legselevens Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Are you using this amp with the LS50s? How does the combo sound? No I'm still using the nc400's with the valve preamp. I read about it when reading on Magnepans and it was considered a nice combo. I would imagine it would work well with the LS50's too. It's available in Australia as far as know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 To find out what works, what doesn't work and if possible to have some fun along the way. The stretch goal is to find a really cheap amp that sounds absolutely fabulous on the LS50s, I'm not going to hold my breath until it happens but I'd like to think it's a real possibility. You mean there is such a thing as a 180W tripath amp. Please, tell me more. I have a few class Ds at the mo. A 250W IRS 2092 based unit and a 180W Tripath T4 by EAT. The T4 has all very high end parts; Panasonics, M-caps, wimas etc. very heavy duty chokes, crowbar speaker protection, 2oz copper tracks etc. It is the most analogue sounding Class D I have heard. My build incorporates a 500VAC tranni, 15,000uf Sprague filter caps, 10uf poly and 0.1uf snubber for the Sprague. The PS can deliver 16A continuos. I also added four solid copper RCAs (two selectable inputs) which are milled from a solid copper bar with Palladium rings and a 28 step stepper attenuator. Audio path wire is all silver plated fine copper. Silver soldered throughout. A Melbourne Audio Club member heard one on his speakers and ordered two from me. Good build, good parts = great sound. I'll post a link. I have two for sale. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 A link to one of my Tripath amps. http://retro-thermionic.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/180w-tripath-class-d-power-amp.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 No I'm still using the nc400's with the valve preamp. I read about it when reading on Magnepans and it was considered a nice combo. I would imagine it would work well with the LS50's too. It's available in Australia as far as know. I'm using my Class D and Tripath amp with a DIY tube preamp. Seems to work well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desee Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 The kef ls50 special edition same price as the standard version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 I swapped out the little Nobsound for the Burson PI-160 late this morning and I have to say, holy cow! It sounds so good it deserves a pic. So this is why @@adamg was so interested in making me an offer on the Burson back when he had his LS50s, I had no idea how well these components worked together. The Burson takes control of the little KEFs and delivers a rock solid performance with exceptionally good bass and a very musical treble. It somehow manages to sound delicate, soft, musical and slightly metallically-hard in the top end all at the same time. At the risk of sounding overly enthusiastic, I shall make the comment that "it sounds freakin' awesome man!" While it doesn't feel as fast as the ME240 or the YBA it delivers a bigger sound stage with plenty of air and bass that is anchored more solidly than the Queen Mary. It passes round 1 with top marks. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 I swapped out the little Nobsound for the Burson PI-160 late this morning and I have to say, holy cow! It sounds so good it deserves a pic. IMG_0137.JPG So this is why @@adamg was so interested in making me an offer on the Burson back when he had his LS50s, I had no idea how well these components worked together. The Burson takes control of the little KEFs and delivers a rock solid performance with exceptionally good bass and a very musical treble. It somehow manages to sound delicate, soft, musical and slightly metallically-hard in the top end all at the same time. At the risk of sounding overly enthusiastic, I shall make the comment that "it sounds freakin' awesome man!" While it doesn't feel as fast as the ME240 or the YBA it delivers a bigger sound stage with plenty of air and bass that is anchored more solidly than the Queen Mary. It passes round 1 with top marks. I find you need to live with it for a few weeks or months. Initial "nice" shock is always pleasant though. Sometimes I don't change a system components for months. Other times I'll roll amps every second day. Enjoying some double Ds at the mo. Or maybe just one D now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rand129678 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 "The stretch goal is to find a really cheap amp that sounds absolutely fabulous on the LS50s" Peachtree Audio 220SE :-) Brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tane0019 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Was at GP today. Listen to the EGG Wireless via Bluetooth - not bad at all man - for such a small unit w/o sub. Other input include USB and 3.5mm jack (I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul108 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Check the range from Ecosse of Scotland. Works well with my British gear to give pleasing sound. Keep to the mono-crystal copper range and you should be able to find something in your budget that gives big bang for buck. Any idea where to get in SG and price? Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_starfish Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Any idea where to get in SG and price? Alpha Audio at SLS and Adelphi. Price range from few hundreds for full set, to thousands, depending on level. See the level table appended below. Your budget for cables should be around 10% to 15% of your total system cost to be balanced. http://www.ecossecables.co.uk/cable_synergy_table.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I think I’ll have a day of excessive amplification on the KEF’s today. First up is the ME25/Exposure Classic 35. Well the sound stage couldn’t be more relaxed if it was lying in a hammock, wearing a floppy hat and holding a drink with a little umbrella in it! There is deep, warm, smooth and mellow bass that is never in danger of becoming fast or dynamic. Nice detail levels and very pleasant vocals but mostly it just conveys a sense of being on permanent holiday. It really clamps down on metallic sounds too, supresses them to the point that brushes are hard to hear at all on some tracks. So not a great combination for details in the top end, which is a bit of a surprise considering the DNA of both components, I guess it just isn’t a good combo. If you like to relax to your music this is an excellent combo. However at somewhere over $6K for the pre/pwr combo it isn’t likely to be most peoples cup of tea. Second up is the ME25 feeding the Xindak A600 (using its ‘direct’ input so it’s operating as a pure power amp). Now this is a good combo, nice breathy vocals, bass that is just as deep and yet more vibrant than the Exposure could manage and a very melodious midrange. Metallic sounds come across quite well without being harsh or hard but are far easier to hear than they were just 30 minutes before through the ME/Exposure pairing. A fair amount of air in the top end too, not as much as the Burson but you can’t have everything. Piano sounds so sweet that I get the distinct urge to brush my teeth between songs. Now this I could listen to all day… which is interesting since I wasn’t a fan of the Xindak in integrated mode at all, I guess the fault there lies with the preamp section. I can see this combo being revisited in the near future. Again a fairly expensive pairing with the LS50s at around $5K (or $8K if you order the locally available Audreal version of the Xindak, still not sure if those are exactly the same amp) but in this case I’d say it’s worth it (OK, maybe not the $8K version but definitely the $5K). And… the ME/DM38 combo. Loved it, loving it and will likely continue to love it for a while yet. However it seems to have sent my vocabulary into spasms because I’m having trouble coming up with a description of it. It just walks all over everything I’ve heard so far, the level of detail is far superior to the Exposure or the Xindak and while the depth of the bass is fairly similar the Halcro is just so damn fast that it leaves you with the auditory equivalent of whiplash if you aren’t prepared for it. And surprisingly enough the little KEFs lap up every watt fed to them and keep coming back for more, even though it sounds like they are singing for their very lives. Of course no one in their right mind is going to team up an ME25 and a Halcro DM38 to power a pair of LS50s, that would just be beyond crazy, even if you could pick up a second hand DM38 for $9K or so the pre/pwr combo would still be 5 times the price of the speakers (more than 15 times if we talk RRPs). But, if by some fluke of luck you have the opportunity to hear them I think you should, because it may just blow your mind in the same way that it has mine. IMO this past 3 hours with the ME/Halcro/LS50s has been enjoyable enough to be worth the full RRP price of the limited edition versions of the little mini-monitors. This is the sort of gear that spoils you for life. I’m going to have to put a pair of Blades on my wish list after this. So good it deserves a pic. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 @Cafad; I'm yet to read the above but a Halcro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky500 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thats a cool looking white box. Just need to put your street number on it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 @Cafad; I'm yet to read the above but a Halcro? I believe I said in an earlier post that both the Halcro and the LS50s were under the same roof and that meant that it was only a matter of time. Well it turns out that the time was this afternoon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Loving the read mate. You must be having some fun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Which Halcro, what model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 The Halcro DM38. An amp that has taught me a lot about sound, sound stages and the differences that a preamp can make. http://halcro.com/resources/dm-38-amplifier/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Halcro power amp and ME preamp. I have no trouble imaging the performance of the Halcro (though not heard). You talk of speed, then the T4 may just excite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Well I don't really expect any of the other amps on trial to match the performance of the Halcro, today was more an enjoyable tangent on the road to LS50 amplifier evaluation. It just turned out to be a far more enjoyable tangent than I ever expected it to be, that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qwertyqaz Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 It's amazing , you should try the kef blade it's awesome . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Blade IIs got a good review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ugly Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Great thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 One of these days I'll have to arrange things so that a pair of Blades (probably II's) and myself are in the same room, one of these days... Looking forward to hearing that T4 of yours Mark (I bought an amp off mwhouston by the way guys, a T-amp with the same number of watts as my Halcro was something I just had to hear for myself) I hope it does arrive in time for Chrissy but if not I'm sure I'll survive somehow. Thanks Ugly, glad you're enjoying it. Hmmm, I seem to have run out of power amps, maybe it's time to swap some preamps around. Not quite as much fun as swapping power amps around but it helps pass the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 My T4 against a Halcro!!??!! OMG if that is not David and the big bloke. Bring it. Any other Class D I wouldn't be so cocky. I'm happy to take a thrashing there is about a 100 to 1 price difference. I may a little off the mark there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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