845s: To biamp or not

Jsadurni - That Dared ought to be PLENTY of power for 94dB speakers if that is accurate and if they do not have really nasty impedance & phase swings. I had that same amp and it drove 88dB Gallos very well indeed. If it wasn't so huge and ran so hot I would have kept it.

Ethifi - The Consonance amps are 1st rate in every way. Build quality, parts, sonics all top-notch. American stuff like this would cost $10K.

The new Hyperion 845s, however, may turn out to be killer as well.

ASL - you can read all day about them. Good sonics, good deal, for sure, but more than a few have had issues with the gear.

My experience with this 8w Dared amp is steering me well away from bi-amping. If this tiny 8W amp can produce GOOD bass in these speakers, the 845s sure can (I knew that). Well, I mean, I have played with the Gallo amp some more, and while it does tighten up the bass some it is not worth the hassle and extra load on the source. I will try it again with the 845s when I can but when in doubt, go for simplicity, I say.

Paul, I would agree that an American counterpart to the Cybers would cost at least twice as much, but the parts, build quality, and basic circuit show shortcuts to allow the low price. I do like the sonics, however.

The power supply is very simple and limited. It is probably why you had your failure with an output tube that drew more current.

I suspect that there would be only minor variations among 845 amps, with the wiring, output caps, and ac filtering. Better of everything including tubes will improve the sound. The question is what you are willing to add to your basic model.

Tbg, I'm very curious to hear specific shortcuts in parts or "circuit" that you see in the Cybers. The parts are all just about top-tier, if not top-tier. Ditto on the build quality. They are put together very well and the enclosures are faar from simple - the amps could be much cheaper if they were in basic boxes, I am sure.

I may agree with you about the power supply - but, with a Class A design, when you are at 100% power all the time, why build a power supply that can supply substantially more than will ever be drawn? More than the tubes they planned for could ever draw, that is. I certainly agree that it is a least a weak point that they don't allow these higher-current tubes to be used.

Maybe they didn't think of it or want to deal with the issue or maybe it was a conscious decision. Some elements of the amps - like the 5687 drivers which are not common at all, and the designers explanation for their choice - have lead me to believe that a lot of thought did go into these amps.

The fact that they are as quiet as they are also makes me think this isn't simple, basic stuff. It is not easy to make 845 amps as quiet as these are.

Paul, there is no regulation on the power supply and it is just big enough. The caps on the outputs are of unknown origins. I agree that the build quality is okay, but the wiring, inputs and outputs, and circuit are obviously directed at cost cutting.

I am certainly not saying that I don't like them, nor am I saying that I would pay more for them given their quality.

I opted to replace the wiring and to make some reasonable efforts to make them quieter. They will probably become my backup amps or remain in my summer home.

I don't know about the 845s, but my 211s are normal for 10 volt filament amps. Fortunately I have 93 db efficient speakers rather than 103 db efficient speakers where the hum would be objectionable.

I think Enjoy the Music was right about these. They do sound outstanding and can even be as satisfying as the Onganku 211 for far less money.

Tbg,

The main caps on my amps are Rubycon. I'm pretty sure *all* of them were. Maybe they are doing things differently now (mine are brand new) or maybe this is a difference between the 211 and 845 versions, though that seems unlikely.

Again, I thought chokes and oversized power supplies were more appropriate for non class A amps - but I am no expert...

My amps are indeed unusually quiet. The Art Audio Carissa may have been just as quiet but not more so. Talking about speaker hum as well as mechanical tranny hum. Absolutely none of the latter, unlike *many* SET amps...

Anyway we're both happy with them.

What are your "main" amps?