Isn't the problem really the panel and not the woofer? Someone here with summits got a big improvement when he switched to five or six hundred watt monos, I forget which. Same deal thought it was fine until he heard them with more powerful amps.
Greg, I tried a Mark Levinson No 432 (400 watts into 8 ohms and 800 watts into 4 ohms) and apart from certain quality control issues, I was blown away with the apparent bottomless pit of power and dynamics. But after extended listening, I realised that the 432 was not a particularly good match in my system. The reasons include the inability of the 432 to sound really good at lower (read 'sane') listening levels, a tendency towards a dry and brittle sound in the bass, a somewhat poor soundstage, and for the money, average build quality.
So after some more auditioning I bit the bullet and purchased Pass Labs X150.5. This amplifier is rated at 300 watts into 4 ohms and operates in Class A at normal listening levels - switching to Class A/B at higher spls. I cannot believe how good this little beast is when driving the Summits. The Summits definitely do not require many more watts than I am feeding them. Frankly the Pass Labs amplifier seems to drive the Summits every bit as loud as the Mark Levinson, with better control - especially in the lower bass region.
Now this is not to say the Mark Levinson is not a good match with say, Odysseys or Prodigys. Roberto does make a very good point; earlier Martin Logan designs don't have an active bass module and are not as sensitive. It also doesn't mean other very powerful amplifiers aren't a good match with sensitive speakers - I guess it has something to do with how they are designed and what they are intended to drive. Some very powerful amplifiers are quite capable of outputting that 'magical first watt' without any problems at all.
Getting on to the Vantages, I have driven these little marvels with a 50 watt per channel integrated amplifier which wasn't even rated by the manufacturer into anything lower than 4 ohms (an Audio Electronique IN50). So a Denon 3805 shouldn't have any issues whatsoever. In saying that, the benefits of inserting a very high quality (not necessarily a more powerful) amplifier into a system with the Vantages or Summits will take the listener onto an entirely different plane of music appreciation.
I must say though, that in many cases, a listener may not get that dramatic improvement in sound you would expect from spending many thousands of dollars.
In fact the initial impressions may be one of disappointment. The patient listener however should be rewarded with an opening of the soundstage, more dynamics, much more detail (you hear things on records you hadn't heard before), and a smoothness to the sound that makes you want to listen for hours on end. It's when you switch back to your old amplifier that the most dramatic improvements should become apparent. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself... :music:
