Pass Labs Aleph 3 seems rolled off up top

MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum

Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

stesom

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2006
Messages
146
Reaction score
0
Location
Eden Prarie, MN
As many have stated, the Summit does not need a lot of power. But it does need quality power, hence many have gone the tube route. My local dealer had a Pass Labs Aleph 3 laying around so I figure its sonic signature may not be far off a tube amp since it is single ended class A. I must say that it is smooth as butter in the middle and has very good base control but seems to roll off the top end a bit. Do you think that is due to the very low impedence these speakers drop to in the upper registers or am I just used to a bit of SS glare from the Rotel RB-1090 I am using.

I am still waiting for my classe ca-400 to come back from the shop to do a better comparison. I also am going to borrow a Manley amp this weekend so the experiment continues......Steve
 
I'll buy the rolled off up top if that is what you heard but "Good base control" ? I don't understand how that could be a signature of the amp since the speakers (Summitt's) have their own built in amps, which would have the responsibility of the control component.
 
twich54 said:
I'll buy the rolled off up top if that is what you heard but "Good base control" ? I don't understand how that could be a signature of the amp since the speakers (Summitt's) have their own built in amps, which would have the responsibility of the control component.

Maybe not as strange as you would think. I have noted a difference in base response using 4 different amps: Classe CA-400, CA-100, Rotel RB-1090 and Pass Aleph 3. Even though the base does not demand any power it still is passed from the amp to the speaker and a low level signal derived from the high level output.

So I expect that each amp has a bit of a sonic signature that comes through, since I know that I am hearing a differnce that I must admit I would not have expected. The Rotel is not quite as well defined though still very good. Now it is possible that the midrange presentation is what affects the perception of the base??????
 
stesom said:
As many have stated, the Summit does not need a lot of power. But it does need quality power, hence many have gone the tube route. My local dealer had a Pass Labs Aleph 3 laying around so I figure its sonic signature may not be far off a tube amp since it is single ended class A. I must say that it is smooth as butter in the middle and has very good base control but seems to roll off the top end a bit. Do you think that is due to the very low impedence these speakers drop to in the upper registers or am I just used to a bit of SS glare from the Rotel RB-1090 I am using.

I believe the high end is different/better than the Rotel you are used to....Better? Possibly....but one you must decide on which is better...Here is something to consider....

I have a friend how just purchased the Aleph 30 model, running it on the high end in the Tri-Amp setup and absolutely loves the sound it produces. The Aelph 30 was rated one of the top high end reproduction devices in reviews of amps. BTW, he replaced a Monarchy with the Aleph and loves the change that it made... Now for more inf, he does not use ML's, as he runs Legacy Whispers...again in TriAmp mode.

"The design of the 30 is an upgraded version of the older well-reviewed Aleph 3 design in a simpler chassis" Found this info on the Net in regards to the 3 and 30...

And here is a review on the 30...talking about the excellent high end...

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0701/volksamp.htm

If you like the model 3, you might want to try out a 30 and see what you think...

Dan
 
Last edited:
stesom said:
Maybe not as strange as you would think. I have noted a difference in base response using 4 different amps: Classe CA-400, CA-100, Rotel RB-1090 and Pass Aleph 3. Even though the base does not demand any power it still is passed from the amp to the speaker and a low level signal derived from the high level output.

So I expect that each amp has a bit of a sonic signature that comes through, since I know that I am hearing a differnce that I must admit I would not have expected. The Rotel is not quite as well defined though still very good. Now it is possible that the midrange presentation is what affects the perception of the base??????
Again the key word here is "CONTROL" totally different from "RESPONSE" it is the amp that is driving the speaker which provides CONTROL, not the upstream amplifiers.
 
DTB300 said:
I believe the high end is different/better than the Rotel you are used to....Better? Possibly....but one you must decide on which is better...Here is something to consider....

I have a friend how just purchased the Aleph 30 model, running it on the high end in the Tri-Amp setup and absolutely loves the sound it produces. The Aelph 30 was rated one of the top high end reproduction devices in reviews of amps. BTW, he replaced a Monarchy with the Aleph and loves the change that it made... Now for more inf, he does not use ML's, as he runs Legacy Whispers...again in TriAmp mode.

"The design of the 30 is an upgraded version of the older well-reviewed Aleph 3 design in a simpler chassis" Found this info on the Net in regards to the 3 and 30...

And here is a review on the 30...talking about the excellent high end...

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0701/volksamp.htm

If you like the model 3, you might want to try out a 30 and see what you think...

Dan

I may agree with you as to the high end on the Rotel vs Aleph that is why I am waiting to get my CA-400 back since it runs 25-30% class a before going a/b. My real question is that the aleph can do 30 into 8ohm, 50+ into 4, 30+ into 2 and who knows what into 1. So it would make sense that the amp can not equaly drive all frequencies once you play above a certain volume level. Am I making any sense?????
 
I have seen these amps paired up with bright mini monitors before, sounded pretty good to me. No tube glow or bloom, but good.

This amp had none of the "lisp" lesser amps had, don't know if it was program material related - was a long time ago.
 
Last edited:
stesom said:
I may agree with you as to the high end on the Rotel vs Aleph that is why I am waiting to get my CA-400 back since it runs 25-30% class a before going a/b. My real question is that the aleph can do 30 into 8ohm, 50+ into 4, 30+ into 2 and who knows what into 1. So it would make sense that the amp can not equaly drive all frequencies once you play above a certain volume level. Am I making any sense?????

you are to me. i think the aleph can't provide the necessary power into lower impedences, and that's where the high end is.

i also agree with you about the bass' character coming from the amp, including control. my cary 805c has a hard time with the bass on my vantage. the bass can sometimes sound loose and uncontrolled. with the cj 140, the bass was tight. same internal amplifier, but the signal itself was tight vs. loose on these amps...
 

Latest posts

Back
Top