2. amps-preamps
  3. 1227391640

Should I get a new amp?

I just picked up a fresh pair of Focal/JMLab Electra 1027be's and I'm now looking toward a possible amp upgrade. Currently, I have an older Outlaw 750 (165w x 5 @ 8ohm) pushing them but I'm itching to upgrade. Question is, will I really hear a big difference? That's when all you guys come in with your opinions :-)

My amp budget is about $1,500 (used from A-Gon is fine) and I'm only interested in 2 channel amps. I would continue to push the rest of my HT speakers with the Outlaw, so this amp would be dedicated to the 1027s.

This would also be for about 95% music, 5% HT.

I can get an Anthem Statement A2 for about $1,000 or a P2 for about $2,000 (little over budget...but might be willing to stretch) but I don't know if there is something better in my price range.

And finally, my room is narrow. 11' wide, 20' long (with an open back), and 7.5" high (basement). My speakers are on the short wall firing down the room toward the open end. I tend to sit about 7' off the speakers for listening.

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated, as always.

Thanks guys!

-Ben
fatgh0st
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
At that budget level and with the current requirements of your speakers I think you have no choice but going SS. An option would be to consider the Unico (Unison Research) or Pathos integrated - they both make hybrid (tube pre /SS amp)units that might be in you price range and should be able to drive your speakers. I've only heard them in shows, so I can't really vouch for them, but both companies have received very nice review for their 50-70 watt integrateds. I could be wrong, but I think in your price range you are unlikely to get a reall good quality tube amp capable of driving your speakers they way they deserve. Again, I have not tried the Primaluna, so I can't say with certainty that it would be a bad match - but tube amps tend to need tube friendly speakers to work their magic.
jw94055
125 posts
 
Get a tube pre (if you don't have one already) and a "Class D" power switching amp that is built to handle the impedance swings. There are quite a few to choose from. I built a 200w/8ohm power amp using the Hypex upgraded modules (Hypex is used in Channel Island amps) and use a tube pre. The sound is tube with SS tight top and bottom. This might trigger another boring Class D vs. MOSFET vs. Tube debate, but I am simply stating what I have found. P.S. If the debate takes place, I will not participate, there has been enough discussion on this topic.
phaelon
1,038 posts
 
JM Lab speakers are particularly special when driven by tubes, IMO. It's too bad that they're not particularly tube friendly. I was driving the Mini Utopias with a 70W conrad johnson. Does it work? Yes. But I would like to encourage those who say that they're happy driving their JM Labs with 50 Watts or so, to try and listen to them with bigger amps. When I threw 200W cjs at the Mini's, they really came alive, relatively speaking.
vett93
205 posts
 
I agree with others who stated that JM Focal speakers can use the harmonics from tube amps. I have another SS power amp, rated at 200Wpc/8ohms and 400Wpc/4ohms, and my Alto Utopias sound a bit dry with it.

So I ended up with a completely redone Counterpoint NP100 power amp that is rated at 100Wpc/8ohms and 200Wpc/4ohms. It is a hybrid amp with tube gain stage and SS output stage. Mike Elliott voiced it like SET amp sonic signature. (Yes, its upper mid-range does sound like my 300B SET amp.)

200Wpc/4ohms may sound like a lot of power. But when I play Beethoven Symphony No. 9, it is barely enough towards the end. I can't imagine if it only had 50Wpc......
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
That Counterpoint sounds like a good option, I do think the hybrid idea makes sense here. As to watts, I think it is really an issue of the impedance challenges presented by the speaker, not the sensitivity - these speakers need current. My Merlins are 89db and sound extremely "complete" with just 30 watts from the Ars Sonum and 60 watts from the Atma-sphere. The difference? A very benign impedance curve, very easy on tubes, and that is all the difference in the world. Massive tube amps could proabably overcome this handicap, but seems like the wrong approach. Did someone mention the Odyssey amplfiers in this thread? Those are pretty nice SS amps at a very reasonable price.
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