Just bought the Statement E2, need advice

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cchp

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Hi. I am a new member. A contact from Audiogon suggested that I join this forum since I recently bought the Statement E2 and wanted advice on amplification. As you know, these speakers require a lot of current and its impedance dips down considerably. I have seen these speakers clip one of the most powerful amps that you can buy in the market today.

I listen to all kind of music: my favorite is female jazz vocals but it varies greatly and includes rock and pop. I am in the process of building a listening room with Rives Audio and its dimensions will be approx 18'6" wide by 22' long (ceiling will be 12'). I play music at live levels (really loud) and like to have a lot of reserve in power amplification and so I think my choices will be limited. I am thinking about choosing from the following to power the main panels: 2 pairs of Mark Levinson 33s, Krell Master Reference Amplifier, Audio Research Reference 600, VTL (the big monoblocks), Boulder 2050, Pass Labs 1000.5, Musical Fidelity (the 1,000 watt monoblocks), and the McIntosh Mc2kw (2,000 watt monoblocks).

I am seeking for much more than raw power. I want to have the seductive midrange, the transparency, the shimmering highs, the details, the holographic imaging, the midbass punch, the dynamic range (I know this is a weakness of electrostats), and the overall magic of the musical experience conveyed by this amplifier and this speaker. In other words, I want everything and do not want to compromise neither the majesty of the music nor the gestalt of the music.

I would appreciate any advice and recommendation.

thanks,
CC
 
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Hi and welcome!
At this level of equipment you should really deside for yourself. It is atleast as much a matter of oppinion as it is of technical performance.
Try to get as many amps to tryout as possible to choose from. Find a proper dealer who shows interest to help out or contact these manufacturers straight. Only playing the amps in your system in your room and listening with your ears is going to tell you what combination of equipement is giving the most pleasing results for you.
 
Hi CC and welcome.

My gear is nowhere near what you are considering but, I do have a recommendation for you. There is a guy on AudioKarma in the McIntosh section named MasterLu/Ivan. He has numerous 2K McIntosh monoblocks and at this pricepoint, I think he would be a resource worth reading about. He has done the Rives thing and speaks very highly of it. He has spared no expense, as it seems you are prepared to do.

Gordon
 
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Welcome ! Do get pics as soon as possible so we all can drool. Dan D'Agostino(Krells Owner) uses Master reference amps to power his own Statements IIRC. As big as they are they are very polite !
 
I definitely suggest you check out the higher-end Pass Labs amps, such as the X-1000.5 (as you are already considering) or even the XA-200.5. These amps are beasts and put out tons of current and have a great midrange. The XA series, while maybe not as dynamic and powerful, will give you more of that tube-like class-A midrange liquidity that you are looking for. But even the X.5 series sounds incredible. I have the X-350.5 driving my Ascents in my basement system and it sounds fabulous.

Also, consider auditioning Roger Sanders ESL monoblocs (Sanders Sound Systems). They are specifically designed for the loads of ESL speakers and have gobs of power, yet run barely warm to the touch. They are more neutral though, and may not provide that seductive midrange you are looking for. But they have incredible dynamics, imaging and soundstaging. You may also find a use for Roger's Kilowatt Monobloc Amplifier for powering the mid-bass line array of the Statements.

If you go Class A or tubes with high power output, you need to make sure your HVAC system is designed to deal with the increased heat output. I know this may seem obvious, but most systems are not designed to deal with that kind of heat load and it will get uncomfortable fast.
 
Too rich for my blood, I lack experience in this stratospheric audio.

I would second the Mc 2KW... I have seen a dynaudio temptation system powered by this exact amp.
 
cchp said:
Hi. I am a new member. A contact from Audiogon suggested that I join this forum since I recently bought the Statement E2 and wanted advice on amplification. As you know, these speakers require a lot of current and its impedance dips down considerably. I have seen these speakers clip one of the most powerful amps that you can buy in the market today.

I listen to all kind of music: my favorite is female jazz vocals but it varies greatly and includes rock and pop. I am in the process of building a listening room with Rives Audio and its dimensions will be approx 18'6" wide by 22' long (ceiling will be 12'). I play music at live levels (really loud) and like to have a lot of reserve in power amplification and so I think my choices will be limited. I am thinking about choosing from the following to power the main panels: 2 pairs of Mark Levinson 33s, Krell Master Reference Amplifier, Audio Research Reference 600, VTL (the big monoblocks), Boulder 2050, Pass Labs 1000.5, Musical Fidelity (the 1,000 watt monoblocks), and the McIntosh Mc2kw (2,000 watt monoblocks).

I am seeking for much more than raw power. I want to have the seductive midrange, the transparency, the shimmering highs, the details, the holographic imaging, the midbass punch, the dynamic range (I know this is a weakness of electrostats), and the overall magic of the musical experience conveyed by this amplifier and this speaker. In other words, I want everything and do not want to compromise neither the majesty of the music nor the gestalt of the music.

I would appreciate any advice and recommendation.

thanks,
CC
Click to expand...

Make sure your electrical system is up to snuff.
 
SundayNiagara said:
Make sure your electrical system is up to snuff.
Click to expand...

Yes, he is right. You need several isolated 20 amp outlets for something like this. Those big Macs require more than one for sure.

Use this guy's page as a rough estimate of what you're dealing with here....

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1196176671&read&3&4&
1198291997.jpg
 
When I see pictures of ML's displays at a sound show, they seem to be paired with McIntosh amps very frequently (every instance I can recall, at least). That's also what they used for the CLXs that TomDac had the chance to review in Kansas.

I'd be willing to bet that if you shot an email at Jim Power at MartinLogan you'd get a surprisingly useful response.
 
Don't know if you're into tubes. Some will tell you there's an impedance mis-match between MLs and tubed amplifiers. I disagree. I use an ARC REF110 to amp my Summits. I get the kind of sound you describe in your post. I'd suggest auditioning either an ARC REF210 or 610t on your speakers. You just may find sonic bliss.
 
Congarats,

I would consider the VTL Siegfrieds at this level. 800 watts of pure tube power w/o the drawbacks of tubes due to the microprocessor control. A potentially AWESOME! combination.

VTL Siegfrieds
 
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I got to hear the E2 at an invite demo at Sound Advice...GS was presiding and was an excellent speaker and host...demonstration used big monoblock Krells and the "speakers" sounded wonderful.
 
risabet said:
Congarats,

I would consider the VTL Siegfrieds at this level. 800 watts of pure tube power w/o the drawbacks of tubes due to the microprocessor control. A potentially AWESOME! combination.

VTL Siegfrieds
Click to expand...


Thanks Risabet.

I think that the VTLs would be a good match. Question is whether anyone has used the VTLs, the AR, or the McIntosh tube amps or have compared them with any of the Martin Logans and what would be the difference.

In an ideal world, I would demo all demo all 3 of these and the 4 other state of the art solid state amps but conditions in the high end audio industry are less than ideal. Many dealers do not even carry the top of the line amps, and if they do, they will not lend it to you at home for a few days to demo, even if you are serious about buying them b/c they only have one and they need this to demo at the store and they do not want to incur the risks of packing up, moving, and moving it back..... So sad to say unless that dealer has the Statements and the amp you are looking for, you are out of luck.

The dealer which I bought the Statements did have the McIntosh but it wasn't hooked up to the 2ks -- sound was great but the main panels did manage to clip the McIntosh MC1200 monoblocks!

I have heard the top of the line tubes fr Audio Research, VTLs and McIntosh and I would rank them in this order -- however, this was all with different systems so it is really hard to tell. I really like the microprocessors on the VTLs and the VTLs and the Audio Research should give me a lot more headroom than the McIntosh tube amps...

CC
 
Thanks Risabet.

I think that the VTLs would be a good match. Question is whether anyone has used the VTLs, the AR, or the McIntosh tube amps or have compared them with any of the Martin Logans and what would be the difference.

In an ideal world, I would demo all demo all 3 of these and the 4 other state of the art solid state amps but conditions in the high end audio industry are less than ideal. Many dealers do not even carry the top of the line amps, and if they do, they will not lend it to you at home for a few days to demo, even if you are serious about buying them b/c they only have one and they need this to demo at the store and they do not want to incur the risks of packing up, moving, and moving it back..... So sad to say unless that dealer has the Statements and the amp you are looking for, you are out of luck.

The dealer which I bought the Statements did have the McIntosh but it wasn't hooked up to the 2ks -- sound was great but the main panels did manage to clip the McIntosh MC1200 monoblocks!

I have heard the top of the line tubes fr Audio Research, VTLs and McIntosh and I would rank them in this order -- however, this was all with different systems so it is really hard to tell. I really like the microprocessors on the VTLs and the VTLs and the Audio Research should give me a lot more headroom than the McIntosh tube amps...

CC
 
Gordon said:
Hi CC and welcome.

My gear is nowhere near what you are considering but, I do have a recommendation for you. There is a guy on AudioKarma in the McIntosh section named MasterLu/Ivan. He has numerous 2K McIntosh monoblocks and at this pricepoint, I think he would be a resource worth reading about. He has done the Rives thing and speaks very highly of it. He has spared no expense, as it seems you are prepared to do.

Gordon
Click to expand...

Gordon,

Good advice. I will try to contact him.

How is your MC501 running with your Vantage? I would use the tubed McIntosh MC1000 preamp to match w the 2kws so in some ways our setup would be very similar.

CC
 
C.A.P said:
Welcome ! Do get pics as soon as possible so we all can drool. Dan D'Agostino(Krells Owner) uses Master reference amps to power his own Statements IIRC. As big as they are they are very polite !
Click to expand...

Interesting -- did not know that Dan has the Statements..

When you say polite, do you mean laid back in a negative sense or do you mean it in a positive sense?

CC
 
Rich said:
I definitely suggest you check out the higher-end Pass Labs amps, such as the X-1000.5 (as you are already considering) or even the XA-200.5. These amps are beasts and put out tons of current and have a great midrange. The XA series, while maybe not as dynamic and powerful, will give you more of that tube-like class-A midrange liquidity that you are looking for. But even the X.5 series sounds incredible. I have the X-350.5 driving my Ascents in my basement system and it sounds fabulous.

Also, consider auditioning Roger Sanders ESL monoblocs (Sanders Sound Systems). They are specifically designed for the loads of ESL speakers and have gobs of power, yet run barely warm to the touch. They are more neutral though, and may not provide that seductive midrange you are looking for. But they have incredible dynamics, imaging and soundstaging. You may also find a use for Roger's Kilowatt Monobloc Amplifier for powering the mid-bass line array of the Statements.

If you go Class A or tubes with high power output, you need to make sure your HVAC system is designed to deal with the increased heat output. I know this may seem obvious, but most systems are not designed to deal with that kind of heat load and it will get uncomfortable fast.
Click to expand...

Rich,

I agree w you that the XA is more liquid at the mids but I am afraid that I will run out of power. Sounds like you are happy with the 350.5x.

I also agree with you on the Sanders -- I would rather stick with the X1000.5.

CC
 
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