Seeking thoughts on Apogee Caliber Ribbon speakers

Everyone....I hooked up a stereo amplifier that I mentioned that is rated at 185 wpc rms each channel operating. One channel for speaker low and one channel for speaker hi. 370 watts to the speaker. Everyone was completely correct. I DID need far more power. Everything sounded 95% better! Also improved was the muddiness that was heard in the bass when volume fairly high and the bass boosted. It now occurs at a much higher volume level only. Maybe it STILL requires more power!! I have the power company on the way out here to give and estimate on three phase power to run the new amps. ;)

Apogees don't just need power, they need lots of current. Make sure your amp is rated for 2 ohm loads and you should be fine. A 4 ohm rated amp often doen't have the current drive. Icepower amps such as PS Audio or Wyred4Sound are reasonably priced modern amps that do the job nicely.
You will hear the difference if your amp is up to the job.
In a suitable room and with a proper amp the Calipers are very fine. Like all the 2 way Apogeees there is a bit of metallic ringing on the top end, but what they give in transparency and dynamics makes it a fair trade. The 3 way Apogees (Divas) avoided the top end issues, but are far pricier.

Jmbatkh, the early model Apogee speakers (FRP, Scintilla, Duetta, Caliper) were terribly inefficient, with sensativity in the very low 80s (at best). I have found that these speakers need amps that can deliver adequate current AND power in order to play with minimal distortion at reasonable sound levels.

Good advice above, I have owned Apogee speakers for years (Centaur, Centaur minor, MiniGrands, Duetta Signatures)....they all needed good amps, with lots of grunt power. I still own a pair of Duetta Signatures and a pair of Stage....although one of my Stage has the dreaded "Apogee bass panel Buzz".

Good luck,
Dave

I drive my Calipers with two Adcom GFA 555 power amps (bridged mono). I figure they're providing about 800-1000 watts per side into the 2-3 ohm load with lots of current. They deliver beautifully. Of course a tube preamp helps (Audible Illusions 2b), proper speaker cables and interconnects, room size and placement and a good turntable or [sigh] a top quality CD player (if you must...)
Anyone have a spare Caliper woofer ribbon? I need the right side if viewing from your listening position. My wife bumped one of the speakers with (you won't believe this) a broom handle. (Yup, she's still around...) I figured it's cheaper to keep her instead of training a new one [joking!] I gotta appreciate her. She's the one who picked the Apogees (for their sound).
It still works, but when I pump up the volume I get a crackle. Any suggestions for a repair?