Audio Equipment Reviews – Power Amplifiers / Integrated Amps
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Lyngdorf TDAi 2170 Review
Amplifier? Preamp? Dac? what exactly is the Lyngdorf TDAi 2170? I suppose the easiest classification would be an...
Altec Lansing Valencia 846b Crossovers / Lyngdorf TDAi 2170 (Page 4)
This is part 4 of a series focused on improving the performance of a pair of Altec Lansing Valencia 846b speakers....
First Watt J2 Review – Early Listening Impressions
The First Watt series amps have been on my radar for a few years. So when a First Watt J2 appeared locally, I decided...
AMR AM-777 SE Integrated Amplifier
I should probably file the following under 'Housekeeping'. I received an email the other day from a visitor to this...
Allnic Audio A-6000 300b SET Monoblock Review
At the time of production, the A-6000 monoblocks were Allnic Audio’s top-of-the-line power amplifier model. The A-6000 has been superseded in the range by the A-10000 DHT Monoblocks, which will set you back a cool $89,000….
Art Audio Carissa Signature Review
The Carissa delivers 16w/channel from a pair of 845 tubes, and they are 16 glorious watts the like of which I haven’t heard in my system since playing with some old Jadis gear many moons ago. That’s not to say the Carissa sounded anything like the Jadis JA30
Devialet Expert Pro 220 CI – Review
This is a short review of the much-heralded Devialet Expert Pro 220 CI. I've been wanting to get my hands on one of...
Audio Research Reference 110 / KT 150 Review
I've never owned an ARC power amp and I don't recall ever having heard one in any system, anywhere. That's rather odd...
Conrad Johnson Evolution 2000 Power Amplifier – Reviewed
The Conrad-Johnson Evolution 2000 power amplifier is a beast of an amp, weighing-in at a shade below 115 LBS. It's...
Krell FPB-700cx Amplifier
It was a puzzling realization when it occurred to me that my speakers and amp cost almost as much as the rest of my...
Krell FPB200 Amplifier
Virtually every type of amplifier design has been around for a long time. Even the latest thing, SETs have been around...
SimAudio Moon W10 Monoblocks
Aesthetics / specs / setup: The ‘Sims’ as they shall be referred to during the remainder of this review, are a fully...
Lyngdorf TDAi Amp with RoomPerfect
This is really a mini-review, since it stems from only a few hours of listening to a system whose components were all...
Odyssey Stratos Mono Review
The following is a series of reviews I wrote about my new Odyssey Stratos Mono Extremes. Well, I Got the amps...
Navison Audio NVS 572 and SE-MKII preamp
I was quite intrigued at the prospect of spending some time with a high-end pre and power amp combination carrying the...
Review – Conrad Johnson CA200 Integrated Amplifier
Review – Conrad Johnson CA200 Integrated Amplifier MRP $6500 Used/Trade $3000 - $3500 www.conradjohnson.com/ The CJ...
Carver ZR1600 Digital Amp
As someone who’s been involved in the engineering industry for may years, it’s hardly surprising that I’ve developed...
Reviews of Power Amplifiers
Note from Ed.
I’ve owned and reviewed many different power amps over the 40+ years in this hobby, including solid-state, tube amps, and Class-D amps.
Obviously, the key to getting the most from an amp is to ensure it’s matched with a compatible load type. It’s no good using a low-powered tube amp on a power-hungry pair of speakers, then remarking on the lack of dynamic ability in the amp, or its capacity to drive a speaker to realistic volumes. That said, some amps, tube types, in particular, appear to have driving ability beyond their rated power specifications, in such cases, it can be fun to run a modestly powered tube amp with a speaker whose efficiency ought to demand more power, particularly if the tube amp clips gracefully and doesn’t begin to sound harsh at higher levels. At the time of writing these notes, I have a pair of Allnic Audio A6000 monoblocks which are driving a fairly difficult load in the Piega C40 (4 ohm, 89dB). The sound from this combo is quite wonderful, so it would be unfair to dismiss the 300b amp and its modest 60watt/channel output as being incompatible with the Piega’s load profile.
Conversely, many years ago I ran a pair of stacked Oris 150 horns, boasting a 105dB sensitivity. I tried all manner of low-powered amps on the horns but they never really came alive until I clobbered them with 200 digital watts from a Lyngdorf TDAi 2200 integrated amp! Go figure.
So have fun with amp/speaker matching, but always remember that a low-powered amp on an inefficient speaker can be a quick and easy way to damage your speaker’s drivers – so be careful!
Recent Reviews & Posts
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Lyngdorf TDAi 2170 Review
Amplifier? Preamp? Dac? what exactly is the Lyngdorf TDAi 2170? I suppose the easiest classification would be an integrated amp, with an inbuilt DAC. But it doesn't really have a DAC, even though it converts bits into an analog output. If you mention "DAC" to the...
Aperion Audio Dual Firing AMT Ribbon Super Tweeter Review
Around a decade or so ago I used super tweeters on a stacked Oris 150 horn system with good results. The speaker system came to me with the Fostex T900A tweeters already installed, so I had nothing to do other than enjoy the benefits of their extended HF output. Over...
Robyatt Audio Room at Capital Audiofest 2022
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VPI Turntables At Capital Audiofest 2022
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Capital Audiofest 2022 – Odyssey Audio / Symphonic Line
A quick show update from Capital Audiofest 2022 - One of the best sounding rooms on Day 1 was Odyssey Audio - featuring electronics from Symphonic Line, Klaus's Odyssey Liquid speakers, and more. I'll update this page with more info once I get back from the show. In...
Altec Lansing VOTT A7 Vintage Horn Speaker Review.
OK, this isn't necessarily a review of the Altec Lansing VOTT A7 speakers, it's more of an introduction to these classics and the opportunity to share some thoughts and impressions on how they sound and what it's like living with these behemoths in a fairly modestly...
Decware Zen Master Open Baffle Clone – Lii Audio F-15 Full-range Driver
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VPI TNT MK I with Eminent Technology ET2 Air Tangent Tonearm
The next project on the bench is the VPI TNT MK I with Eminent Technology ET2 Air Tangent Tonearm. I picked this up a couple of weeks back as a project table, something to strip down, clean up, replace any worn parts and get it back to something like its former glory....
Altec Lansing Valencia 846b Crossovers / Lyngdorf TDAi 2170 (Page 4)
This is part 4 of a series focused on improving the performance of a pair of Altec Lansing Valencia 846b speakers. Here's what you've missed so far: Part One - Altec Lansing Valencia 846b Review Part Two - Adding Aperion Audio Supertweeters to Altec Lansing Valencia...
Dampening Altec Valencia 846b Horns (Altec 811-B)
There are varying degrees to which horn owners will go to dampen the 'ringing' from horns. I've read about people painting the horns with bitumen and even baking the coated horn in the oven to get the tar to set. There's some debate over whether or not the process of...
Altec Lansing Valencia 846b / Aperion Audio AMT Ribbon Super Tweeters (page 2)
Continued from this page. If you landed here directly, please use the link above to get to the first page of this review of the Altec Lansing Valencia 846b. To quickly summarize where I'm at - I bought a pair of Altec Lansing Valencia 846b in fairly decent shape....
Yet Another Audio-Technica VM95 Cartridge Review
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Ultrasonic Record Cleaning
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Basis Audio Debut Gold Standard Turntable Review
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First Watt J2 Review – Early Listening Impressions
The First Watt series amps have been on my radar for a few years. So when a First Watt J2 appeared locally, I decided to hop in the car and take a drive across the border into North Carolina to pick it up. I justified the purchase loosely on the basis of it being a...
Altec Lansing Valencia 846B Restoration Project And Review
This is part one of a series of 4 posts covering my journey with the Altec Lansing Valencia 846b. You can jump between posts using the following links: Adding Aperion Audio AMT Super Tweeters to the Altec Valencia Dampening the Valencias horns Trying a Lyngdorf TDAi...
Quad ESL 57 Speaker Review [Retro]
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Dr. Feickert Woodpecker / Kuzma Stogi S 12VTA Review
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Synergistic Research Power Filter and Tweak Demo – 2022 Florida Audio Expo
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AMR AM-777 SE Integrated Amplifier
I should probably file the following under 'Housekeeping'. I received an email the other day from a visitor to this website. He'd noticed a blurb on our homepage almost a year ago announcing an upcoming review of the Abingdon Music Research AMR AM-777 SE Integrated...
Small Green Computer SonicTransporter i5 and Sonore UltraDigital Update
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Piega C40 Speaker Review [Retro]
If you’re new to this website you may wonder why I’m writing about a speaker whose production was terminated before the internet became popular. Yes, the Piega C40 is that old, but is it still relevant in 2022?….