Help

I know this has been asked many times but time for an update.
I just purchased a great pair of SL3's.

Tube or SS?
How many watts?
Tight budget!
Best way to go?
If it says 100 wpc in to 8ohms does that mean 200wpc in to my logans?

HELP

Hi Mojambo,
As the norm you want some juice for them. My opinion at least 150 watts into 8 ohms and depending what the amp does as the ohms reduce from ML's to make them sing depending on the size of your room.
I have used many different amps over the years for ML's at less than that and they never quite cut it ( other than all class A) but there are many people on this site that will have better info than me .
I see you are also from Connecticut. Enjoying the cold :-(

Best,
Bob

mojambo said:

If it says 100 wpc in to 8ohms does that mean 200wpc in to my logans?

Click to expand...

Check the specs for the amp in question. For example I bought a used Acurus 100X3 that has manf specs of 100W/8 Ohms and 125W/4 Ohms (pretty wimpy, right?), but I upgraded the power supply and heat sinks (and raised the bias about tenfold!). Even in stock form it was happy to push my SL3's until the woofer hit its mechanical limits, but now it really grabs them.

Which way to go? If I were starting from scratch, I would look for a used Adcom GFA-5802 (used ~$500-600) because Nelson Pass designed it...

Cold? My arthritis has arthritis Will a tube amp work? They are so cool looking.

Cold? My arthritis has arthritis Will a tube amp work? They are so cool looking.

BobF said:

Hi Mojambo,
As the norm you want some juice for them. My opinion at least 150 watts into 8 ohms and depending what the amp does as the ohms reduce from ML's to make them sing depending on the size of your room.
I have used many different amps over the years for ML's at less than that and they never quite cut it ( other than all class A) but there are many people on this site that will have better info than me .
I see you are also from Connecticut. Enjoying the cold :-(

Best,
Bob

Click to expand...

Martin logan's love tube amps. It is not so much the amount of watts, but it is the quality of the watts. An amp with the ablity to deliver lots of current when the impedence dips down to 4, 2, or 1 ohm is what you are looking for (just like the resistance in Ohm's law). A solid 50 watt tube amp at 8 ohms can deliver 100 at 4, and probably 200 at 2 and so on. Usually this is something to look for in SS or tube amps for Martin Logan speakers, especially in the older models that are harder to drive.

Tubes

So....a tube amp at 50-75 wpc 8ohm will do the job? I can also get an Outlaw 750 (165x5) for about 550.00 but it is an SS amp. So many choices-makes my head spin.

In my opinion over the years no it won't unless maybe it is run class-A ( SS) and dependent on the size of your room.
I had a AR-VT-100 and it ran out of juice when pushed.

Best,
Bob

ML's also love high current SS amps such as Pass, etc.

You want chocolate ice cream or vanilla?

Usual advice, get the unit in your system and let your ears tell you which is best.

GG