magical to me. You can find the ARC used usually around $2.5k Note that they D7’s take a few hundred hours to break in, but when they do they are amazing. It’s that LPZ tweeter that sets the D line apart from the lower Spendor lines. Just fantastic. I like it so much I have the D1’s in my secondary system and the older (non-LPZ) SA1’s in my third system. No comparison D1>>>SA1 to my ears. |
The Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3 has joined the conversation for the preamp. I e-mailed the company and got a prompt reply, so good start there. Very sexy looking too! https://backertlabs.com/rhumba-1-3-preamp/ |
See how the Prima Luna’s output transformer has less instability ringing (peaking) from 10khz up when it is loaded down more and more.(green trace) Prima Luna https://www.stereophile.com/images/1214PLDPIfig01.jpg But the D7’s impedance goes higher and higher from 7khz so the peaking will get worse and worse on the Prima Luna. It would be far better for the D7’s impedance to go down instead of up, to keep the ringing peak down. Spendor D7 https://www.stereophile.com/images/0415-SD7fig1.jpg Cheers George |
@georgehifi I take your point there. Someone on another message board mentioned how they heard D7s with a Primaluna Dialogue HP at a dealer. They ended up buying the D7 as a result! So i think one thing that will trump what *might* be an issue with measurements is just listening. Hopefully I can figure out a way to do that. |
And another Preamp enters the ring. The Linear Tube Audio microZOTL Preamplifier. The preamps I am seriously now considering are:
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@shahram Balanced outputs are not a major consideration. More of a nice to have. When considering a new component, it's nice when the design elements help give you the most flexibility in the future and get the most from your other existing gear - it just reduces the risk of wishing you had considered your criteria more thoroughly before buying. For instance when I bought my Pass XA30.8 (fully balanced circuit) I did so with full consideration that my existing preamp used a transformer- coupled Class A1 balanced triode design. It's just one of those things where if the price isn't any higher and you like the sound at least as much as your other choices it help cinch the deal because you're getting more design synergy for your buck. At least that's the way I look at it. |
@shahram I ended up with an Exposure 3010s2d for my Spendor D7's. Despite the modest price it is a substantial upgrade over a Hegel H80. I hear a powerful bass for the first time from these speakers, can pinpoint instruments in space more clearly and tone is improved. Really the improvements are across the board. When listening to Whale & Wasp, I hear a resonance from the violin that I've never experienced from reproduced music. Of course there is better gear out there, but hearing this was quite beautiful, and fuel to pursue this hobby. Upstream I'm using a MHDT Orchid which uses a tube buffer. I do like having a tube somewhere in the chain for these speakers. I recommend the 6922/ECC83 adapter mentioned in other threads for this DAC. Swapping speaker cables DNM -> Raven, adding Gaia III's and changing rooms have all been beneficial. I've had these Spendors for three years now, and continue to appreciate them with every tube, component, or cable change. |