Okay people, I went DIY on the speakers, but there is just no way I am goning to be able to make my own amp now, so I apoligize for the following question:
The Setup:
Two beautiful ESL panels, matched with two peerless CSX 8 inchers that sound great after much tedious work perfecting the passive crossover.
The Problem:
I currently own a Hafler DH-500 which is powering these guys at something like 220 Watts/ CH+ . Of course the amp sounds great, my problem is just that it has this fan I had to replace because it scrapped against itself. I repleaced this only to imporve the sound quality by 50%, I still hear that damn fan with soft music. I thought about putting the amp somewhere to hide the sucker, but in my dorm i don't have much space.
Where you Guys come in:
I am feeling out the possiblility of selling the DH-500 ( i think i could get 250-300 on ebay) to someone who can buy a quiter fan and install it professionally or conceal it. But I still want an amp to make the panels sound good. I am still looking for quality and about the same power. I just dont want a fan. So I am looking for reputible brands and models you all have expierience with that will power at about the same level. My price range is what I would get for that hafler. So we'll say 300 w/o shipping.
IDEAS??????
Thnx,
Brian
The Setup:
Two beautiful ESL panels, matched with two peerless CSX 8 inchers that sound great after much tedious work perfecting the passive crossover.
The Problem:
I currently own a Hafler DH-500 which is powering these guys at something like 220 Watts/ CH+ . Of course the amp sounds great, my problem is just that it has this fan I had to replace because it scrapped against itself. I repleaced this only to imporve the sound quality by 50%, I still hear that damn fan with soft music. I thought about putting the amp somewhere to hide the sucker, but in my dorm i don't have much space.
Where you Guys come in:
I am feeling out the possiblility of selling the DH-500 ( i think i could get 250-300 on ebay) to someone who can buy a quiter fan and install it professionally or conceal it. But I still want an amp to make the panels sound good. I am still looking for quality and about the same power. I just dont want a fan. So I am looking for reputible brands and models you all have expierience with that will power at about the same level. My price range is what I would get for that hafler. So we'll say 300 w/o shipping.
IDEAS??????
Thnx,
Brian
I've had excellent results with my ESL system using an old Adcom 555. Equally good results with a Bryston, but that's probably out-of-range price-wise.
Howdy brian!
I have also had good results with the Adcom 555, but really bad results with the 535. The 535 sounds really shrill and harsh. Don't cheap out if you go the adcom route.
Speaking of not cheaping out, I have a Bryston 2B-LP which is the best solid state amp I've heard on my ESL panels. I paid $325 for it... When you get back in town you are welcome to stop over for a listen.
Sheldon
I have also had good results with the Adcom 555, but really bad results with the 535. The 535 sounds really shrill and harsh. Don't cheap out if you go the adcom route.
Speaking of not cheaping out, I have a Bryston 2B-LP which is the best solid state amp I've heard on my ESL panels. I paid $325 for it... When you get back in town you are welcome to stop over for a listen.
Sheldon
Thanks again Sheldon-
I'd love to stop by and hear it. (I think i may be back for Thanksgiving) I've actually already had a private offer on that hafler for $300, are you saying your interested in selling that bryceton for the 325, or are you trying to give me a ray of hope a bryceton in that same pricerange?
I don't think I heard that amp on the panels, did Wes at some point? What is the power on each side?
Your knowledge on this subject has always been invauable, so thanks again for the help.
Brian
I'd love to stop by and hear it. (I think i may be back for Thanksgiving) I've actually already had a private offer on that hafler for $300, are you saying your interested in selling that bryceton for the 325, or are you trying to give me a ray of hope a bryceton in that same pricerange?
I don't think I heard that amp on the panels, did Wes at some point? What is the power on each side?
Your knowledge on this subject has always been invauable, so thanks again for the help.
Brian
Victor,
I would look into an Adcom 5800. All mosfet and reported to be designed by Mr.Pass himself. I have had good luck with this amp on electrostats.
Regards,
Jam
I would look into an Adcom 5800. All mosfet and reported to be designed by Mr.Pass himself. I have had good luck with this amp on electrostats.
Regards,
Jam
The Bryston 2B is 50W/channel. I had some of the older ones (early 80s) and they were kinda hard on the top (3b & 4B were better) Newer Brystons have evolved considerably from the amps of those days.
I used NAIM 160s on my Acostats (now SY's) 1/speaker. The NAIM 250 is also very good -- it was the only amp we found that would do a decent job of driving the Dayton Wright XG8s (again late 70s/early 80s)
dave
I used NAIM 160s on my Acostats (now SY's) 1/speaker. The NAIM 250 is also very good -- it was the only amp we found that would do a decent job of driving the Dayton Wright XG8s (again late 70s/early 80s)
dave
Best amp!
Hi Brian,
I use the Plinius SA-50 to drive my Final 1400 clone. But the Plinius 8200P or the 8100 will also do the job.
It's the best amp I've ever had. Take a look at www.diest-audio.com or www.pliniusaudio.com
All the best,
Audiofanatic 😉
Hi Brian,
I use the Plinius SA-50 to drive my Final 1400 clone. But the Plinius 8200P or the 8100 will also do the job.
It's the best amp I've ever had. Take a look at www.diest-audio.com or www.pliniusaudio.com
All the best,
Audiofanatic 😉
Planet-
That's interesting, my 2B-LP was made in 1987 and it's the best sounding solid state amp I've got around here on my ESL panels.
It's bettered an Adcom 555, way better than an adcom 535, a bit better than a modified Hafler DH-200, and a lot better on my panels than my Pass Aleph 3 (the aleph doesn't like the panels at all). It's so good that it's almost upstaged my current tube amp pair for the panels.
I'd love to hear a newer Bryston or even a higher model from the same era.
Sheldon
That's interesting, my 2B-LP was made in 1987 and it's the best sounding solid state amp I've got around here on my ESL panels.
It's bettered an Adcom 555, way better than an adcom 535, a bit better than a modified Hafler DH-200, and a lot better on my panels than my Pass Aleph 3 (the aleph doesn't like the panels at all). It's so good that it's almost upstaged my current tube amp pair for the panels.
I'd love to hear a newer Bryston or even a higher model from the same era.
Sheldon
stokessd said:
Mine would have been early 80s vintage... it was primarily a tweeter amp for a PA (later replaced by a 3B -- 2 x 4B + 3B per side in a 4-way active system), but all the amps got tried on everything.
dave
Coincidently, I've been using a 2B today to drive the ESL panels for watching football. The 'Niners lost, but it sounded just fine.
SY,
I'm waiting for you to show us details of your direct-drive ESL amp design. If I remember right you theatened us with it in the tubes forum at the beginning of the year.
Class AB or not, it must be worth a view!
Cheers,
I'm waiting for you to show us details of your direct-drive ESL amp design. If I remember right you theatened us with it in the tubes forum at the beginning of the year.
Class AB or not, it must be worth a view!
Cheers,
I've got a low power version (900 volt) of it prototyped and working- not much SPL, but it demonstrated the concept. I'm trying to gather fundage for the Real Deal. High voltage tubes and caps are expensive, drat it, but if I can pull it together, I think it will be awesome.
In outline, what I've got going is a pair of 6LF6s (I'll need something bigger for the 5kV version, a HV zero-bias triode is the goal) running screen drive near class B. The plates are loaded by a CT choke with the B+ fed to the center tap. The stators are connected directly to the tube plates. In my proof-of-concept, I used one of the Acoustat transformers (a treble one) as the choke, connecting to the secondary and letting the primary float. I'm sure there's a commercial choke that would work better, but this is something I had laying around.
The drive is a tube-FET hybrid cross-coupled circuit I've been using for at least 20 years, using a 5691 and a pair of 2N5462s; this couples to a 5692 diff amp to get enough juice to run the output tube screens, though a nice step-up transformer would be even better (though costly). Screen drive gives you great linearity at low currents, but the effective mu is 5 or so, so you need a lot of gain and a lot of swing from the driver. The output screens are driven by a pair of high voltage Hexfets configured as source followers.
The trick to making this work is to connect the diaphragm bias supply "backwards."
And, as usual, I'm two months behind schedule 😉
In outline, what I've got going is a pair of 6LF6s (I'll need something bigger for the 5kV version, a HV zero-bias triode is the goal) running screen drive near class B. The plates are loaded by a CT choke with the B+ fed to the center tap. The stators are connected directly to the tube plates. In my proof-of-concept, I used one of the Acoustat transformers (a treble one) as the choke, connecting to the secondary and letting the primary float. I'm sure there's a commercial choke that would work better, but this is something I had laying around.
The drive is a tube-FET hybrid cross-coupled circuit I've been using for at least 20 years, using a 5691 and a pair of 2N5462s; this couples to a 5692 diff amp to get enough juice to run the output tube screens, though a nice step-up transformer would be even better (though costly). Screen drive gives you great linearity at low currents, but the effective mu is 5 or so, so you need a lot of gain and a lot of swing from the driver. The output screens are driven by a pair of high voltage Hexfets configured as source followers.
The trick to making this work is to connect the diaphragm bias supply "backwards."
And, as usual, I'm two months behind schedule 😉
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