Preamp/Amp synergy with Cain Abby's?

You ever thought of using a low wattage Op chip amp amplifier on the Abbys with a tubed preamp? The combo is terrific. You'll have the low end control and tubed magic all rolled up into one. Super revealing and transparent amplifiers IMO.

Hi Rene,
yes I've communicated with Paul many times. He does think very highly of the F1. The only problem with such an amplifier, is it's limited ability on different speakers.

Paul BUI ,Bemopti123 and I all use the same speakers(FTA-2000s). The F1 will not drive them. The ClariT Monos does a much better job. But still isn't sufficient for a 89dB speaker.

From what I gather the F1 is a terrific match for the Fostex high efficient cones.I've communicated with Ed Schilling and the F1 is his favorite also for driving his speakers.

I haven't any real experience comparing the SI against the ClariT. Depending on the setup if using a sub. The ClariT with the sub-outs is pretty darn good. You have a loss in bass below 70 hz or so when using the ClariT on it's own.
Something you may or may not notice on your speakers since bass starts to roll off above 100hz.

The other alternative is a low wattage (maybe 20 wpc) Chip Op amp from say Scott Nixon paired with your tubed preamp. Believe me when I say I haven't heard anything that has the speed and soundstage depth of the Chip amp. It leaves the Tripath amps in the dust along with all other amplifiers I have any experience with! At the going price of the 20 watters Scott selling..you will feel like you stole something!LOL I'm willing to bet you will hear things in familar recordings you've never heard before.

This maybe off the beaten path. I have no experience with your cd player. But I've found a NON oversampling Dac does wonders for speakers with minimum or no crossovers. You'll hear the difference instantly! The notes decay naturally without that upper frequency hash assiocated with cds. The layering is also much better as nothing is high lighted in the stage but everything is separated.
There's several companies that make them .So the choice is yours. Do not go on the notion because the player cost a certain amount that a cheaper NOS Dac won't be an improvement. If you go that route make sure the Dac output is atleast 2 volts. This way your dynamics will not be sacrificed.

Good listening

Hi Restock,
from what Paul told me the lacking sensitivity was the only problem. He loves the F-1 on his Fostex 1.3 speakers.
Not sure if he tried parellel networks on the Fostex F200A.

He was able drive the FTA with the mono ClariT but after inserting his BSC circuit . The monos started to clip badly. The BSC takes away some of the sensitivity of the driver in exchange for a flatter frequency response.

The F1 maybe your best bet. If your planning to stay with speakers above 94dB. I just didn't want you to be stuck with it if you ever wanted to move to a different type of single driver. Not all of them are sensitive.

Here's a French built amplifier which hasn't gotten a lot of press as yet. But from what I've read from some serious DIYers and underground audiophiles is a seriously great amp that may follow a design similar to the F-1.The difference being it will drive loads of 2 Ohms without breaking a sweat!
I sent this info to 6moons, hoping they may review it soon. Profet amplifier. You can find out more about it on the Selectron forum. It sells for $1600 complete if I'm not mistaken.

Also here's a little shootout with the Class T amplifiers. The Charlize looks like another good amp. You know me always looking off the beaten path. :-) As I've found IME the hidden gems are great finds.

Cheers!

Here' an explanation of why amplifiers sound very different on single driver speakers.This is a very good read! Electrical filters and Acoustic Filters.

I listened to the Abbys on the Sophia and the Grommes monos. It may seem like over kill but the Grommes were the better of the two.The sales person as well as a friend all agreed. The difference for the better was quite noticeable.Of course the difference in price was noticeable too! LOL