Talon Raven C Speakers


Does anyone know whether or not the David Berning ZH-270 amplifier will synergistically drive the Talon Raven C speakers? I do not use a pre-amplifier and my listening room is 18' x 30'. I am used to dynamic speakers that play out of the box with a wide and deep sound stage, without the music being laid back.

I am thinking about buying a pair of Talon Raven C speakers, and some have suggested that I would need at least 100 watts/channel when using tube amplification. Another said the Berning, with 70 watts per channel, is the exception.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
hawaiikid
Pehare...........you raise an interesting question and thanks for your informative recommendation.
I've had the Raven-C's for 5 mos. now in my setup & have enjoyed them more than anything else I've owned. I too am curious about going tubes with these but am still questioning the idea because of the general consensus that high powered/current SS is the way to go. Maybe Wolcott monos or their new stereo 120 amp would be the ticket?
Islandbird........thanks for your input and thoughts. You are the Man (with the Firebirds)!
My Talon Raven Cs performed very well driven by a 60w/ch Aleph 5. Get the large 3" spikes from Talon, though; I heard significant bass improvement once they were installed. The Talon brass floor protector discs are also a good addition. I traded-up my Ravens for a pair of Firebirds...a bigger and fuller sound, but in many ways no better sound. I enjoyed my Ravens and would welcome them back anyday....no reservations.
I am the guy who owned the Bruce Moore and Talons. The Berning is more than enough power. Power will not be an issue. This is just my opinion, but I would not pick that amp to match with the Talon Khorus or Raven speakers. I have also owned the ZH270 and found the amp to be fine, but not as good as touted by the cult following.

The Bruce Moore absolutely crushed it on the Talon speakers.So did good solid state stuff like the JC-1 monoblocks and even the Blue Circle BC24 hybrid amp combined with a Placette RCV. The Berning is somewhat "lighweight" in sonic character and is not the best match for the Talon speaker. Bass is somewhat thin and the amp can be a little threadbare or thin sounding. I found this to be the case even with the best NOS tubes, cords and Still Points underneath.

Grannyring
There was a guy who was powering his Talon Khorus speakers with the Bruce Moore 70/70 (70 wpc tube amp) and felt it bettered some of the high powered SS amps he had tried. The Ravens being a 2 way design and rated at 90 db are easy to drive and the sound will change if you are using a tube or SS amp. SS amps will generally provide more dynamics, and better control of the bass and the tubes add a 3D soundstage and more real range sonics. The Ravens are a very clear, dynamic and fast sounding speaker with a huge center stage image (depends on how much toe in you like). The bass is so tight and fast and if you are using the large spikes you should not notice any of the gerneral short falls that a tube amp can add to bass response versus SS. The bybee filters add even more refinement to the bass and high frequencies allowing the music to flow without any smearing of notes in all frequency ranges.

Happy Listening.
David

Aloha from Kapahulu. This is Terry; we may have met at Tom's store?

I would think the Talon C would be fine with lesser amplification. I thought they were quite efficient. I am getting a pair of Peregrines soon; I already have a Roc.

Where are you planning to purchase the Ravens?

You can email me direct at hawaiiaudio@hotmail.com

Mahalo

Terry