Solid State Power Amp for Impression 11A speakers

[Klaus Andersen]

Many years ago, in a galaxy far far away...
I owned these. This is Nelson Pass legendary stuff, nothing quite like them. Both of these put together can launch the next mission to the moon! Massive power supplies, it makes most gear look like toys! (Sorry, forgot to mention the Threshold amps: SA/12e monoblocks).

They drove my Apogee Diva's partnered with CJ's ART preamp, drove the Apogee's effortlessly! I'd like to see the Devialet's drive Apogee's or full range Stats, no chance Charlie.

Can't stress enough, it's not all about watts and output power that drives panel type speakers efficiently. It's to do with high current and highly stable voltages that can drive, control and grip the notorious impedence swing of Stats, especially full range ones. Having high voltages alone is not adequate if the power supplies don't have the current capacity to hold steady, and vice versa in terms of high current with stable voltages. If one of these factors flinch then the other can't deliver on its own.

Speaking of Devialet gear, it's certainly nice to see this type of sleek looking- fancy bells & whistles thing, that can do almost anything, even make a coffee if needed.
My ML dealer used to demo the "hybrid stats" with Devialet amps, and yes they drove quite alright. It's one of those Class D designs that has come a long way and they've optimised their Class D circuits with great results. Similarly, Jeff Rowland design is another one that's optimised its Class D. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Class D and if that's the type of sound you like, that's perfectly understandable and that's your preference, respect!

However, like I said these demos were mostly on the Hybrids, not the full range models. Even on the Hybrid models after trying out Class D, just give any of the top well designed power amps a spin and you'll notice the difference right away, whether in Class A or AB. These ones really handle Stats with full authority and total grip, they don't flinch one bit:
Pass Labs XA series, Vitus SS-103 series, and Burmester. Take that a notch higher- Dartzeel, CH Precision, Solution, Aries Cerat, Dan D's designs (Momentum, Progression and Relentless series), Class'e Delta series amps or any top tier makes that operate in Class A and Class AB. Driving either Hybrids or full range Stats, the difference is not even comparable.

And then there are the old school legends, such Krell FPB series and this one below, absolutely no issues driving any impedence curve with finesse!
View attachment 25058
Woof! RJ

Woof woof Big Dog, I have a the Threshold Stasis 3/NS 10 combo and the the later Threshold S/200, which are fine amps by any standard. I also have a Devialet, that with other speakers like KEF 107 or Vienna Acoustics Strauss excelled, over the Thresholds. I have also be down the rabbithole of Apogee, in 2 stages, with The Calipers and the Diva´s, run by the Thresholds - not the Devialet, as it was not in my possesion back then.

I am new to ML and with only 1 week in on my new Summits, I am figuring what is the best solution. It might actually be that I configure the Devialet to being a pre-amp(yes this trick can also be performed, as well as serving a hot espresso), and then using one of the Thresholds to fire up the stats. The bottom end in the Summits are handled by 4x200 watt ICEPower modules to handle the 4x10" woofers, plus a bit of in bulit Voijtko DSP. I do not think that can be surpassed easily.
Any commenst on this idea of using the Devialet as pre and the Threshold as a power house for a pair of ML Summits?

 

[Brad225]

Welcome Klaus. Those should drive the Summits beautifully.

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Woof woof Big Dog, I have a the Threshold Stasis 3/NS 10 combo and the the later Threshold S/200, which are fine amps by any standard. I also have a Devialet, that with other speakers like KEF 107 or Vienna Acoustics Strauss excelled, over the Thresholds. I have also be down the rabbithole of Apogee, in 2 stages, with The Calipers and the Diva´s, run by the Thresholds - not the Devialet, as it was not in my possesion back then.

I am new to ML and with only 1 week in on my new Summits, I am figuring what is the best solution. It might actually be that I configure the Devialet to being a pre-amp(yes this trick can also be performed, as well as serving a hot espresso), and then using one of the Thresholds to fire up the stats. The bottom end in the Summits are handled by 4x200 watt ICEPower modules to handle the 4x10" woofers, plus a bit of in bulit Voijtko DSP. I do not think that can be surpassed easily.
Any commenst on this idea of using the Devialet as pre and the Threshold as a power house for a pair of ML Summits?

Ah! Now I understand what your config is. That's a clever set-up, and driving the Summit's should be tops!
I had the Summit-X, driven by cj tube amps, and a SS Premier 350A. Prior to that, it was the Ethos and prior to that it was the CLSIIz. That's when it all started for me regarding ML stat's. I now have the CLX Art's, that's my end game.

Although I have shown interest in the Diptyque and Clarisys Panels, considering all other factors and pricing (this highend category has gone bonkers!) at this stage I'll call it a day. Those famous last words...

Yes, the Threshold gear was legendary stuff by NP but now his design team have done wonders with their new formidable XA series amps. Operating in full Class A, they're superb taking into consideration all factors, price, performance, customer service and value. This XA series can compete with gear costing much more, and even the smallest one, the XA30.8 can hold strong with the mighty! Superb design. I will eventually end up with Pass Labs on the CLX's but I'll never get rid of my full array of CJ tube gear. Those were custom made, and very special mods in Class A operation. Pride & joy to own.

I'm very happy to learn that you like the Devialet amp on your Summits and most of all, enjoying those fine tunes!
Woof! RJ

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Attn: Klaus A
I just noticed your R2R player Akai!
Oh man, does that particular one bring back so much memories. I just couldn't maintain the ones I had, especially in tropical climes and constantly moving, that's about when I ventured into digital. I still regret letting go of the R2R decks.

One thing definite is there's nothing like R2R, it's awe-inspiring! The sheer brilliance and depth is outstanding! Was just wondering where you manage to buy your Reels from?
A good mate over here has two decks, a Revox and TEAC, using Moon amplifiers driving Focal Sopra's, fantastic! He still manages to order from the US but they cost a fortune. I think out of the two desks, one's working perfectly, the other is on standby just in case parts are hard to find.

Nice one matey, enjoy those finest tunes.
WOOF! RJ

 

[Klaus Andersen]

Attn: Klaus A
I just noticed your R2R player Akai!
Oh man, does that particular one bring back so much memories. I just couldn't maintain the ones I had, especially in tropical climes and constantly moving, that's about when I ventured into digital. I still regret letting go of the R2R decks.

One thing definite is there's nothing like R2R, it's awe-inspiring! The sheer brilliance and depth is outstanding! Was just wondering where you manage to buy your Reels from?
A good mate over here has two decks, a Revox and TEAC, using Moon amplifiers driving Focal Sopra's, fantastic! He still manages to order from the US but they cost a fortune. I think out of the two desks, one's working perfectly, the other is on standby just in case parts are hard to find.

Nice one matey, enjoy those finest tunes.
WOOF! RJ

Yes it is a fine piece of "art" such an R2R. By reels you mean the Akai alu 10" reels that went along with the player. But I also have Scotch and BASF 10" alu-reels, that I have purchased locally from R2R entusiasts. Here is a picture of my former Akai, the GX630...my new one is a GX646

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Yes it is a fine piece of "art" such an R2R. By reels you mean the Akai alu 10" reels that went along with the player. But I also have Scotch and BASF 10" alu-reels, that I have purchased locally from R2R entusiasts. Here is a picture of my former Akai, the GX630...my new one is a GX646

Outstanding! A true classic and definitely a work of Art. Enjoy those fine tunes!
Cheers, RJ

 

[liffy99]

I started my ML journey circa year 2000 when I bought a pair of Aerius i speakers which I paired with a Sonic Frontiers (Anthem) EL34 based push pull tube power amp and never looked backed. Since then I have had different ML speakers including the great SL3s and five years ago upgraded to a pair of 11A speakers. I used to run these speakers with Single Ended Class A tube monoblocks (two 845 tubes driven by two 300B tubes per side).
Essentially, for the past 20+ years my MLs have been driven by tube gear of similar ilk.

Recently I moved to London and shipped the 11As here, but I sold the tube amplifiers as I was not sure if they could be transported safely (and also due to space constraints in my London apartment). At some point after moving here, I considered selling the 11As and buying a pair of Stax X9000 and go the headphone way, but some of the dealers that I have spoken with have encouraged me to give it a go with the 11As notwithstanding the constrained listening area I can afford to spare.

I have decided to re-nourish my life with the 11A goodness again, but this time I need to try SS amps (stereo or monoblock). Since I have next to no experience having driven MLs with SS electronics I highly appreciate any suggestions of a good power amp pairing.

My listening preferences and other parameters of selection are as follows:
1. Budget - USD 10K-12K (new)
2. Preferred amplification Class - Class A (Please enlighten me if this is a misplaced belief)
3. Type of music - Jazz, small ensembles, Oriental Classical, vocals
4. Listening volume: Low to moderate (Never high)
5. Listening space - Quite small (15 feet X 12 feet) - One side opening to the kitchen area
6. Front end - I will be using a single source (streamer). Therefore looking for a DAC with streamer and Volume control) (Eg: PS Audio DirectStream DAC Mk2, MSB Discrete with 2 PSU, Holo Audio May KTE with a preamp)

Thanks a lot for sharing your invaluable experience with me.

I would add Lyngdorf to your list. My tdai3400 sounds brilliant with Quad ‘stats.
The amp is a variation on class D, streams, has active crossover capability and room correction software ( they also lease this to MacIntosh).

 

[JonFo]

I missed posting to this thread when first started, so it's better late than never.

My strong recommendation for an SS amp is one that's actually designed to drive ESL speakers from the start and is targeted at them. I now have two Sanders ESL amps driving the panels of my ML Monoliths and both the panel and woofer line array of the custom center channel (SL3XC).
It effortlessly delivers, even at higher volumes into the large Monolith panels. I run a fully active setup, which is more efficient, but also a tougher load on the amp, as it's driving the step-up transformer directly and 'sees' all the back-EMF from the capacitive load. But with around 2,000VA of power, it shrugs at the load.

I grew up in a household with a Steinway Grand piano in the living room, played by a Julliard grad concert pianist (my dad), so I have a keen ear for the correct reproduction of solo piano music. With a great SACD or HighRez recording, my setup enables me to visualize and hear a grand piano in my custom listening room. That is a combo of the ESLs driven by a very capable and clean amp.

More info: https://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/amplifiers