WTD: Amps for Tannoy HPDs

[JohnJo]

Hello All

I'm looking to upgrade my my PrimaLuna Prologue 5 power amp and passive pre amp which have actually seen off quite a few contenders to date.

Source is Naim CDS 1 and speakers are Lockwood Academy 1, sealed box studio monitors with Tannoy 15" HPD385s and original crossovers.

I am conscious that there seems to be a big difference in power requirements for Monitor Golds and HPDs. Amps I see people recommending for Golds will NOT work with my speakers (15 watts etc). e.g. I had a loan of a genuine First Watt M2, 25 watter and it was utterly hopeless. 40W Albarry monoblocks no use either. 50W Croft integrated just sufficient.

My PL amp with KT120s just sufficient too.

I seem to prefer valves but I'm open minded

Looking for pre/power or integrated, don't need phono stage or tape loop.

Budget slightly flexible at around £3K.

Home demo is a must and I'm in Northern Ireland, on the Belfast side of Ballymena.

Anybody got anything?

Thanks a lot.

John

P.S. have a loan of a very nice Tron 7 linestage which will be getting an airing tonight

[walpurgis]

I'd suggest trying to get a listen to a Creek Destiny 2 integrated. Bags of grip and power, but very clean and smooth, which suits Tannoys.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/aud...-926937/review

http://www.creekaudio.com/old-produc...ted-amplifier/

I've had my eye open for one myself, to drive my Cheviot II speakers.

[struth]

A krell might be a choice. Plenty power and grip at least.

[Infinitely Baffled]

I am conscious that there seems to be a big difference in power requirements for Monitor Golds and HPDs. Amps I see people recommending for Golds will NOT work with my speakers (15 watts etc). e.g. I had a loan of a genuine First Watt M2, 25 watter and it was utterly hopeless. 40W Albarry monoblocks no use either. 50W Croft integrated just suffient.

Hello, John. Nice problem to have!
I'm not technical at all, so I'll admit right off to probably talking a load of nonsense, but is it really high watts output that you need? I say this bcause, as I write, I'm sitting here listening to a CD playing through the power section of my back-up amp - a NAD 3020. This little fella musters all of 20 wpc (I think), but more importantly - for the point I am trying to make - is that it has got one of those irritating little LED displays on the front panel showing the power it is putting out in watts. It is currently telling me that, even though I am listening quite loud, its output is occasionally peaking at 1 wpc! I have no idea how accurate the display is. But even if it is out by a factor of 10 and I'm outputting 10 watts, it's still not a lot. Isn't it more likely that the difference you are hearing between various amps when driving your loudspeakers is down more to design choices and implementation, rather than outright watts?
IB

[montesquieu]

Hello All

I'm looking to upgrade my my PrimaLuna Prologue 5 power amp and passive pre amp which have actually seen off quite a few contenders to date.

Source is Naim CDS 1 and speakers are Lockwood Academy 1, sealed box studio monitors with Tannoy 15" HPD385s and original crossovers.

I am conscious that there seems to be a big difference in power requirements for Monitor Golds and HPDs. Amps I see people recommending for Golds will NOT work with my speakers (15 watts etc). e.g. I had a loan of a genuine First Watt M2, 25 watter and it was utterly hopeless. 40W Albarry monoblocks no use either. 50W Croft integrated just sufficient.

My PL amp with KT120s just sufficient too.

I seem to prefer valves but I'm open minded

Looking for pre/power or integrated, don't need phono stage or tape loop.

Budget slightly flexible at around £3K.

Home demo is a must and I'm in Northern Ireland, on the Belfast side of Ballymena.

Anybody got anything?

Thanks a lot.

John

P.S. have a loan of a very nice Tron 7 linestage which will be getting an airing tonight

Totally agree, HPDs need more power than Golds, full stop. Some people seem to do well enough with a Radford STA-25 (about 35-40w) but I think that would only work well in a smaller room and while good for 12in HPDs probably won't get the best from 15in HPDs. (You don't say which?)

For valve amps I would say that means the sort of thing I generally run: 70w upwards of KT88/KT90/KT120/KT150. The EAR 899 integrated I sold a while back would have been perfect. That's what I'd be looking for, or something a bit older and second hand from C-J or ARC, with rows of tubes in it.

I won't be selling my Radford STA-100 as I've frankly never heard a better amp with HPDs (the ones that ran closest or equal were EAR 534 and Leben 1000p both of which I'd strongly recommend).

Nice pair of Art Concertos in the classifieds at the moment but I think tricky to audition if you are in NI (though I'd put them back to pentode, a KT88 in triode isn't really a KT88 at all).

[JohnJo]

Hello, John. Nice problem to have!
I'm not technical at all, so I'll admit right off to probably talking a load of nonsense, but is it really high watts output that you need? I say this bcause, as I write, I'm sitting here listening to a CD playing through the power section of my back-up amp - a NAD 3020. This little fella musters all of 20 wpc (I think), but more importantly - for the point I am trying to make - is that it has got one of those irritating little LED displays on the front panel showing the power it is putting out in watts. It is currently telling me that, even though I am listening quite loud, its output is occasionally peaking at 1 wpc! I have no idea how accurate the display is. But even if it is out by a factor of 10 and I'm outputting 10 watts, it's still not a lot. Isn't it more likely that the difference you are hearing between various amps when driving your loudspeakers is down more to design choices and implementation, rather than outright watts?
IB

TBH Gary, I don't know but from past experiences lower powered amps aren't making the speakers sing.

Edit: Yes it is a nice problem in theory but becomes frustrating when there's nothing local to try! Not going to hand out this sort of money without a home demo

[JohnJo]

Totally agree, HPDs need more power than Golds, full stop. Some people seem to do well enough with a Radford STA-25 (about 35-40w) but I think that would only work well in a smaller room and while good for 12in HPDs probably won't get the best from 15in HPDs. (You don't say which?)

For valve amps I would say that means the sort of thing I generally run: 70w upwards of KT88/KT90/KT120/KT150. The EAR 899 integrated I sold a while back would have been perfect. That's what I'd be looking for, or something a bit older and second hand from C-J or ARC, with rows of tubes in it.

I won't be selling my Radford STA-100 as I've frankly never heard a better amp with HPDs (the ones that ran closest or equal were EAR 534 and Leben 1000p both of which I'd strongly recommend).

Nice pair of Art Concertos in the classifieds at the moment but I think tricky to audition if you are in NI (though I'd put them back to pentode, a KT88 in triode isn't really a KT88 at all).

Sorry Tom, not getting you there? Do you mean which version of HPDs? If so they are 15" 385s as per original post.

[montesquieu]

Sorry Tom, not getting you there? Do you mean which version of HPDs? If so they are 15" 385s as per original post.

Sorry didn't get that. Explains why you need the extra welly. 15in HPDs really do take a bit of driving and controlling.

One thing you could look at - my Radford will be going for a makeover soon to RAdford Revival - new paint job, boards, a ground-up overhaul - and I've been playing with alternatives to use while that is away. I have an NuPrime STA-9 here at the moment, 120w x 2 / whopping 290w monoblocked. Uses a JFET as input which functions much like a triode to give a very nice, valve-like sound, while the Class D element isn't 'classic' class D at all but uses a high switching rate and an analogue approach to generating the waveform, an evolution of the same approach used in the earlier (more musical) Lyngdorf amplifiers and not the peeling wallpaper fully digital Class D of old by any means.

I chose the STA-9 because of the monoblock option, but am swapping it for a single ST-10 at a little more than twice the price (or a shade more than two monoblocks), as I feel with the 12in HPDs I don't need the extra power and the ST-10 has a shade more transparency (I'm told), I think it's a tough call though but a lot of the stuff I listen to is delicate/nuanced lieder and chamber music, if I was a rock fan or into electronica or even big orchestral stuff I might well jump the other way. I've been very impressed I have to say - there is no UK dealer or distributor but perhaps Rene at Dimex in Belgium will let you try out the STA-9 I'm about to send back? If you like it (and I think you might) another one is easily purchased. For 700 Euros it's a no-brainer and I can categorically say that in my system it is better than some £5k valve amps I've had a listen to. Don't be put off by how cheap it is.

I'm hoping to hear either the high-end evolution of this approach either the Reference 20 monoblock or NuPrime's and coming statement product the Reference One which might be listenable in prototype by the time I visit Taiwan in April. £6k+ a pair though!

Nuprime are the split off high-end division of Nuforce, bought out by the brand's founder (the lower end stuff went with Optoma and are now Optomoa Nuforce) and by all accounts streets ahead of the Hypex nCore competition as they aren't focused on mass market module making for others to OEM, but rather only on making high-end finished kit (all in their own factory).

[macvisual]

Hi John, as an ex guy from Norn Iron myself, might it be possible for you to call with Kronos Hi-Fi in Dungannon (if they're still trading?) and try borrow something...? Only a thought....


Regards;
Peter
Central Scotland

[julesd68]

I have an NuPrime STA-9 here at the moment, 120w x 2 / whopping 290w monoblocked. Uses a JFET as input which functions much like a triode to give a very nice, valve-like sound, while the Class D element isn't 'classic' class D at all but uses a high switching rate and an analogue approach to generating the waveform, an evolution of the same approach used in the earlier (more musical) Lyngdorf amplifiers and not the peeling wallpaper fully digital Class D of old by any means.

I chose the STA-9 because of the monoblock option, but am swapping it for a single ST-10 at a little more than twice the price (or a shade more than two monoblocks), as I feel with the 12in HPDs I don't need the extra power and the ST-10 has a shade more transparency (I'm told), I think it's a tough call though but a lot of the stuff I listen to is delicate/nuanced lieder and chamber music, if I was a rock fan or into electronica or even big orchestral stuff I might well jump the other way. I've been very impressed I have to say - there is no UK dealer or distributor but perhaps Rene at Dimex in Belgium will let you try out the STA-9 I'm about to send back? If you like it (and I think you might) another one is easily purchased. For 700 Euros it's a no-brainer and I can categorically say that in my system it is better than some £5k valve amps I've had a listen to. Don't be put off by how cheap it is.

Very interesting indeed, thanks for posting this.

Seems very good value - only $649 in the US ... Shame there is no UK dealer as I would fancy trying this with my 12" HPD's for sure!
I take it you were using it with a valve pre as I would be?