SS + Tube amp. Bi-amp

[Shub]

So .. currently I am using an AVR (Yamaha Aventage A1000) which is feature packed, but of course I wouldn't call it 'audiophile' and most likely not the best choice to power any ML model. But so it is.....

I have the Vista's and I used to power it with a tube amp that I build from a kit. The kit is based on the Dynaco ST-70, but was tweaked to have a better circuit board, better capacitors and larger transformers. It is 60WPC and uses KT88 tubes (currently the Genelex Gold Lion 'replicas'. I made the mistake of leaving it on for a couple of days while I was out of town. I'm lucky I didn't burn the house down, but two tubes suffered catastrophic failure. Luckily, the amp it self suffered not damage (thank you slow blow fuse)

I really liked the sound when I was using the tube amp - granted it's no MacIntosh (oh how I want an MC275 .. so badly!!) Now with the Yamaha .. eh not so much.

I've also used an old Adcom 545 100wpc amp also, but thought it was a little bright.

So - here is my question finally.

If I bi-amp and used the Adcom for the driver and the tube for the stat panel, would this be a really bad idea? Of course, I know I should just try it (and I will) but I wanted to get opinions on whether this was just a waste of time. The reason I want to do this is to take some of the load off the tube amp.... although I am also thinking that I might not accomplish anything since the panel is the piece that has wild swings in impedance.

Also, the other big issue I could think of would be matching gain levels...

So, I am I crazy?

Shu

Check out the kit I am using. I built this by myself since I have a lot of experience in RC racing from a while back and done quite a bit of wiring and soldering in my time(no not the toys you get at Radio Shack). It was a blast to put together! Maybe not a good project for anyone who hasn't done a good amount of soldering. Lots of small pieces that need to be done just right (the circuit board for example)

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/bob.htm#ST120

 

[danvu]

No it's not a bad idea at all. I have heard wonderfully result from biamping tube for panels and ss for woofers at our fellow MLO Spike's. Since I heard his system, I've always wanted doing the same. The tube sound is so seductive on the panels and ss amp driving the woofers offers powerful, tight and deep bass. I also have Vistas and I'm in the process of building a similar system. Currently I'm using my Monarchy Audio SM70Pro monos to drive the bass and a Prima Luna One integrated tube amp to drive the panels. The tricky thing, like you said is the matching gain. You have to get a tube amp and ss amp with similar gain so the sound from one part of the speaker is not louder than the other. Since my PL One has a volume control I can adjust the gain on the tube amp to match the bass. I'm getting a Rogue 90 Magnum tube amp for the panels to improve the mid and upper range.
Another thing to consider is that since the Vista has high crossover (450hz), majority of the lower midrange comes from the woofer so you should get high quality and fast ss amp(s).

 

[kach22i]

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/bob.htm#ST120

Thank you for the link, I want to replace the jacks on my PAS-3X preamp I have yet to restore.

About your situation, I like tube bass. It's got more of the overtones and decay like real bass in my opinion. I'd stick with what you have for now and save up for that dream McIntosh.

 

[Shub]

Thanks Dan!
No worries George - glad I could help!
... and yes, I am not giving up on the MC275 dream. I did realize my dream of owning some ML's haha (and that was a long time dream)