Second, Third, Fourth..........Opinions

deronb1
deronb1 Posts: 5,021
edited December 2012 in 2 Channel Audio
I am making public a discussion Tophatjonny and I have been having via PM. I don't want to steer him wrong in my advice so I need yours.

He is interested in upgrading his new 1Cs (which we all know is not cheap). He is running them on a decent Onk AVR (100+ wpc I am sure).

I believe he should add an amp of at least 200wpc before doing any speaker upgrades. I don't think he will get the bang for the buck from the upgrades without one.
Post edited by deronb1 on
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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    edited December 2012
    Ht application as fronts he should add an amp, as far as 2 channel looks like your pushing your 2b's with GFA-555. I use a GFA-545 to push my 2b's it shouldnt be that hard to convience him that seperates is the way to go. I took everyones advice and moved to seperates. I think since you both live in proximity he should come and hear your 2b's running off your Adcom. I bet that should convince him.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,561
    edited December 2012
    The reality is the potential of the speakers will not be realized without upgrading the crossovers and the other usual mods. However, their potential will still not be realized by using an AVR in any shape or fashion. A good integrated or separates will be required.
    add an amp of at least 200wpc

    You must have attended the cfrizz school.

    I've heard the 1C's driven by a 40wpc tube integrated that put a lot of high powered SS amps to shame.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,965
    edited December 2012
    Ditto that. The same principles applies to any speaker. Quality power, quality source. When dealing with any speaker as old as the SDA line, replacing or upgrading parts is a gimme to hear what they are capable of.
    HT SYSTEM-
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited December 2012
    F1nut wrote: »

    You must have attended the cfrizz school.

    I've heard the 1C's driven by a 40wpc tube integrated that put a lot of high powered SS amps to shame.

    ...as well as I have a 30wpc single ended class A SS amp that puts many high powered SS amps to shame. It's not always about quantity but quality as well.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,843
    edited December 2012
    I can't speak to the relative merits of tubes vs. SS, but I can say that I drove my 1Cs for over 20 years with a Perreaux PMF2350 SS amp at 200 WPC. The sonic performance was fine -- in part because I had no idea what was possible with the right mods.

    Last year I replaced the PMF2350 with a Perreaux PMF315 at 300WPC. The vintage and build of the two amps are similar. The difference was improvement in almost every respect -- sound stage, detail, bass, etc. -- and I think it is largely due to the difference in power of these two otherwise very similar amps.

    Power is only one factor, but it does make a difference in the performance of 1Cs IMHO.
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited December 2012
    My 1C's sound better (to me and most people that have heard them) with my rebuilt 52 year old 35 watts/channel rms Eico tube integrated amp than they did on my Carver TFM-45 SS amp (375 watts/channel rms) with Apt-Holman (rebuilt as well) pre amp. The Carver sounds really nice but the Eico is like butter. It's apples/oranges yes, but the 1C's can sound spectacular with almost any quality gear.
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