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Jubilee Amplifiers?


Blackcat

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I have had very good luck with the Cyrus Stereo 200.  Plus it's half width so there's less clutter.  There are no gain knobs to jack up either.  You can have two Stereo 200's, a preamp, and a streamer, in literally a 4U space which is the size of a typical receiver.  Their Pre-XR is very nice, specifically made to be ultra low noise.  Retails for $5,500 is the only bad part.  That's what I use tho.  They are made in England too, which some people appreciate. 

In my setup even with a cheaper streamer, if you hit the pause button, I literally have to stick my head in the 402 horn with my face up against that driver to hear anything at all, and I have pretty sensitive ears.  Just dead flat silent realistically speaking.  

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What is the spec of the DSP unit?  Are they XLR or RCA connectors or both?  What matches best.........a home audio amp or a pro audio amp?  The compatibility will matter.
According to the manual they are both XLR and RCA.

I know PHT likes those Cyrus as they had mentioned, I also believe that they used some hi end Rotel power amps when at the audio show in Chicago. Not sure if that was by design or just what was available.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

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2 hours ago, Blackcat said:

I'm starting to lean toward the Benchmark AHB2 that has the same form factor as the Cyrus.  Anyone tried this combo?  Also, would be curious what the factory uses to verify the speakers pre shipment.

From what we know only person can comment on the new Heritage Jube. For those of us with the “underground” version I am running two Benchmarks as monoblocks. The second amp is a very recent addition but I can say there is more of everything from top to bottom. Like a lot more - . Power rating goes from 100 watts/stereo > 380 watts/bridged mono. The clarity of the Bench is beyond reproach. If you don’t favor crystal clear, absolute neutral sound these may not be for you. They are even cleaner than the Hypex nCore 400 monoblocks I had thought were the end all. Because of their design - Class AB with a Class H power supply they are reasonably small and run nearly as cool as the Hypex. 
Please remember the Jubes are run with passive crossovers and it’s a simple setup - laptop > RME DAC > Benchmarks all patched together with Benchmark star quad XLR’s. 
Edit - a quick comment on low power triodes with Jubes. I ran 2a3 monoblocks early on and yes they will power them nicely and of course sound tremendous But, and of course, they will certainly run out of steam when you put the beans to them. At some point 2.5 watts hit the wall and once you’ve arrived, there is no more. Even though the Jubes are more efficient than a LaScala a low power SET will have better luck launching the LS than the Jube. Or so I have found - 

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One thing I have come across with higher powered Class AB power amps is at low power you can have more distortion than with at full output, and the distortion down at these lower power levels are the worst offending kind.

 

Most of this is caused from slightly under biased output stage.

 

With very efficient speakers the first couple of watts are the most important ones. For 120db you only need 16 watts, double it for good measure and that's 35-50 watt amplifiers will be more than enough to make your ears bleed.

 

I'm not trying to talk you out of certain amplifiers at all. First is you probably require a lot less power than you may think and even if you do decide to get a high powered linear amplifier (most all are push pull AB with complimentary pairs) then ask a good tech if the bias should be checked, even if brand new. There are different bias methods, many with adjustments to make sure you are in the sweet spot of efficiency and linear conduction throughout the entire cycle between the two pairs at low powers. With power hungry speakers you won't know the difference because you won't be living in the 1 watt range or under with the amplifier so lots of amps get away with this fine but with very efficient speakers you could end hearing the worst the amp can offer you. I'm not intimately familiar with the Cyrus designs but I'll try and find a schematic.

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I just looked and the stereo 200 is a switching amplifier not a linear style, no crossover distortion at low power to worry about there. Many of the switching amps (Class D) have gotten really good over the years. I tend to stay away from them not because of the sound so much but due to longevity or lifespan. Most are just not worth fixing or impossible to fix without just getting new boards entirely. After some years the boards become obsolete and no longer available. I sort of consider them as landfill amps as that's where they will end up eventually. Don't get me wrong, if I played bass in a band or was a pro audio guy that did professional sound or DJ I'd certainly go with Class D for the sheer size and weight advantage. Efficiency is also a bonus if needing to be powered by portable generator for events. But my stereo sits next to my speakers and I rarely move them so I don't care what they weight. I like knowing they will last a hundred  years if I want because they are repairable and parts will always be around for them.

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There’s a lot to take from those two posts and I agree, with some. For me one of the absolute’s I must have with the larger horn Klipsch speakers is silence, dead silence at the horn. Each and every Pass designed amp has lived up to this, as has Hypex, as has Benchmark. Benchmark and Hypex are two amps with the blackest background noise ever tested. They are absolutely dead silent. That doesn’t mean they sound good but they do, they’re neutral. Nothing added, rounded, softened. If it’s recorded it’s gonna be there. I cannot say that for many tube amp/preamp combination I’ve owned. But of course I have just scratched the surface so a blanket statement can’t be made for either- 

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I will give up a 'margin' of blackness for less dryness and fatigue... 

I am personally finished with Class D in the mid range, while extremely revealing, focused and clean, it's image is very flat and fatiguing.

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I have not tried Benchmark amps but I have had all of the DACS and still use the DAC3.

 

On my UJ I am way overpowered with McIntosh 8207.  But being multichannel it simplifies the setup tremendously and plays well with the Xilica processor.  I have considered going back to individual amps but I run 3 way with subs and that was a juggling act.  Too many boxes.  I do still have a second amp for the subs.

 

So the new Jubs offer the opportunity for even better simplicity as well as being able to be very picky as to what amps you use.  I like!

 

Not to offend anyone here but this has become a very much "budget" forum.  REALLY good electronics DO make a difference. 

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So I continue to think on this topic as I'm ramping up to purchase the Jubilee in the spring (room will be finished 14'x24' w/ vaulted ceiling).  I currently use the BD design horns & compact base bins driven on the top end by 300B SET and the base bins by 200w Class-D using a miniDSP to match the volumes and work as the xover.  I really love my SETs but don't think they would be able to drive the Jubilee combined mid/hi driver at 16-ohm in my new larger space. 

 

Given the above, what would those familiar think about matching the Pass XA-30.8 for the top end to a Pass X-250.8 for the base?  Class-A  for the sweet top end though not SET with Class-AB for the base for a tight bottom end?  Or is this all folly and I should just use a pair of matched amps of significant power?

 

Thanks in advance for your insights.

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