Debating amps for ML Theater Setup

[chiburi]

Hi folks,

I'm debating what amps to pair with my martin logan setup. I have the Theos, MotifX, and eventually a pair of Spires. The Theos will be my front L/R for the time being, until I find a pair of Spire to take over the front L/R duty.

Anyway, I am debating on running Bryston amps. Either a 9BST, 7BST x 3 for front, 6BST for front, Theta Dreadnaught, Classe.... or simply sticking with what I currently have (ducking.... Crown pro amps).

Curious what you guys are using to power your Martin Logans for your theater enjoyment? I don't do any 2-channel listening - it's a dedicated media room. It will be paired with a marantz 8001, "Larger" VMPS subwoofer, and an Oppo/Dish Network box.

Thanks all,

Chib

 

[jmschnur]

I use a bryston three channel for my front with excellent results. Outlaw 7500 for the side and real channels.

Works well for both stereo and 7.2 for home theater: Montis,Stage upfront.


J

 

[Rich]

Never much cared for the sound of the Brystons. For home theater, I have always leaned toward the Sunfire amps.

 

[chiburi]

Which bryston amp? Curious if the newer speakers are still extremely power hungry and "wake up" with over xxxx amount of power. So, a 9bsst vs a 6b, which have significantly different power ratings...

Thanks!

Chib

 

[jmschnur]

6b sst(2). I never draw more than two amps running the Montis and the stage.


Joel

 

[chiburi]

6b is the nicest amp I've owned. I had it powering an mk150 front three, and it gave me incredible depth, and I could actually hear the strings in front of some of the other instruments in the orchestra while watching Mi-1. Never had that since, and trying to find that "nirvana" again.... Gotta be the Bryston...

 

[snyderkv]

I have the Theos, MotifX, and eventually a pair of Spires.

Chib

I have a pair of Spires for sale in So Cal if you're interested.

I use NAD Master series which are great and also FS. Some people even use Integrated amps like the Arcam AVR600 from what I read because it's tsable into 2 Ohms and powers them fine.

 

[mamba24]

I use three Mcintosh MC601 monoblocks to power my fronts and center (Ethos & Stage X) and a Mcintosh MC205 for my rears (four Motion 15's) with a Mcintosh MX150 as a processor. Sounds incredible. Have all the power they'll ever need. I mainly use it for home theater but occasionally I'll listen to music and it sounds great. Definitely recommend Mcintosh Amps for Martin Logan speakers. Also, the 601's come with three different speaker connection on the back. 8 ohms, 4 ohms or 2 ohms so you can properly connect them. My Ethos can drop all the way to .8 ohms so they're very power hungry.

 

[coolcobramatt]

My current amp is a Musical Fidelity A300 integrated and sounds wonderful. If I weren't wanting more power I wouldn't be selling it. I'm going to try Wyred4Sound's large 540 wpc integrated Class D and see how I like it. I can fully recommend MF amps though, the sound is worth a listen.

 

[babydoc]

Hi folks,

I'm debating what amps to pair with my martin logan setup. I have the Theos, MotifX, and eventually a pair of Spires. The Theos will be my front L/R for the time being, until I find a pair of Spire to take over the front L/R duty.

Anyway, I am debating on running Bryston amps. Either a 9BST, 7BST x 3 for front, 6BST for front, Theta Dreadnaught, Classe.... or simply sticking with what I currently have (ducking.... Crown pro amps).

Curious what you guys are using to power your Martin Logans for your theater enjoyment? I don't do any 2-channel listening - it's a dedicated media room. It will be paired with a marantz 8001, "Larger" VMPS subwoofer, and an Oppo/Dish Network box.

Thanks all,

Chib

Amp choice has many considerations including room size, listening distance and typical sound levels, and budget. The amps that you mention are all very good and would be an improvement over what you have. I have used Pass Labs amps with a variety of M-L ESLs and have consistently liked what I heard. Currently, have XA-100.5 mono blocs for L/R front, and X-3 for center and surrounds. Speakers are CLXs, Stage X and EFXs. These amps are built like small tanks and are super reliable (another consideration for amps). Brystons are also terrific amps, built like tanks and have a 20-year warranty. You would do well to visit a dealer (if you can find one) that has some of the amps that you are considering so that you can demo them in your current system and see how you like them. Since you live in California, you are living in a state still blessed with bricks and mortar audio shops (my local store closed a year ago). Just some thoughts

 

[JayGee]

I use McIntosh MC601 x3 for L/C/R and a pair of MC302's for surround and rear. L/R-ML CLX, C-Paradigm C5, Surround-ML Stylos, Rears-ML EFX.

 

[Guitarist]

I use a Parasound Halo A 51 with my Theos, Motif, and Definitive Technolgy rear speakers and love it! It's a huge step up from my previous Sony 6400ES receiver, that's for sure. This amp is warm, detailed, and can easily handle the difficult load that ML presents. It's also very reasonably priced.