peacefulcargo
Well-known member
Be interested to understand which amplifiers give the best bass for panels and / or passive Logan's?
Best amplifiers for ML Panel (CLS & CLX) and Passive Bass (SL3, Quest etc)
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roberto
Well-known member
Hola peacefulcargo,
Usually the best is to drive the bass with SS and the panels with tubes. Why is this? Because SS are better controlling the woofers. There is no output transformer between the signal...in other words, the output transistors drive the woofers direct. Also, the stat panels behavior are like a big capacitors and the impedance at very high frequency act like a short circuit for the output transistors and unless you have a very good design on SS, the result is very difficult for SS. The output transformer will handle better this high frequency impedance, where might get less than one ohm at 20KHz.
Let your ears decide. Trust in your ears, they are the final judges. Here at the forum, you will find tube lovers and SS lovers too. At the end, it is your liking.
Happy listening!
Usually the best is to drive the bass with SS and the panels with tubes. Why is this? Because SS are better controlling the woofers. There is no output transformer between the signal...in other words, the output transistors drive the woofers direct. Also, the stat panels behavior are like a big capacitors and the impedance at very high frequency act like a short circuit for the output transistors and unless you have a very good design on SS, the result is very difficult for SS. The output transformer will handle better this high frequency impedance, where might get less than one ohm at 20KHz.
Let your ears decide. Trust in your ears, they are the final judges. Here at the forum, you will find tube lovers and SS lovers too. At the end, it is your liking.
Happy listening!
There are excellent SS amps that can deal with the ESL loads; my favorite is an amp designed by an ESL designer, the Sanders ESL amp. Which as the name implies, works great on panels. It even handles the torture test I give it, which is driving MartinLogans largest ESL panel ever (Monolith/Neolith), directly, with nothing between the amp outputs and the step-up transformer.
The Sanders Magtech amp works very well with dynamic drivers (as well as ESL), so I'd use that on the low-end.
For a CLX, the ideal amp would be the Sanders Magtech mono, one per speaker.
Now, you asked for "give the best bass", and I can tell you, an amp alone is not enough, as room placement typically has a much more significant effect on bass. Especially for gen1 designs, augmentation with a subwoofer or two is always beneficial, as relieving the hybrid ESL woofer from low-end duties helps clean up the mid-bass quality.
The Sanders Magtech amp works very well with dynamic drivers (as well as ESL), so I'd use that on the low-end.
For a CLX, the ideal amp would be the Sanders Magtech mono, one per speaker.
Now, you asked for "give the best bass", and I can tell you, an amp alone is not enough, as room placement typically has a much more significant effect on bass. Especially for gen1 designs, augmentation with a subwoofer or two is always beneficial, as relieving the hybrid ESL woofer from low-end duties helps clean up the mid-bass quality.
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Welcome kyrlacos. Unless you listen very loud the 100+ watts should be fine.
For the future, it is better to start your own thread for questions rather than overtake another thread. It makes for an easier search, should someone else have a question about Air Tight equipment
roberto
Well-known member
Hol Kyriacos,
On today´s stat panels, you are allow to use low power amps. If you read the specs, with 20 Watts you can have a wonderful sound. The minimum rated power recommended by the factory is 20 watts and the maximum power recommended is 700 Watts. These speakers are are not power hungry. Their sensitivity are: 92dB/2.83V/meter. They can handle a lot of SPL, judging by this specs.
I have a customer where he is using 33 Watts/channel only and the result is fantastic. He is using the Viva Aurora Monoblocks. You are safe to use that amp.
Happy listening!
On today´s stat panels, you are allow to use low power amps. If you read the specs, with 20 Watts you can have a wonderful sound. The minimum rated power recommended by the factory is 20 watts and the maximum power recommended is 700 Watts. These speakers are are not power hungry. Their sensitivity are: 92dB/2.83V/meter. They can handle a lot of SPL, judging by this specs.
I have a customer where he is using 33 Watts/channel only and the result is fantastic. He is using the Viva Aurora Monoblocks. You are safe to use that amp.
Happy listening!
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