gartenman Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 If interested I have a Harman Kardon HK3490 2x120 I'd sell you for a good price as a forum member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pragmatic001 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 If you're looking for a tube sound on a budget I suggest trying out one of the little T amps. Here's a review of a $30 unit. http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/sonicimpact/t.html And a $100 unit: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10.html And one you can buy new: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-380 I have the upgraded (but still cheap as hell) Sonic impact 2. I think it sounds excellent for the $70 I paid for it. I prefer it by far with my La Scalas than my Outlaw 7125 or my vintage Yamaha CR2020. However - in some sense you get what you pair for. The snap-clips are very cheap and the volume pot has noise in it from 10 to 3. I use my pre for volume control, so it doesn't concern me much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 And a $100 unit: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10.html Those little Trends amps can drive La Scalas just fine. Here's a brief review of a Trends/La Scala combo from 6moons, plus a picture. The amp is the tiny box on the floor with the knob on the front of it.http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10_3.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxsdad Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 OK, now you have my attention! Are you seriously telling me that a 10 watt amp can actually work with my Lascala's? I am used to thinking in terms of hundreds of watts to prevent clipping, etc.. Granted, I don't see how a human could survive the spl, but I am obviously quite ignorant of this genre' of equipment. What type of volume can they produce? Most important. where do I get one? Are they safe to buy used? Anything you can share is most appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 OK, now you have my attention! Are you seriously telling me that a 10 watt amp can actually work with my Lascala's? I am used to thinking in terms of hundreds of watts to prevent clipping, etc.. Granted, I don't see how a human could survive the spl, but I am obviously quite ignorant of this genre' of equipment. What type of volume can they produce? Most important. where do I get one? Are they safe to buy used? Anything you can share is most appreciated! 1watt=104db. Give it a try. I tried to like the Trends but I ultimately tried to magus modify it and killt it. I do like the reviewers open mind. The line of blue lights cracks me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pragmatic001 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 > OK, now you have my attention! Are you seriously telling me that a 10 watt amp can actually work with my Lascala's? Certainly. I heard a pair of La Scala IIs at a home theater store on mac amps. We had them loud enough you could clearly hear them anywhere in the store (think kmart size) and the big blue meter on the 400w monoblocks was just tapping 2w once in awhile. > Most important. where do I get one? I found these guys, they sell some of the nicer models new and sport a 30 day return policy - or so their site says. I'd call them before ordering: http://www.obadimports.com/index.html And another: http://www.aloaudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_4 Sonic impact, Trends Micro, Kingrex all have T-amp models that have been reviewed well. I think the Trends amp is the best bang for the buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 OK, now you have my attention! Are you seriously telling me that a 10 watt amp can actually work with my Lascala's? When Sam Tellig reviewed the La Scala IIs in Stereophile, he tried them at first with a 1.5 watt headphone amp and got some sound out of them, but there wasn't much slam, as you could imagine. People use 10 watt amps with less sensitive speakers than La Scalas, and that makes me wonder what they're thinking. No hard rock or full orchestra music, I'd guess, but maybe enough power for folk or chamber music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Congrat's on the La Scalas. I used to drive my Heresys with a Carver m500t, not bad for a solid state amp, but on my La Scalas I never quite cared for the sound. I tried the little Trends ta10 with the La Scalas for a while and it was pretty good, but still not quite right in the high end. That Trends amp is floating around this forum right now, being passed around for listening; I think the last one to have it was Lisa "Meagain", and I think Fini was supposed to be next... see more here: I'm now driving my La Scalas with little tube mono blocks rated at less than 4 watts, never put more than 1 watt through them so far in five years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'm making an assumption here, but driving a LaScala with a headphone amp seem like a bad idea, given the different nature of the loads. I have both the trends and the virtue amp one, and the virtue out-classes it in every respect. None are as nice as the Wright monoblocks, though. Virtue audio one review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combat_SAMBO_Guy Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 It is a bad idea, the amplifier, like the speaker should allow for plenty of dynamic range. Paul Klipsch used to site amplifier clipping as a source of distortion, so why use an amp small enough to introduce clipping at minimal levels of outpit. I've heard of people using 10 watt/channel amps, it makes no sense, it's buying a Ferrari and putting regular gas in the tank. Power is so cheap and good quality today, just do it get some real power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 "Power is so cheap and good quality today, just do it get some real power. " I disagree. If this was so true than more solid state amps would sound better. I've had some real screechers on my horns over the years. The best solid state I have heard are BAT VK200 with tube preamp and JC's MC250's rebuilt by dewick with a tube preamp. These SS examples have totally changed my mind about SS. I once thought there wasn't a SS amp I would like that much. I just think it is easier with tubes and lower power to get quality sound. It is certainly more economical. That is until you get into tube rolling. I ran Belles with Canary Audio CA300 8PWC SET tube amps with a George Wright WLA12A tube preamp and it was to date the best system in my room I have had. It is about quality of watts not the quantity. I even liked the 8wpc better than the McIntosh MC30 monoblocks at about 30wp. For 80% percent of my sit down listening sessions they were perfect and they could push 100db easily. I've never had such a great 3d soundstage and clear instrument seperation since I had the Canary's. Now if I had beers and cranked it 108+db the extremes would definately suffer abit. That being said lower quality watts kick a$$ on uber effecient horns with simple crossovers. The Heritage line was created when low power tube amps were the norm and efficient speakers were preferred. People will always argue but give some low watts a try and let your ears be the judge. "What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier" PWK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolguym Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I have just acquired my first pair of La Scalas.I drove them with my Yamaha M-85 amp and C-85 preamp.The power amp is rated at 260 wpc (8 ohm) at .003% THD.It has a Class A rating of 30 wpc.I was thrilled with the quality of sound I got with my seperates paired with the La Scalas.My preamp has a parametric eq in conjuction with the tone controls.I feel this may help a lot.I am looking into some high end tube equipment,but I feel I have a lot of research and a lot of listening to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I have just acquired my first pair of La Scalas.I drove them with my Yamaha M-85 amp and C-85 preamp.The power amp is rated at 260 wpc (8 ohm) at .003% THD.It has a Class A rating of 30 wpc.I was thrilled with the quality of sound I got with my seperates paired with the La Scalas.My preamp has a parametric eq in conjuction with the tone controls.I feel this may help a lot.I am looking into some high end tube equipment,but I feel I have a lot of research and a lot of listening to do. Congrats. The more you stay in class A the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I have just acquired my first pair of La Scalas.I drove them with my Yamaha M-85 amp and C-85 preamp. Lots of forum members are happily using Yamaha power with their La Scalas or other speakers. Take a bit of time to get used to the sound of your new combo and get the speakers correctly positioned and oriented, as well as making sure your listening room is fully optimized. A well-dialed-in system will sound better than a bunch of good stuff thrown together. In sports parlance, "A champion team can beat a team of champions." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Try to find the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) chart for any amp you look at. It should be as low as possible in first few watts. Amps are rated at the lowest point in the THD curve, which is often at a wattage much higher than what big ole horns actually use most of the time. Therefore even a Class A amp can have more harsh distortion than is tolerable. People love tubes with big ole horns because their type of THD resembles natural instruments. THD for solid-state amplifiers is quite different from THD for tube amplifiers. First, you should be aware that THD measures all types of distortion – both good and bad types. Second, tweaking audiophiles in love with tubes (I am one) argue that one of their benefits is the type of harmonic distortion that tubes create. Tube-o-philes say that the good second-order distortion of tubes adds to quality of the sound. The harmonics of tube amplifiers RESEMBLES THE SAME TYPE as the musical instruments themselves. So, THD levels for tubes means a lot less for tube amplifiers than it means for solid-state amplifiers. My flea-powered $549 tube Bottlehead 2A3 Paramour amplifiers can sound just as musical as a flawless $6,000 “Pass Laboratories Supersymmetry™ Balanced Single-Ended Class-A X250” (http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/archives/) with big ole horns. In my opinion, and in the experience of an old double blind study in Scandinavia, conducted on cone speakers, the wrong kind of THD from solid-state components - along with other things (like CD jitter) - eventually wears out the listener’s ears. The more analog the system was - turntable, pre-amplifier and power amplifier - the better that dozens of long-term listeners rated the unseen system and music.See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomzilla Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 ...Power is so cheap and good quality today, just do it get some real power. Might I politely disagree. Yes, good cheap power IS available today (Emotiva comes to mind...), but (and this is a BIG BUT...) it may not be the best option for high-sensitivity speakers. That first watt is where the speakers normally play. Unless the amplification is at its best here, then it really doesn't matter if it sounds good at 100, 200, or even 300 watts. I've found that the 16-watt Qunpu tube/solid-state hybrid amp drives my La Scalas beautifully. Just saying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I drove my LaScalas with a stereo breadboard SET amplifier circuit using 71A output tubes. 6SL7 SRPP with 71As and James output transformers. It's surprising what 800 milliwatts can do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Gentlemen, It's a 3 year old thread...let it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Ha Ha .... what a great pic It's a 3 year old thread...let it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Gentlemen, It's a 3 year old thread...let it go. So? What's your point? Folks drag up old threads around here all the time... I'll admit it annoys myself sometimes, but at least I don't cry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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