| Alan | |
| Alan |
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Oops, my little finger hit "enter" instead of "shift" on my new curved keyboard. Sorry!
I have a Madisound BK-16 kit speaker with a Fostex FE166E driver and a Sansui supertweeter with a minimal 1uF cap crossover. I use a chip integrated amp for amplification and a SL1200 with a Pro-Ject phono stage on the front end (with a Sumiko Pearl).
My question: which Transcendent amp would best meet my needs? I listen to classical music and rock, mostly, and not all that loud in a fairly close field listening environment. The new cascode follower amp looks promising, but I was wondering if I would be better served going another direction. And what about a preamp that matches well? I assume I'll hear that the Grounded Grid is the way to go . . .
I will be upgrading my phono stage to a VSPS soon, with a Phonoclone on the distant horizon and a D103 or D103R or Zu103 cartridge, if that matters at all.
Thanks!
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| Alan |
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Reply with quote | #3 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Alan
I have a Madisound BK-16 kit speaker with a Fostex FE166E driver and a Sansui supertweeter with a minimal 1uF cap crossover.
And they're a stereo pair, probably about 95dB/1W/1m.
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| steve f |
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Reply with quote | #4 |
Hi Alan,
The best answer is "it depends" because both the SE-OTL or stereo T-16 will work just fine. The preamp is easy. Nothing beats the Grid in a tube linestage. It's the best deal in audio. I use the SE-OTL with a pair of Horn Shoppe horns (93-94 DB) I can drive the cat out of the room if I crank it up. A T-16 will play louder and is more flexible with lower efficiency speakers. Nothing compares to an OTL. I heard a prototype of the Cathode Follower amp, and it was very good. If you are into vinyl, consider the TS phono stage too. I'm not trying to make this sound like a shameless plug for Bruce's products. They are that good.
Steve |
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| Don A. |
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Reply with quote | #5 |
Also, don't forget about the CFA!MY diy horns w/fe126's (eNAbled treatment) positively sing with the CFA, GG. The Cathode Follower will drive your 166's no problem! |
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| Alan |
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Reply with quote | #6 |
Oh man, what a dilemma! Without having ever heard OTL gear, I can only imagine what it must sound like, but it must be something special. A friend of mine is quietly fanatical about his Bottlehead amps, and his ears are good. But I'm a bit contrary and I want something a lot different. For me there's an allure to trying out an unusual amp design like the OTL SE. I may build more efficient horns anyway--if not going the open baffle route--hopefully with something like the 604 drivers from GPA, possibly adding high-efficiency Fostex supertweeters.
Not that the CF amp is an ordinary design. . . .
Anyway, thanks for the recommendations, though now I'll have visions of the OTL and the CF amps swimming before my eyes. My main motivation is to hear my music on vinyl sound as good as it can, and this looks like an exciting possibility.
--Alan
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| Charlie M |
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Reply with quote | #7 |
"My main motivation is to hear my music on vinyl sound as good as it can, and this looks like an exciting possibility."
I am writing as I have the Phono Pre, The Grounded Grid, the CFA, currently the Beast OTLs, and I just ordered the SE because the Beasts are just way too powerful for the space I am currently in. When playing vinyl with an MC cart going through Altec 4722s, I can only set the preamp at two clicks on the attenuator (Goldpoint) before it is too loud. Living in a condo I try to respect neighbors.......... I have Mr. Rozenblit's 24 step attenuator on a different GG and there is more lower volume control with his range choice.
I too have the Madisound BK16s with the Fostex 165Ks and the T90A tweeters. These speakers don't go quite deep enough, even with the Beasts, and if I had it to do all over again I'd go with the BK20s and an 8" speaker. Althouogh the beast is too much amp for these speakers, the speakers are not too mcuh for the amp. They're enough to know that full range high efficiency/horns are a good safe way to go with these amp designs. The CFA can be used with lower efficiency speakers and I used it with Kefs. I have Infinity, Bose, Klipsch, and even Kef 104/2s, and would choose a full range over all of them. Wish List: a pair of AER MD-3s (16ohm 106 DB) speakers in a folded horn design. Would work perfectly with the SE-OTL.
The CFA has more than ample power to drive the BK16/Fostex, is very, very pleasing in its delivery and sounds very, very good. Velvety is a good description. But as Mr. Rozenblit states in his discription of his OTLs: nothing sounds like an OTL. I am mesmerized by the sound reproduction of the Beasts anyway, and I cannot go back, even to the CFA, and the CFA is the best transformer coupled amp I have ever heard.
You mention Denon 103(R) cartridges. If your're not familiar with Peter Lederman at Soundsmith: http://www.soundsmith.com take a look at what he does.
I have one of his re-tips on an inexpensive MC cart and the sound quality improvement is exponential. His work with cartridges to me is on par with Mr. Rozenblit's work with OTL Amps; basically there's nothing better.
I have been trying to "get it right" as far as an audio system goes for over 40 years now, and finding Transcendent Sound is where hardware stops for me. I will look no further, there's no point. It truly is high performance audio for the rest of us. And I would bet that if you go with some TS products you'll be happy and your bottlehead friend will be jealous.
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| Charlie M | |
| Michael Visser |
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Reply with quote | #9 |
Hello, music lovers,
After reading this fellows post, I had to tell everyone that in 1970 I had a friend who had an OTL that he had built (diy) his own "take" on the J. Futterman design.
We were young audio fanatics, with some knowledge of electronics, he more than me.
Spent many weeks discussing differing topologies, finally the OTL concept came to the fore, my friend then told me of visiting someone in N.Y.C. who had a Futterman, saw it self destruct, with all the flames and drama!
That was it, my engineering friend decided that he could solve some of the worst issues with an OTL circuit, he did, matched tubes were needed though.
One day I went to visit, heard something different as soon as I opened the door, the OTL was on the floor, "breadboard" , 4-tubes/channel.
Never before or since have I had an audio experience as thrilling.
As music reproduction goes, this in a way, sounded more real than real!
Whatever you do for your system, get a chance to hear an OTL, see if it is better than everything to date.
Possible best characterization; full powerful sound and effortless, totally neutral, unbelievable stage breadth and depth.
Until one hears this, only through an OTL, they will never know what they are missing!
Cordially, Michael Visser
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| Michael Visser |
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Reply with quote | #10 |
Hi, Me again,
I should have said, "for Alan" so as not to be taken the wrong way.
Yours, Mike V.
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