Who can recommend a nce Power amp for My Prefaces?
- Thread starter rw_designs
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Jungle Jack
Well-known member
Hello,
The VSX-59TXI is a brute of an AVR and would have no problem driving your Prefaces. The 59 is truly a classic and weighs almost 70 pounds.
That being said, the lack of HDMI Inputs is going to be an issue unless you are fine with connecting all video sources to your Display.
While Component Inputs work for now, after December, 31 of this year, Component Outputs on Blu Ray players made after this date will no longer be able to pass higher than 480 lines of resolution. Even worse, on a disc to disc basis, some discs will not allow output higher than 480 lines via Component on older BDP's as well. By December 31, 2013, BDP's will no longer have any analog video outputs. They can still offer multichannel analog output of audio after these dates however.
This is all part of the HDMI Final Adopter Agreement. Also known as the "Analog Sunset". Many CI (Custom Installations) used Components instead of HDMI due to Handshake issues and issues with HDMI over long distances.
This really is going to be a major headache for many people.
Cheers,
JJ
The VSX-59TXI is a brute of an AVR and would have no problem driving your Prefaces. The 59 is truly a classic and weighs almost 70 pounds.
That being said, the lack of HDMI Inputs is going to be an issue unless you are fine with connecting all video sources to your Display.
While Component Inputs work for now, after December, 31 of this year, Component Outputs on Blu Ray players made after this date will no longer be able to pass higher than 480 lines of resolution. Even worse, on a disc to disc basis, some discs will not allow output higher than 480 lines via Component on older BDP's as well. By December 31, 2013, BDP's will no longer have any analog video outputs. They can still offer multichannel analog output of audio after these dates however.
This is all part of the HDMI Final Adopter Agreement. Also known as the "Analog Sunset". Many CI (Custom Installations) used Components instead of HDMI due to Handshake issues and issues with HDMI over long distances.
This really is going to be a major headache for many people.
Cheers,
JJ
rw_designs
Well-known member
I can afford the Parasound Classic 2250 and it will give me 385 watts at four ohms. The A21 is a grand more. Will the Curl design really be that much better sounding? Will either of these work well with the varying impedance I understand the Prefaces produce? I am having a tough time deciding guys.
Jungle Jack
Well-known member
Hello,
I used to own a 2250 and think it would work fine with your Prefaces.
I would still go with one of the John Curl Designs as they have larger power supplies and higher levels of Capacitance. The Curl Designs are also biased into Class A Operation.
A used HCA-3500 would work wonderfully. As would a HCA-2200. Another great choice would be an Aragon 8008bb. The Aragon uses dual 1.2kVA Toroidal Transformers and has 140,000uf of Capacitance. The 8008bb is much more powerful than the majority of 5 channel Amplifiers available. It is almost as powerful as the 4500 Dollar Halo A51. (8008bb 2.4 kVA/140,000uf; A51 2.2 kVA/164,000uf) The 8008bb can be found between 1000 and 1200 Dollars and is even made in America. Truly a classic.
Cheers,
JJ
I used to own a 2250 and think it would work fine with your Prefaces.
I would still go with one of the John Curl Designs as they have larger power supplies and higher levels of Capacitance. The Curl Designs are also biased into Class A Operation.
A used HCA-3500 would work wonderfully. As would a HCA-2200. Another great choice would be an Aragon 8008bb. The Aragon uses dual 1.2kVA Toroidal Transformers and has 140,000uf of Capacitance. The 8008bb is much more powerful than the majority of 5 channel Amplifiers available. It is almost as powerful as the 4500 Dollar Halo A51. (8008bb 2.4 kVA/140,000uf; A51 2.2 kVA/164,000uf) The 8008bb can be found between 1000 and 1200 Dollars and is even made in America. Truly a classic.
Cheers,
JJ
rw_designs
Well-known member
JJ, you meant they were not electrostatic right?
Jungle Jack
Well-known member
Hello,
Indeed. That they are not Electrostatic and employ an ATF transducer for High Frequencies. The point of which is that the Amplifier demands are not quite as daunting. The Vista for instance, goes as low as 0.7 ohms when Bench Tested.
The Montage which is similar in Design to the Prefaces went down to 4 ohms at the lowest and hovered around 8 ohms in many parts of the frequency band when Bench Tested by Stereophile.
This gives you more flexibility when choosing a partnering Amplifier. Definitely having an amp that is stable down to 4 ohms is important, but concerns about needing an Amplifier that goes even lower are not warranted.
Cheers,
JJ
Indeed. That they are not Electrostatic and employ an ATF transducer for High Frequencies. The point of which is that the Amplifier demands are not quite as daunting. The Vista for instance, goes as low as 0.7 ohms when Bench Tested.
The Montage which is similar in Design to the Prefaces went down to 4 ohms at the lowest and hovered around 8 ohms in many parts of the frequency band when Bench Tested by Stereophile.
This gives you more flexibility when choosing a partnering Amplifier. Definitely having an amp that is stable down to 4 ohms is important, but concerns about needing an Amplifier that goes even lower are not warranted.
Cheers,
JJ
rw_designs
Well-known member
Thanks JJ
I definitely need a newer amp for these and it helps not having to go down to two ohms impedance. Just deciding which way to go is a real challenge here. I don't know if I need the A21 and the 2250 sounds inferior in some ways. I guess I just need to keep reading and hope it come together. Any way I look at it this will be expensive. I may end up with a Krell in the end. I am buying for the rest of my life now and don't plan to do this again. I wish I knew exactly what to get, could set it up, listen and be floored once and for all. These are very beautiful speakers I can listen for hours on end.
Jimna
Well-known member
hi ron! i did buy the XPA-2, it will be here this week. ill let you know my feelings as i get familiar with it.
churchill
Well-known member
Congrats on the purchase Jim!
conrad1
Member
Ron & all participants, thanks for the thread..much appreciated. After reading here and every where.. Gordon is right there are a lot of diverse opinions. Sure is nice to have one place to go to get a list of the top 5 or 6 choices, the reasons why; from some educated "ears." Look forward to hearing how you like the Krell.
Jim, congrats! You've got to be pumped. :ROFL:
ken
Jim, congrats! You've got to be pumped. :ROFL:
ken
rw_designs
Well-known member
Ken, I agree this has been a big help and so nice of everyone.
Jim, let us know how it goes with that amp. I'd love to save some cash here but am prepared to spend more if need be. The Krell is just dream I am no millionaire. Its coming down to the A21 Parasound I think but man I would love to hear back more from you guys on that choice for these speakers.
Jim, when you pump down please let us know what goes on with that XPA-2.
Ron :music:
Jimna
Well-known member
thanks guys.
rw_designs
Well-known member
Thank You fella!
jojomtn
Well-known member
jim, i'll be waiting on your take on the xpa-2 also
rw_designs
Well-known member
:bump:
Jim...
(he won't come out of that room now)
Jim...
(he won't come out of that room now)
Jimna
Well-known member
thats my wifes fear every time i go in! :ROFL:
...but according to fedex it will be here tomorrow, and its my friday! i better stock up on beer, i might not see daylight for a few days!
...but according to fedex it will be here tomorrow, and its my friday! i better stock up on beer, i might not see daylight for a few days!
rw_designs
Well-known member
I know what you mean I can sit and listen for hours. Make sure you are there to sign for it but you probably know that.
I was trying to imagine my system with an X2 while I was listening tonight. Can't wait to hear from you Jim I am really happy for you!
Thanks Jungle Jack. It's the analog audio of the 59TXi that I love. HDMI in the receiver is not an issue for me as I connect video sources directly to my Pio Elite 151 panel, which has very good video processing and connectivity. Analog audio goes to the 59.
The 59 is a beast and 2-channel audio to the Prefaces sounds very good with a full soundstage. On the HT front I added the Fresco i for the center channel and the Definitive Technologies ProMonitor 1000's for the surrounds. The sub is the ML Dynamo 1000 used with the wireless module. Everything plays well in the sandbox together.
While the 59 has plenty of power to drive the Preface, it's ohm rating is 6, while the ohm rating for the Preface is 4. Does this pose a problem? Performance is very good. The 59 is switchable to 4-ohm, but it's my understanding that for the best performance any receiver should be kept on the default setting.
rw_designs
Well-known member
Jimna
Well-known member
well its a beast of a unit, it weighs a ton! setting it up was a challenge simply based on how damn heavy it is. first thing i did was open the hood and check out the motor, and took some photos. but i got it installed last night and listened until 3am! its a huge improvement over the Adcom over all. more forward sounding with a much bigger sound stage. the detail is much improved, and the mid-bass is greatly improved. my only dislike so far is a slightly harsh sounding top end. i played The Rolling Stones album Exile on Main Street and the cymbals were a bit fatiguing by the end of the recording. i think all the silver cables and IC in my system might be a poor match to this amp and the ATF drivers. time to employ those DIY cables made with cat3 pairs and some new copper IC, i have to see if that will dumb down the brightness ive gained. thats my only complaint so far though. ...and along with the improved mid-bass is a better integration with the sub which is very welcome. its odd but the volume is now about 5db lower on average compared to comfortable levels with the Adcom, which even though the integration is better i still had to bring the gain on the sub up to matched the increased levels of the the mains. this is all very preliminary observations, keep that in mind. one other big change for me was the effects of live music with this amp. live recordings are exponentially more dynamic than studio typically, and this amp seems to really accentuate that effect. i finished editing my recording from last weekend today which i had started 2 days ago with the previous amp, well i hit play and was blow away immediately!! the increased dynamics and slam have to be the biggest improvements i can hear right now.
only real down side right now is the need for a rack soon. the thing is so big and heavy i have to do something soon. none of my previous solutions can help, this is going to take a full revamping of my setup.
so thats it so far ron. does that help?
only real down side right now is the need for a rack soon. the thing is so big and heavy i have to do something soon. none of my previous solutions can help, this is going to take a full revamping of my setup.
so thats it so far ron. does that help?
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