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What to put between a Calypso a Mini Utopias?

I have been trying to develop a "short list" of amplifiers to evaluate. My preamp is an Aesthetix Calypso and my speakers are JM Labs Mini Utopias.

There are many glowing reviews about mating an YBA Passion the Mini Utopia, but I'm not looking for an integrated amp solution at this time. I am committed Calypso.

The Mini Utopias are 91.5 dB efficient and JM Labs recommends an amp no higher than 150W. They are only capable of low frequency down to 39Hz. I use a sub to help shore up the bottom end.

Stereophile said “the Calypso will need to be used with a power amplifier offering an input impedance of at least 30k ohms if the bass is not to sound lean.”

In terms of cost, I suppose I would like to come in under $5K, but I wouldn’t hesitate to increase the budget if the sound quality warranted it.

Any experiences or ideas would be greatly appreciated. BTW, solid states, tubes, doesn’t matter to me either way. It's all about the music. Fussing with equipment doesn't bother me if the end justifies the means.

Thanks
buckr

Showing 1 response by dan_ed

dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Buckr, I also own the Calypso and can not say much more beyond what has been mentioned by others. The Calypso is very easy to match and I don't think you'll run into very many amps with input impedances that are below 30Kohms.

For the record my Calypso is controlling a pair of Rogue M-150's tubed mono's and a Classe CA301 SS which handles the LF chores. The Calypso responds very well to tube rolling, especially the 6922's. I've also owned the MMF-7 and the 834P. Once you get this amp thing sorted out, you want to think about replacing that 834P with a Rhea. ;)
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