First-world-problems. Amplifier pairing with whatmough 201

[$piro]

Hey guys. Can anyone share any experiences of pairing some 201’s with amplifiers. I acquired a pair about 6 months ago and they have since seen off some dynaudio dm2/8’s. My amplifier is an old jvc ja-s71 (i have a fetish for all things vintage) coupled with a blue sound node 2i (tidal) and they sound great together. Throw in a legend kurlo 3 sub and its happy days for me. I would like to think that my system is well balanced throughout all the frequencies and my greatest addition has been the sub with its high level inputs/outputs.  I have tried an emotiva basx -300 directly into the blue sound but it all sounded a little dry for me. The old jvc has just been serviced and is in really good nick but i have a feeling it might be holding things back because of its age. I will like to experience some of that holography that i hear about and can commit 2-3k to an integrated. I’m interested in tube amps and was wondering if anyone has had any success with 201’s and tubes or maybe i should look at acquiring some more headroom through solid state amps and give the dynaudios a third chance ? Or should i look at improving the source with external dac ? Or split the budget beween the two ?

music tastes are an adhoc  mix of jazz, pop, light rock and electronic. 

[Ooogh]

Hi Spiro,

 

What a fabulous Australian speaker set up you have, the Whatmough 201’s are absolute legends. Non leadlined I am guessing, do they run the early inverted titanium dome tweeter or the later Kevlar version?

 

The Kurlo is so unrecognised here, great subwoofer.

 

I am surprised no one has shown up with amplifier suggestions. I am trying to remember what Colin used to demo them with, always good to ride on the coattails of the designer who would have tried all comers.

I seem to remember him using Redgum Amplifiers back in the day, another local product.

 

In theory a good 50 Watt valve amplifier should make a nice pairing 

[$piro]

11 hours ago, Ooogh said:

Non leadlined I am guessing, do they run the early inverted titanium dome tweeter or the later Kevlar version?

30 mm inverted Kevlar and are bitumen lined. I used to deliver components to collin as a young courier when he was in scoresby. Quite often I would barge through the front door with my cartons whilst he was auditioning. I can’t help but think that my speakers came from the same establishment.

[Cafad]

Maybe a Sansui?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/124822191700?hash=item1d0ffb7e54:g:MikAAOSwdHFguGs8

 

It's just a thought.

Edited July 27, 2021 by Cafad

[Herbyj]

Hi

I had a pair of 201 and drove them with valve amps and they sounded great.

 

From memory they were reasonably efficient and not a demanding load.

 

One was a single ended amp about 30 watts a channel and the other a 50 watt push pull.

The single ended amp was magical in the midrange but had slightly flabby bass.

The push pull was tighter in the bass but didn't have the midrange magic.

 

Cheers

 

Herby

[smav]

I actually bought a pair of the Whatmough 201s around 1994 with jarrah finish, beautiful sounding speakers.  These were later upgraded by Whatmough to the Kevlar tweeter.

 

These were bought from a shop in Kew, I think from memory the guy who demoed these was named Alex.  I also bought the Arcam Delta 290 integrated amp which they were demoing together with the speakers.  Later that year, I bought the Arcam Delta 270 CD player from them as well.

 

Traded everything in around 7-8 years later as we were downsizing living space but have regretted it ever since.  One of the best and most musical speakers i ever heard.  

cheers, Savas

[$piro]

4 hours ago, Cafad said:

Maybe a Sansui?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/124822191700?hash=item1d0ffb7e54:g:MikAAOSwdHFguGs8

 

It's just a thought.

Always wanted to try a sansui. How would this amp rate in their list of offerings ?

[Cafad]

The X-711 is the international version of the Alpha 607 L Extra (check out more details here: http://www.sansui.us/Issues_IntvsDomestic.htm )

 

It is one of the very few 230/240 volt units based on Alpha models.  The only others are the quite rare DR series models made for Europe, which are very rare and generally in somewhere in Europe (no surprise there I guess), and the just as rare MRX models which are almost impossible to find.  The 911DG is also a 230 volt model, they are slightly less common than the X711s but more common then the 230 volt DR units or the MRX models.

 

I have a 911DG, it is a very nice amp.  It doesn't have the power or the presence of the 907 models but it has just as much speed and finesse. 

[soundbydesign]

I have used a pair of 201s bought new . They have the polypropylene woofer and the kevlar tweeter, jarrah veneer finish, no lead lining. I have upgraded just about everything else in my setup but still use the Whatmoughs. They are an exceptionally good speaker and possibly one of the best 2-ways for the money. Colin was very proud of them. I originally drove them with an 80 wpc Luxman 105u. Colin wasn't all that impressed with my choice, he preferred the Marantz offerings of the time (amongst Japanese amps). He thought that the power supplies in the  Luxmans weren't as good as the Marantz. He may have been right about that, but the overall balance of my setup was pretty good and drew a lot of praise from 'uneducated' listeners as well as audiophiles. I'm sure it is possible now to improve on them, but you can be assured that you will struggle to find another speaker that will deliver more 'musical' and fatigue free listening, while also being accurate and relatively uncoloured (for the price they go for now)

 

They are quite efficient, and will certainly work well with amplifiers of modest output, but they also relish some power (or perhaps more correctly, current).

 

When my  105u died, I replaced it with a vintage Luxman M-03 (yes, I like the Luxman sound) with 200 watts a side into 4 ohms. It's complete overkill of course, but an absolute revelation in terms of the sound quality - in all respects. I have an open plan house with the sound system at one end of a  series of connected spaces having overall dimensions of about 14 metres by 8.4 metres and mostly 3.3 metre high ceilings, and carpeted concrete slab floor throughout. These speakers play loud and clear, with bass that startles.

 

So my suggestion, if you are into vintage gear and want the sound that Colin was happy with (at the more realistic end of the price spectrum) try to get your hands on a Marantz from the late 80s with as much  grunt as you can afford. The volume knob will probably never go far round the dial, but the reserves  of power and the extra damping will reward you with effortless 'live performance' sound.

 

I have never been all that interested in Marantz gear, but if Colin recommended it, I would be confident to go that way - or you could go the Luxman route too. I listened to a reasonable number of Japanese amps of that era, and for me the Luxman valve-like sound stood out. When I bought the 105u (an integrated amp), I did an A-B comparison with a close contender - a 100 wpc Rotel pre and power setup costing an appreciable amount more. When I say comparison, there was none. The Luxman revealed so much more information while also sounding much bigger. The killer was a classical cello piece. It sounded all right on the Rotel of course, but when played through the Luxman you could hear, not just the strings vibrating, but the wood of the cello body as well. Done deal.

[josh0571]

Hi Spiro

 

My 201's have the inverted Kevlar dome tweeters and 13mm bitumen lined panels so are the same as yours.

 

I run them into a Marantz PM KI Pearl Lite integrated which outputs 70W into 8 ohms and 25 Amperes of current. I listen to mainly '60's to '80's rock and pop.

 

They sound fantastic - detailed and accurate with plenty of warm, extended bass. Even though I have a very small listening room (3.2 x 3.5m) I do occasionally crank the volume up to 11 o'clock on the dial. This amp is never strained and sounds lovely.

 

Good luck with your search and let us know what you get.

 

 

[$piro]

I’d like to thank everyone for sharing their experiences and recommendations. I’m still no closer to putting my finger on a product yet but with half the nation in lockdown it seems that people are holding onto their gear. I don’t think I’ll get much value if I buy new so I’ll patiently sit on the sidelines, enjoy what I have for now and wait for something to pop up.  I did have my eye on an electrocompaniet ECI-1 on eBay but it looked a little banged up so I let it slide.           Never mind. 

[$piro]

Time for an update.  
I thought it might be appropriate to report back after having such a welcomed response from fellow members.
I finally pulled the trigger on a Denon pma-2010AE and am delighted with it ! It has oodles of grunt and has exerted itself nicely over my speakers. Mind you the Whatmough 201’s have been nudged out by a pair of lead-lined 202’s and this new combination is destined to keep me away from the stereonet classifieds for a little while. I must admit that I wasn’t overly impressed with the 202’s early on and found the brighter sounding 201’s paired better the warm sounding vintage jvc amplifier. However I wasn’t discouraged by that and assumed the 202’s (housing a dual voice coil bass driver) would need a little more grunt. Along comes the Denon and it’s problem solved. 
My conclusion from all this is that from trying to scratch one itch I created another one.  The 201’s and the jvc ja-s71 sound great together and provide for a more intimate listen. The 202’s and the Denon sound more energetic and resolving with the capacity to stay accurate at louder levels.  Both amps have pre-outs and main-ins which allows for further tinkerings and integrations of the two units. 
We all take from our experiences and make mistakes and learn along the way-such has been my experience. 
 

[zenikoy]

Just wanted to comment on how much I appreciate it when the original poster returns with an action report

[josh0571]

Hi Spiro

 

Those big Denon integrateds apparently have lots of current and are very well  built.

 

Sounds like a great choice and I'm sure would make your 202's really sing. Have fun and enjoy your journey!

 

Cheers

Josh