Acoustat servo amps ??


hey!
I'm looking for any info on acoustat servo amps for monitor III speakers. right now i have the transformers (not the medallion) and love them w/ my arc vt100mkII. however i keep hearing that the servos will bring these to a new level.

i'm debating on whether or not to go for the servos and sell my arc.

mostly i listen to jazz 50% lp, 50% cd and am using the speakers with a vandersteen 2wq sub.

anyone have thoughts? is it worth it? how much can i expect to pay for the servos? where should i look? should they be upgraded and how? who works on them...etc.

how about a passive pre w/ these? recommended?

im also interested in thoughts on the model IIIs compared to the other models... 4s, the 2+2s, X, spectra 1100, 22, etc.

any info is appreciated.

thanks in advance
kublakhan
hey plato thanks again for all the great info.

i'm not sure the vintage of my model IIIs. they were bought new by my father in '81 or '82 i believe but they may have been store demos and older than that however. receipts are long gone unfortunately (i hooked up with a guy at rockford corp who could have replaced the panels for free if i had it. crap.) how can i check to find out which version i have? -these aren't the medallion btw and have the 'internally wired by monster cable' sticker on the back if that provides a clue to their year.

that same guy at rockford can do the medallion upgrades ($700 including shipping) and upgrade the caps and wire if i supply him with the parts (i figure about $3-400 including cardas posts, etc. that option is what im debating against the servos. he recommended infinicaps and solens (47uf) but i've been told by an acoustat freak NOT to go with the infinicaps for this application because they sound thin. someone once told me they personally only use black gate in their acoustats but i cant seem to find any w/ sufficient voltage.

thanks again.
My luck has been with the model X. I like the sound and value so much, I bought a second pair. Besides upgrading the tube recipticals, I have left both pair in original condition. Some time back, returning home, one amp was making a terible noise. The Antique Radio Store fixed me up. But now, I feel better killing the power when they are not being used. Also I found out that they must be grounded. I was using one of those three to two plug adapters. Doing this lets the groung charge build up. My cloth was worn on one pair of the X's. No luck finding the same cloth until I bought a pair of Klipschorns. Noticed the cloth is a match and still avalible from Klipsch.
waveriding, thanks for the klipschorn idea. i'll probably do that. there is a company still making acoustat socks for virtually any model but they dont have a great selection of colors. For your records just in case you ever get a cat keep this handy: "The Upholstery Co" in mesa arizona 480-898-9521
I think Plato may be a little confused, or I do not understand what he is saying. Spectra's include 33's and 3300's, Mdl. 3's are not spectras. I have Mdl. 3's and 3300's. I am using a slightly modified Moscode 600 amp to drive them. I intend to upgrade it to a 500 watt a side amp, and believe that will finally satisfy the Acoustats. If you have a contact at Rockford who can get transformers, I am considering bi-amping, but would need 4 more Spectra transformers to do so....

Thanks,

Lou
Dennis, a mint pair of Monitor 4's sell for $550.00 to $650.00, look elegant, and will sound similar to your 3's. That means the servo amps are going for about $1000. Not bad if they are also mint, but not a bargain. If you can pry the amps away without the panels for about $700-$800, that's a bargain. Obtaining 6HB5's is not a problem, Michael Percy and Caddock will have the other parts you'll need.Ed