summits/avr receiver?

[khenegar]

are there any reasonable priced avr receivers that can drive the summit speaker with out to much trouble? i listen mostly to classical at moderate levels. wanting to down size. thank u

 

[twich54]

define reasonably priced ........

 

[khenegar]

define reasonably priced ........

define reasonably priced ........

800-1,000

 

[Russr]

I'll probably get shot down here, but most AVRs are not designed to handle the challenging load presented by electrostatic speakers. The summits aren't exactly the smallest in the line, either, so you'd probably need some serious clout (ie. rated for sustained power into 2 ohm loads).

You can maybe look at some of the Anthem MRX line, but you'd want something higher in the product range in order to have sufficient power. That would blow your budget.

At risk of stating the obvious, you want to avoid something (even if it has decent specs) that has a relatively low power rating. It's generally not high power that kills systems, it's trying to drive speakers louder with an inadequate amplifier/AVR, which drives the amplification circuits beyond their tolerances.

I'd suggest you use whatever AVR you might already have, and get a decent 2-channel amp (Anthem, Bryston, maybe even Adcom, etc.. - there are a lot of posts on here about amps), and drive the Summits witht he amplifier (connected to the line-out for the 2 main channels from the AVR).

Just my (long-winded) $0.02!

Russ

p.s. Just in case you're new to MLs, and have a little amp/receiver and you're tempted to hook it up to the summits... I wouldn't. Far more likely to damage things than have a pleasant experience!

 

[twich54]

While I tend to agree with Russ there is little content in the upper most freq that would be the most demanding for a typical AVR(weak power supplies) in the price range you speak of. Sticking with Yamaha or Denon would be my choice in that range.

With that being said I'd save my $$ for a 2 channel amp.

 

[Robert D]

I'll probably get shot down here, but most AVRs are not designed to handle the challenging load presented by electrostatic speakers. The summits aren't exactly the smallest in the line, either, so you'd probably need some serious clout (ie. rated for sustained power into 2 ohm loads).

You can maybe look at some of the Anthem MRX line, but you'd want something higher in the product range in order to have sufficient power. That would blow your budget.

At risk of stating the obvious, you want to avoid something (even if it has decent specs) that has a relatively low power rating. It's generally not high power that kills systems, it's trying to drive speakers louder with an inadequate amplifier/AVR, which drives the amplification circuits beyond their tolerances.

I'd suggest you use whatever AVR you might already have, and get a decent 2-channel amp (Anthem, Bryston, maybe even Adcom, etc.. - there are a lot of posts on here about amps), and drive the Summits witht he amplifier (connected to the line-out for the 2 main channels from the AVR).

Just my (long-winded) $0.02!

Russ

p.s. Just in case you're new to MLs, and have a little amp/receiver and you're tempted to hook it up to the summits... I wouldn't. Far more likely to damage things than have a pleasant experience!

That's what I do. I use a Marantz 8012 receiver and an Aragon 2 channel amp for my Prodigy speakers. Sounds great. The amp is rated at 200 W at 8 ohm and doubles going to 4ohm.

 

[mentorron]

While I tend to agree with Russ there is little content in the upper most freq that would be the most demanding for a typical AVR(weak power supplies) in the price range you speak of. Sticking with Yamaha or Denon would be my choice in that range.

With that being said I'd save my $$ for a 2 channel amp.

For interest's sake, when I found my used Aerius back in the late 1990s, they were being run at the dealership in a hallway (quietly) by a desktop system similar to this (see photo). It sounded good enough for me to by the Aerius, but they suggested I buy the Adcom GFA600, which I did.

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