Perreaux 350P

Tom: I agree. Some early Perreaux models were thin almost to the point of being anemic sounding. They re-designed the power supply / manipulated internal impedances and things really warmed up a lot. After that, it would appear that their amps went through many design revisions. While i haven't heard the latest models, i specifically remember Art Dudley mentioning that a small speaker system at one of the shows sounded very good and had incredibly powerful and controlled bass response. The amplifier being used? Perreaux.

A local dealer here in Chicago had some newer models in a few years ago. Upon initial firing up, they would pop the breakers on the circuit. After the initial in-rush surge, he could then reset the breakers and the amp would fire up normally. His primary comments on the amps when i asked him about them were "the most thunderous bottom end i've ever heard from any amp ever. Phenomenal impact".

Obviously, some things have changed over time. Sean
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The Perreaux products I heard in the past lacked dynamic contrasts.. well there were not any. Thin to the point of being anemic.These in tow of B+W's would create laser burn around your ears..Sounds as if a dealer may have gotten 120 day billing on stock items and 180 days on the store demo's..Tom

Hi-Fi: Thanks for the clarification, but i'm almost sorry i asked. You should have pointed out your affiliation before having to be asked. Sean
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Sanibel will distribute Perreaux through Speciality Audio Retailers. Audio Advisor is an e-tailer and catalog company. They were buying direct and selling at less than wholesale. The new prices reflect real world pricing for this fine product. Watch for the latest offerings which will be completely revolutionary to the industry.

Yes I am a partner in Sanibel Sound. I am sole owner of HiFiFarm. HifiFarm carries all the Perreaux line. We also carry numerous brands not listed on the site. Our local retail operation, Smith Mountain Sound and Cinema , carries Lexicon , Parasound, Revel, Sim2, ML , and a lot of brands you would recognize.
This facility has a complete Cinema in the store with all the latest offerings . It also provides complete home automation and integration through our in house engineering company Home Control Corporation. This part of the business has numerous crews and is owned and managed by Bob McClellen. Bob and his partners all hold engineering degrees assuring extreme quality installation and implementation.
The Distribution company carries , Piega , North Star, Perreaux, Fisch, Audio Tekne, Aloia,and others. Some of the above products are available by walk-in to our stores, others are only available through authorized dealer territories. See us at HE2004 .
Last but not least we have signed on with Glacier Audio and will present their system in a dedicated environment beginning June 1. We are excited with their concept and the offerings they produce.

Our retail facility is over 5000 square feet and located in Westlake Va. We maintain a full staff. We are committed to this industry and earn our entire livelyhood within it. Sanibel's warehouse is in Fredricksburg Va and we maintain a complete stock for immediate delivery to our dealers.
We also will produce ,through Sanibel Sound ,several hi-rez DVD-A's with AIX records this year. Keep an eye peeled as these will be beauties.
I hope this helps explain our position in the industry.
Regards, Steve Davis

Why is the Perreaux Silhouette SHX1 headphone amp selling for $599 at HiFI Farms when Audio Advisor sold it for $350,(an increase of 71%). Is this New Zealand Dollars or GREED?

I looked on the HiFi Farm website and saw Perreaux products listed, but only a headphone amp and phono amp. There were no preamps or power amps listed. As such, this is a kinda-sorta "iffy" issue.

HiFi: For sake of clarity, are you saying that Perreaux is distributed by Sanibel and that you are a part owner of Sanibel? Sean
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We were the first Halcro dealer in the U.S. The newest Perreaux is going into a system from a customer who had 2 pairs of Halcros in a bi-amp. He switched to Goldmund 29.4 with a noticable improvment and now will move even further towards control and dynamic with the Perreaux. We do sell them but are not the distributor. Sanibel Sound has that honor. I am only a partner in that endeavor.

I think that Hi Fi Farms may be pushing a product they sell here, since they don't sell Halcro, and ARE distributors for Perreaux.
It would be, to me, as if someone preferred a new Ford Focus to a new Infiniti g35 Coupe.
Perreaux is good gear, but I am not aware of anyone who would place them anywhere near the quality of Halcro.
Best,
Larry

Sean,

Your posts always invariably add to other peoples knowledge ( and mine too) Thank you!

Markvetnz: The older Perreaux's i've worked with all had specific tonal balances to them, regardless of the loads placed upon them i.e. speakers and / or cabling. The only time i've ever run across a cable that drastically changed the sound on these amps was with YBA Diamond's. This cable really opened things up, but at the same time, bass weight was definitely lost. I am using my Perreaux's strictly for woofer duty.

HiFi Farm: That is a very interesting post to say the least i.e. trading Halcro's AND Goldmund's for big Perreaux's. I bet that Halcro and Goldmund dealers & fans are cringing everywhere. If i hadn't read it from the mouth of a reputable dealer, i wouldn't have believed it.

Quadophile: My experience with the specific Perreaux models mentioned was that the require quite a bit of drive for full output, regardless of the rated input sensitivity. Personally, i would not think that those specific Perreaux amps would work well in a passive based system. If you have a DAC with a very high output level, you might be okay. Sean
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What is the opinion of folks who used Perreaux Amps without a Pre. Can a passive pre really do justice to a Perreaux amp? How about driving it straight from the output of a CD player?

I know preamps are an important part of the chain, but just curious how important it is for a Perreaux amp from yesteryear. 3150B? 2150B?

We are driving Piega C-10 ltd with a 350p and it works perfectly. We have traded a pair of Halcro DM 58s and a pair of Goldmund 29.4 for the mono version 750p due to the excellent drive chacteristics and sound quality. A 350p will drive your B&W excellent.

Just to follow up on my previous posting. This afternoon I spent 3 hours trying diferent speaker positions. My 802'2 were originally about 8 feet apart and seemed to lack a bit or dynamics and pace. Imaging was great. I moved them further apart and voila, there it was. massive soundstage, brilliant imaging and tons of PRT. The 350P drives them with ease. Once again you must get a decent power lead. I tried it without the Eichman again this afternoon and the sound was dull and flat. I don't know what these cords go for in the states. Over here they retail for about the equivalent of $300. Great bang for your buck.

I am driving 802's with a 350P. No problems in handling the load. Much better at higher volumes though. I haven't had them too long so I am still experimenting with cables and speaker position etc. An upgraded power cable is a must. I got an Eichman express power cable and the difference was immediate. Huge increase in dynamics.

I wonder if it was a specific problem to Tvad's unit.

I used to have a Perreaux 200iP integrated amp, which is the 200P amp plus an active preamp section. Anyway I remember demoing Martin Logan Ascent speakers with the integrated which are a notorious tough load, and the amp drove them to stupid loud volumes without problem.

It got a little hotter than usual, which was to be expected, because I was used to driving much more efficient speakers, but it was still cool enough to touch...

Anyway I've had experience with Perreaux amps, much smaller and less powerful than the 350P and they have been really reliable.

By the way, they sound great in my opinion. Plus they have a really high damping factor which means they have really good control of the speakers, that's something the N802's will really like. The bass performance of the Perreaux amps I've tried, is the best I've heard in their price range(including Krell), the mids are rich(not in a tube kind of way, but...) and they highs are clear and extended...I have a great opinion about Perreaux amps and their performance...

I have to wonder what series of units that Perreaux started using "protection circuitry"? I know that the first and second series of their amps didn't use any on purpose. The owner's manual flat out stated that protection circuitry degrades sonic performance, so it was avoided for that reason. From what i'm reading here, the newer models must be gutless wonders compared to some of the older versions. Sean
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Thanks anyway, someone beat me to it.

The 7b are 86db and the N802's are 91db, not sure what that means in terms of what you experienced...