Which Mono block amps for ML Summit Speakers?

Electrostaticman: Send me an email as to your current system, what sonic qualities you want that you currently don't have, and a preamp budget. I will respond with some models for you to keep your eyes out to audition. John

I'd be hesitant with the ARC CL150 mono amps. I had these for over a year and their 150w rating was quite wimpy to drive Magnepan Series 3.x speakers. The 110wpc VT130 stereo amp that I had before controlled the Maggies quite well without shutting down like the CL150s did regularly. I ultimately changed to Wolcotts for the Magnepans which worked beautifully in driveability and the openness of a tube amp.

Perhaps the ARC VT150 mono amps would be super here. The incredible dimensionality of the VT130 stereo amp leads me to believe the VT150 monos would be even more in this direction and a great match with the MLs which have a lesser 3-dimensional, bloomy, volume-of-space presentation than the Magnepans.

When I got the CAT JL-3 mono amps a couple years later, also rated at 150w, I realized 150w does not equal 150 watts. The CAT 150w rating was able to drive the Maggies like the CL150's never could come even close to doing. There's a lot more to a manufacturer's power rating when it comes to driving many speakers.

Perhaps the ML's are not difficult loads, but if you want more headroom, I suggest you look into the VTL 225 & 450 or Wolcott mono amps....or even a pair of the BAT VK60's. All of these are in the $4-5k range with the VT150s closer to the $6k price when you can find them.

I still have the Wolcotts. If you are near Minneapolis, I'd let you borrow them and try them out in your home.

John

Is there any chance to get a pair of mono blocks to put behind the MLs that could not be seen? If this is the case, I think you'd be ok to run 50' interconnect like the MIT 350 series. I gotta think something like the Wolcott monos would fit perfectly behind the speakers.

Electrostaticman: When it comes to purchasing an amplifier, it has everything to do with the speaker being driven. The amp/speaker link requires careful match much like the tonearm/cartridge.

Do a search for threads that cover the topic of amplifiers that work well with ML speakers. There seems to be a lot of owners that have had great success with tube and ss amps. Maybe they can give you some ideas on pros/cons, why they changed from one to the other, etc.

As for tube preamps, I have yet to hear a music system with a ss preamp match the 3-dimensionality, decay of notes, and harmonic richness like many of the great tube preamps. Of course, just because a preamp or line stage has tubes does not mean anything either. But I find this link in the chain to be crucial to convey the above qualities. I can be content with changing amps, speakers, cables, etc., but take such a preamp out of the system, and so much is immediately lost. It just makes no sense but time and time again, for me at least, the line stage is THE critical link. And the most critical cable link has been from the line stage to the amp so don't short change yourself here either.

John