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Best tube amp for electrostatic speakers

For over 35 years I've almost exclusively used either ribbons or electrostats with solid state amplification and have been generally happy with the sound. Over the last several years, though, my hearing has become somewhat degraded and more sensitive to certain frequencies. The frequencies which seem to cause the most discomfort occur in the 1400 to 1900Hz range and come across as "bright" to my hearing. After researching this matter and having been given some expert advice, I've decided to pursue the idea of replacing my present amplification equipment with tube based gear.

The purpose of this post, then, is to solicit advice regarding the best approach to making this decision based on the following information: the current basic equipment is Shanling Solid state CD player, Peachtree Audio Nova used as preamp, two DBX 1531 EQ's to help compensate for age related hearing loss, Peachtree 220 amp, Silversonic T114 cable and Martin Logan Ethos speakers.

The listening area is our living room measuring 15 by 22 feet with my listening position 16 feet from the plane of the 2 speakers which are positioned 11 feet apart measured center to center. Located between the 2 speakers is an entertainment center which is about 9 feet wide. My listening interests are varied from solo guitar and light jazz to occasional orchestral music. I don't generally listen at high volumes and am not particularly interested in strong bass except for the rare action movie background.

Unless not advisable for some reason, I would like to keep the Peachtree Nova as a preamp because of the significant latitude for source connection and what seems to have a decent internal DAC. If this option would substantially defeat the purpose of the intended modification I would work around it. I can no longer deal with sounds that are "bright" which I now find uncomfortable but detailed sound is very important.

So, the questions are: is the move to tubes the best option and, if so, what might be some reasonably priced amps that could accomplish the goal. This, of course, would take into consideration room size, etc. for determining power requirements. If there are other more practical and less expensive options to consider, I would appreciate that advice as well.
128x128broadstone
bifwynne
2,069 posts
 
@Broadstone ... you may have caught some of my posts on another thread about the DEQX product. I mention it here because it may be a worthwhile tool for one to throw into their audio toolkit.

On the one hand, I am *NOT* thrilled that my DEQX PreMATE is inserted between my linestage and amp. It *IS* an artifact that must have some effect on the signal integrity. But having said that, the sonic benefits of the DEQX far out-weight its sonic detriments.

I mention the DEQX here because it might help smooth out some of the harshness that some say they hear with their ESLs ... heck any speaker. No ... the DEQX will not fix a serious amp/speaker impedance mismatch problem. But it will definitely help make a pair of very good speakers sound much better.

Plus, of course, there's the added benefit that the DEQX will correct, or at least mitigate, time incoherence issues with one's speakers. I surmise that ML ESLs are probably time coherent with respect to the acoustic spectrum handled by the STAT panels. But there might be some time incoherence between the woofers and STAT panels.

ZERO comments (pun intended) on the benefits (or not) of using ZERO autofomers. Gotta tell ya though ... .5 ohms in the high treble region .... not for my ARC Ref 150. Wouldn't even try it. No sir. Hard to understand how any amp (tube or SS) can even drive a near short.
sqlsavior
46 posts
 
Broadstone, you may want to try replacing the DBX graphic EQs with a parametric equalizer - one that acts only on a specific range of frequencies (one sets a mid-point and width, as well as height) and try using it to attenuate the frequency range of your sensitivity/tinnitus. Less stimulus to excite the ringing. I do not know if that is an accepted therapeutic principal, but suspect it might work out better than boosting lost frequencies.
broadstone's avatar
broadstone OP
277 posts
 
Bifwynne, yes, I have read your posts and have reviewed the PreMATE as a potential fix worth consideration. I had the same concerns re putting additional components in the stream when I added EQ's to address my hearing issues. It may be an affront to the sensibilities of many audiophiles but the overall improvement to my personal listening enjoyment was significant, sort of like having room sized hearing aids. The PreMATE's price is a bit of a stretch for me, though, so for now I'll just keep it on my list for future consideration.
broadstone's avatar
broadstone OP
277 posts
 
Sqlsavior, thanks for the suggestion which is similar to others I received several months ago. The first EQ I tried was a parametric and I had a problem learning to use it. The graphic EQ is a bit simpler to understand and its control parameters are consistent with the kind of control that I thought I needed which is the main reason I chose that route. I've found, though, that the proper setup of either is much more involved than anticipated.
mapman's avatar
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
"On the one hand, I am *NOT* thrilled that my DEQX PreMATE is inserted between my linestage and amp. It *IS* an artifact that must have some effect on the signal integrity. But having said that, the sonic benefits of the DEQX far out-weight its sonic detriments."

I understand the simple signal path argument and tend to think that way myself but practically one could also argue that everything inserted between the source and speakers has some effect. All that matters is that the good outweigh the bad. It is true that the more integration points for a novice end user to deal with , the more chances that things might not work as well as possible. But with well matched high quality gear all designed by pros in the interest of good/better sound, I would not worry too much. HEck some folks even claim that adding magnets in the right places will spice things up in a positive way.
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