Best amp for Raidho Speakers

In Toronto in November 2014, at the TAVES audio show, it was Raidho X1 loudspeakers, Bel Canto Black source and Bel Canto Black amplifier

At the recent Montreal Audio Show, it was again a Bel Canto Black System, with Raidho D-2 speakers, the Raidho C 1.1 bookshelf speakers as well as Raidho X1 speakers.

The sources included a Bel Canto CD3t CD transport and a REFlink USB converter used to stream music from the TIDAL online music service

Raidho also has a history of using Jeff Rowland electronics to display with at a number of shows, if the $50K Bel Canto Black series is beyond your planned budget.

I had good luck with an Octave V110 w/black box driving D1's and D2's. I have since upgraded the V110 to the Aavik U300. The Aavik is better especially at louder volumes. More control at any volume. That said the Octave held its own at lower to mid listening levels. Naim Supernait 2 would also be a good choice (if considering SS at a more reasonable cost).

Mikeyaya, It depends on what type of music u prefer, Aavik is excellent in dynamic and impressive bass with my D1 , vocal seem to be less convincing , after trying many amp with D1 , I prefer Luxman m800a , with hovland hp200 pre, the sound is warm and convicing with good control.
I mainly listen to jazz and pop.

MikeYaYa, Yes, Rowland amps work very well with Raidho speakers, but...

Let your speakers break in and settle down first... Once their behavior as stabilized, you will be able to determine what your Mcintosh MC275 does well with them, and where it falls short, if at all. If you rush now to get a new amp -- of any brand / model what so ever, you might correct some temporary sonic flaws of the speakers, that in just a few weeks, will turn into some new annoying overcompensation.... And down the eternal rabbit hole you will go, seeking yet a new gizmo to correct the over-correction.

So... let things settle... Enjoy and sit back.... If you discover any frequency humps, adjust the speaker positions/orientation until the seem optimized.... Then listen a lot more.... Are you in Nirvana already?

Hmm... Knowing you are a "suffering audiophile", probably not... Might be still time to think about a Rowland Continuum S2 integrated? ... Or the brand new Rowland M625 S2 stereo amp... Or may be, you want to explore what the High Fidelity CT-1 PCs do for living instead... Yes, these PCs designed by Rick Schultz are in fact amazing, but Until the dust settles in the system, you would not be able to tell their magic.

Besides, your system as is, may already be emitting the ultimate cat's meow!

G.

Try Pass 350.8 wonderful stage and control, great depth.

I am currently using a pair of Manley snappers driven by a Primaluna Dialogue preamp with good results,  

flh-

great to know you're loving the Manley's with the C 1.1s - I'm sure the midrange sounds fantastic. Do you feel you get enough of the attack that these speakers are known for? Do you care if you don't? I assume you're not listening to Opera or rock at high volumes;-)

I ask because I don't want to have to give up my 80W hybrid now that I'll be a C 1.1 owner. I assume that if my Jazz listening level is low enough (and it usually is) it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference if I had an 80W hybrid or a 300W hybrid.

Thanks,
J

J - I ran my Octave V110 with KT90 tubes (about 90W) with both the D1's and D2's. At low to upper mid listening levels it sounded great. But when pushed to the max the lows stayed flat while the mids and highs went louder. That said  I traded in the Octave for a 300W Aavik U300 and at low to mid levels there was no real difference. So IMO you'll be fine with 80W.

I visited a Raidho dealer a few months ago, was listening to a pair of C3.1's, very smooth sounding, but really lacked dynamics.  The salesman said that the tubes in the power amp driving them were over a year old and needed replacing, which should have improved the dynamics.

I'm not a "tube fan", prefer solid state electronics.

Thanks xti16.That's a very helpful response, and one that has been echoed by others (but not often). It's most helpful, because not only is my amp a hybrid, but it should have plenty of current available for the C 1.1's to fully display their dynamic bass at moderate volumes.

ejr1953 - Raidho is not really known for dynamics. They are more like a cross between a planner and a box speaker. Very clear/fast/detailed (super low noise floor) with exceptional imaging yet still musical to get your feet tapping and a nod or two from your head. Better dynamics than a planner but quite as good as a traditional box speaker.

xti16 - not known for dynamics? I’d suggest that a bit of effort must go into the amp selection.  I’ve had my D1.1s powered by several high current SS amps (currently Ayre MX-R monos) with no dynamics problems......OR IF there is a problem, maybe the superb imaging, giant sound stage, the recreation of instrument timbre, speed, detail, etc completely divert my attention from potentially missing dynamics. Subjective as sound interpretation may be, the D1.1s are the most "live musicians in the room" speaker I’ve ever listened to with most genres of music.

An exception, I will concede my point regarding dynamics as it relates to hard rock at floor shaking volumes....the slam of a 3-way box like a Wilson, Magico, B&W 800 Series will almost always win the dynamics game but will not compete on the other characteristics described above. And then again, here’s the real disclaimer: when we listen to any speaker, we’re actually listening to an entire system of gear.

@jymc

Much appreciation for reviving a thread that needed revival IMO. I must not have noticed the comment referring to Raidhos as " not really known for dynamics". A rather remarkable statement, since I have to wonder how a Raidho could be setup so badly that dynamics weren’t immediately apparent given a dynamic music selection that one is familiar with.

With different amp choices, my C1.1s sounded vastly different wrt dynamics. They are *meant* to be driven with an enormous current reserve, and as such may not be appropriate for many rooms and/or ears.

I’ve written several times (at least twice to Raidho themselves) that the published impedance plots are not what I observed and nothing close to what I’ve measured myself. These speakers are meant to wind up and blast out power in the mid-bass and very low mids. NOT the polite phase angle many might be expecting.

It’s a strange point to make, but I’ll make it here anyhow: I also drove the C1.1s for awhile with MX-Rs - the mid-bass was TOO impactful for me (or rather my room which I feel needs almost no more modification). So I tried lower powered tube amps instead and ended up enjoying the C1.1s more. Yes ... clearly I there was some soft clipping there but I didn’t notice it - the dynamics were still incredible at lower volumes.

Found it.   Gryphon Diablo 300.    Done looking.

Glad you found an amp that suits your tastes. So far, nothing has won over my heart (ears) with my D2 like the Hegel H30, though the Gryphon has always interested me...

count me jealous of every one of you who didn't do what I did: sell my Raidhos:-(

Hegel, Gryphon, MX-Rs ... when I think about the difference between what you're hearing and what I've had before and after my C1.1s ...

the main difference by far is the dynamics. Even though I'd say the hallmark of Raidho speakers is the outstanding ability to blend drivers over the x-over range, it's the dynamic "intention" that really set my C1.1s apart from anything else I've owned. 

Now that Raidho is owned by GamuT I would guess that any new speakers will be voiced with their own amps.  I would try demoing with the GamuT Di150 integrated or D200i stereo amps.  IMO the Di150LE is the best SS amp I ever heard.

br3098 I think you're mistaken. Dantex (parent company of Raidho) bought GamuT.

You are correct, my bad.  Sorry!