What amp for Frugel Horns

nanl2053 · 30th November 2007, 04:21 PM

Hi Guys,

Finishing up a set of Frugel Horns with FE126E drivers and now I am wondering what I need to power them.

Will the Sonic Impact T Amp work or is it not powerful enough? Other low(er) cost options. I don't think I want to build, but wouldn't mind if it was a realatively easy kit (never built an amp before).

Thanks in Advance!

wixy · 30th November 2007, 08:33 PM

I use the Kingrex T20 amp + matching PSU with my FE206E's and it beats the pants of my EL34 SET amp.

The KingRex costs a bit more than the Sonic Impact, but imo it is worth it (i have also owned a Sonic Impact amp).

Scottmoose · 30th November 2007, 10:05 PM

In terms of cheap-ish amps Class D amp should be fine (basic el cheapo T-amp would need heavy modification as stock, it rolls off at ~100Hz). There are plenty to choose from. The Trend amps have a good reputation, I gather the KingRex are decent (nopt heard one). If you want valves, Bottlehead kits are reasonably priced & supposed to be pretty decent.

gmilitano · 30th November 2007, 10:52 PM

You are going to get mixed answers on this. A lot of people tend to prefer amps with a low damping factor (tube amps) as they should provide more bottom end.

However, some people seem happy with T-amps.

I do not like the sound of a tiny xmax driver with a T-amp in a ported enclosure (sealed is a different story).

Nelson Pass has a great article that illustrates this very well.

"Current Source Amplifiers and Sensitive / Full-Range Drivers"

http://passdiy.com/pdf/cs-amps-speakers.pdf

You should try a few different amps to find one your ears like.

Cheers.

LilMik · 1st December 2007, 05:39 AM

hi nanl2053,

nelsons soz. it's also easy to build.

with my integrated marantz or my gc the 108es-frugals sound very harsh and i need a correction network. zen is good, too. aleph 3 is okay, but it sounds very bright sometimes.

i use my frugels with a 15 watt soz. the sound with my soz is good

... but my soz get's very hoot, because my heatsinks are to small

. but i don't care, it's winter

.

lilmik

Scottmoose · 1st December 2007, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gmilitano
A lot of people tend to prefer amps with a low damping factor (tube amps) as they should provide more bottom end.

However, some people seem happy with T-amps.

Probably because many of those also have a high output impedance / low DF.

I've yet to hear one that can match a really good valve amp, but the good ones can do well.

vitalstates · 1st December 2007, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wixy
I use the Kingrex T20 amp + matching PSU with my FE206E's and it beats the pants of my EL34 SET amp.

The KingRex costs a bit more than the Sonic Impact, but imo it is worth it (i have also owned a Sonic Impact amp).

Hi Wixy

I'm super intrigued about the shortcomings of your el34...any chance you could pm or mail me some details to save hijacking this thread

Regards

Ed

Scottmoose · 1st December 2007, 03:38 PM

I'm a bit surprised myself. The EL34 run SE is actually pretty good, providing the output transformers are decent.

pjanda1 · 1st December 2007, 04:09 PM

The Sonic Impact Super T won't have the bass roll off ScottMoose mentions. Stereophile measured it. http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-956 It is a bit more, but it looks much nicer than the cheapo one.

For a bit more money, but much more quality, these guys have some nice T-amps:
http://www.audiomagus.com/component/...art/Itemid,27/

You can also look for used chipamps and tube amps. The audiocircle board often has good pickin's. Keep in mind that many won't have properly sorted out grounding, or some other issue. If you are willing to scratch build, your options are huge. I'd consider a chip amp (notice parts available in our own Trading Post). Or something Tubelabs (member here) simpleSE:
http://www.tubelab.com/SimpleSE.htm

The Bottlehead SEX kit would sound great and should be a very simple build, as the kit contains everything. It's 1.5 watts aren't exactly going to knock the walls down with your little drivers.
http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/S.E.X./SEX.htm

There are other cheap prebuilt tube options out there, like some of the Chinese stuff on ebay. However, it is sort of hit and miss and might need some sorting out. So, you may as well consider full on DIY.

nanl2053 · 3rd December 2007, 07:59 PM

Looks like I have some research to do. Thanks for the direction!

30th November 2007, 04:21 PM	#1
nanl2053 diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	What amp for Frugel Horns Hi Guys, Finishing up a set of Frugel Horns with FE126E drivers and now I am wondering what I need to power them. Will the Sonic Impact T Amp work or is it not powerful enough? Other low(er) cost options. I don't think I want to build, but wouldn't mind if it was a realatively easy kit (never built an amp before). Thanks in Advance!

30th November 2007, 10:52 PM	#4
gmilitano diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba	You are going to get mixed answers on this. A lot of people tend to prefer amps with a low damping factor (tube amps) as they should provide more bottom end. However, some people seem happy with T-amps. I do not like the sound of a tiny xmax driver with a T-amp in a ported enclosure (sealed is a different story). Nelson Pass has a great article that illustrates this very well. "Current Source Amplifiers and Sensitive / Full-Range Drivers" http://passdiy.com/pdf/cs-amps-speakers.pdf You should try a few different amps to find one your ears like. Cheers. __________________ DIY Audio Projects [ 10" DIY Subwoofer \| FE127E Sealed Bipole \| [ LM3886 Chip Amp / Gainclone \| K-12M Tube Amp Kit ]

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30th November 2007, 08:33 PM	#2
wixy diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia	I use the Kingrex T20 amp + matching PSU with my FE206E's and it beats the pants of my EL34 SET amp. The KingRex costs a bit more than the Sonic Impact, but imo it is worth it (i have also owned a Sonic Impact amp).

30th November 2007, 10:05 PM	#3
Scottmoose diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK	In terms of cheap-ish amps Class D amp should be fine (basic el cheapo T-amp would need heavy modification as stock, it rolls off at ~100Hz). There are plenty to choose from. The Trend amps have a good reputation, I gather the KingRex are decent (nopt heard one). If you want valves, Bottlehead kits are reasonably priced & supposed to be pretty decent.

1st December 2007, 05:39 AM	#5
LilMik diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: germany	hi nanl2053, nelsons soz. it's also easy to build. with my integrated marantz or my gc the 108es-frugals sound very harsh and i need a correction network. zen is good, too. aleph 3 is okay, but it sounds very bright sometimes. i use my frugels with a 15 watt soz. the sound with my soz is good ... but my soz get's very hoot, because my heatsinks are to small . but i don't care, it's winter . lilmik

1st December 2007, 03:38 PM	#8
Scottmoose diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK	I'm a bit surprised myself. The EL34 run SE is actually pretty good, providing the output transformers are decent.

1st December 2007, 04:09 PM	#9
pjanda1 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: The Nebraska Panhandle	The Sonic Impact Super T won't have the bass roll off ScottMoose mentions. Stereophile measured it. http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-956 It is a bit more, but it looks much nicer than the cheapo one. For a bit more money, but much more quality, these guys have some nice T-amps: http://www.audiomagus.com/component/...art/Itemid,27/ You can also look for used chipamps and tube amps. The audiocircle board often has good pickin's. Keep in mind that many won't have properly sorted out grounding, or some other issue. If you are willing to scratch build, your options are huge. I'd consider a chip amp (notice parts available in our own Trading Post). Or something Tubelabs (member here) simpleSE: http://www.tubelab.com/SimpleSE.htm The Bottlehead SEX kit would sound great and should be a very simple build, as the kit contains everything. It's 1.5 watts aren't exactly going to knock the walls down with your little drivers. http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/S.E.X./SEX.htm There are other cheap prebuilt tube options out there, like some of the Chinese stuff on ebay. However, it is sort of hit and miss and might need some sorting out. So, you may as well consider full on DIY.

3rd December 2007, 07:59 PM	#10
nanl2053 diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	Looks like I have some research to do. Thanks for the direction!

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