laurenc319 Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 hI I have a pair of Fortes which I recently bought on Ebay and I really like them , ( my B&W Matrix 2s have been displaced ) . At the moment I'm running them on a EICO ST-81 integrated amp ... 14 watts per channel. They sound great ( actually better than with a Soundcraftsman A400 .. 230 watt/channel solid state power amp... but not as loud ). Amazing what 14 watts can do with these speakers. I'm thinking about getting a bit more tube power and wonder about how well a Dynaco ST70 ( a good rebuilt one ) will do with these speakers. Anyone using this combo. Is the upgrade in amp worth it ? thanks Larry Citro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 I have not lived with a ST 70 but have a similar amp and have heard one. I think you would find it very dynamic compared to the Eico "giving up" when pushed. And some very serious low end if rebuilt properly. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstrachan Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 I have a Consonance tube amp that allows 17w in triode adn 35+w/pentode. My Fortes sound very nice in triode but with a few more watts, they really open up and the bass is tighter. Haven't heard a ST70 but I think you will like the extra power. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 I used to own a pair of Forte-IIs. They sounded great on an ST-70. However, they don't necessarily need that much power. Try the 4 Ohm outputs on your 14 Watt amp. The ST-70 might do better (use the 4 Ohm taps on that amp also), but more Watts is not necessarily better .. it might just give you more distortion and noise because you really don't need the power. Using the lower Ohm output tap on the 14 Watt amp will enhance the current drive without sacrificing signal/noise. Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenc319 Posted February 12, 2005 Author Share Posted February 12, 2005 hi, Thanks for the info on on the 4 ohm taps, I read on this forem about this and already tried it and the bass did tighten up and sound better. I have to say i really like these Fortes, last night I set up my other system in the same room, just for fun, ( Soundcraftsman A400 power amps 200w/channel with the P100 preamp , B&W Matrix 2 speakers and a Kyocera CD player). Moved a CD from one system to another. Both systems are great. We listened to some of my reference CDs ( Enigma, MCMXC*D cut ..The Rivers of Belief, Ahmad Jamal, Rossiter Road cuts ... Milan and If I Find the Way and Shostokovich Symphony 5 by Lenoard Bernstein and the New York Philarmonic, 4th movement ). A driving electronic musical presentation with male and female voice, a jazz quartet and a large orchestra. What I can say is both systems sound great. Both systems could fill the room (14 x 24 x 8 ft) with sound at levels at which it was impossible to hear each other comment. Both systems could shake the walls with bass ... the Klipsches in a much more convincing fashion. Both had an an ability to articulate and define the sound registers in an abandoned fashion. Ok the differences. The B&Ws with the 200 watt ss amp are somewhat, ahhh .. refined and laid back with very fast transients and tight but not extreamly deep bass. The upper registers are precise and very dominent. The midrange a bit baackward and behind the highs. The sound stage is very accurate from left to right but not very deep front to back. The Klipschs with a 14 watt tube amp are much more forward, with a brighter and enticing midrange, with the highs not as pronounced. The bass was not as fast but deeper and more feelable and for some reason more enjoyable. They are more directional right to left, surprising given their horns, but have a much deeper soundtage, a 3d sound experience the B&Ws could not match. End result ... my wife voted fot the B&Ws, I voted for the Klipshes. Guess which one is in the living room and which one is downstairs in the TV/computer room. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 End result ... my wife voted fot the B&Ws, I voted for the Klipshes. Guess which one is in the living room and which one is downstairs in the TV/computer room. ++++++ at least they did not leave the house.... WAF is not a new topic around here in the least. My wife has bad vision, she does not know how ugly my amps are or myself for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted February 13, 2005 Share Posted February 13, 2005 I wish someone would put up some proof that higher watt tube amps produces more distortion at low watt usage points then there low watt tube amp counterparts. This is hogwash. The fact is a low watt tube amp distortion increases sooner then a higher watt tube amplifier as the wattage increases. Similarly designed high watt and low watt tube amps will have near identical distortion number at say a 1/2 watt. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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