G'day mate, nice to see another full range Stat!
And, being full range... is exactly why the Mac amp struggled. If it were any of ML's hybrid stats, although the stat panels themselves require some very good control & drive factor from the main power amp, hybrids have a bit of help in the LF range, thanks to their built-in powered bass drivers.
Come to think of it, ML only made a handful of full range Electrostats; CLS series upto the CLSIIz's, Statements and the CLX's, which are sadly all discontinued. The Statements Evo-II's and it's very early version 1, did have matching bass towers to supplement that extra heft & weight in LF slam but overall, the stat panels themselves had superb mid-bass LF detail. These sort of Stats do require some serious driver and Grip factor, in order to get them to perform optimally. Otherwise, you'll get away with tunes but not optimal performance.
I don't want to make your thread a competition between Mac and Carver, so I'll just provide my 50cts worth.
Carver's power amplifier designs go way back to the era where they were designed to drive inefficient speaker loads. Re. To the Silver 7T series, these are real power houses. They possess plenty of high current and highly stable voltages, and this comes from what is referred to as Stiff Power Supplies. It's these three key elements of power amp design that generates that total Grip factor to drive, control and fully grip full range Electrostats, especially full range! Hybrids would perform even better on such power amp designs with stiff power supplies or in Class A but not all owners want to go this route, simply because we all have varied listening habits and personal preferences.
That particular Mac amp you're partnering with the CLS won't have what the Carver amps are designed on. When Bob C designed the Silver series amplifiers, he didn't compromise on performance factors relating to power supplies, made sure they won't flinch one bit under stress. The same design concept is also found on his Sunfire series power amps and the Carver Light Star. These were his top tier designs, which were a significant improvement from his other TFM series. So there's nothing short of true power supplies in the Silver T series amplifiers.
Considering Mac, I've used the MC275 in both stereo and monoblock (in bi-amp) config to drive my previous Quad ESL's but it wasn't too great. Tunes were OK up to a certain level but would break up with distortion when pushed. This series was rated around 60w /ch but just didn't have the extra muscle to handle the notorious impedence swing of stats, especially full range. Later on I used this MC275 config on ML's hybrids and the results were much better than expected.
Then there's the MC2301 monoblocks... look out!!! Now this can drive any load, no issues just a breeze! Apart from the MC2301, which is mighty impressive, Mac has introduced another massive affair, the MC901 monoblocks. These are truly extraordinary and have both tubes and SS as bi-amp Output stages. They have a massive high current capacity and highly stable voltages that can launch the next mission to the moon!
So, not all Mac power amps are designed the same, not at all! In fact, even some of their SS power amps, like the MC452 and MC462 struggled to drive large Maggie's (MG20.7 and MG30.7's). However, beef that up to the MC601, MC1.5kw and the MC2.1kw monoblocks, totally different league. Not even funny. Now Mac just released its 75th anniversary power amplifiers and these are some serious gear. I had the opportunity to audition the full 75th-Ani line-up driving Sonus Faber's Aida speakers and the ML Neoliths during my last trip through Spore, that was a mighty WOOF! Very loud & proud, a near live event or should I say one step closer to the live event.
If you're considering using any of Carver's top tier designs to drive your CLS's, you'll be in very capable hands. With Mac, it's all about their top of the line and as you go up the chain, those power amps sound and perform quite differently from each model. The Carver gear is also very affordable and will save you a few dollars, whereas Mac's latest and greatest costs a bloody fortune!
The choice is yours!
Cheers, and do enjoy those finest tunes.
Woof! RJ
