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Bottlehead Paramour and Niles DPS-1 amp switch


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I've read a few older posts about this but have some more questions about setting up a 2 channel with a HT setup.

I currently have my Yamaha rx-v757 for my HT. I'm planning on using the pre-outs to feed a tube amp into Chorus mains. The tube amp I have my eye on is the Bottlehead DIY Paramour SET mono blocks for the price and experience in building. I'm planning on hooking up the yamaha and the paramours to a niles DPS-1 switch then to the Chorus. I auditioned a Kailyn integrated tube amp a while ago for a weekend and hooked it to the yahama pre outs and liked what I heard. But the Kailyn itself was not what I was looking for in terms of price, and it wasn't as quiet as I would hope.

Questions:
1) Anyone have any comments on the Bottlehead DIY kit amps paired with Klipsch?

2) For those of you who use the niles dps-1 switch, are there any worries about turning on the tubes amps without the load of the speaker if the switch is set to the ss amp?

Thanks for any insight.

Carlo

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I use a bottlehead Foreplay preamp with an Anthem MCA-20 solid state amplifier (200w) with RF-7's and it does very well. Some would say that a tube pre would make more of an impression on the sonic signature than a solid state front with a tube amplifier, but if you like what you heard that's what's important. If you do get the Paramours, you may want to see what its like with a tube pre.

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carjulreyes

You don't want any amps operating without a load. Can the switch(es) be wired so they load the non-speaker amp with an 8 or 10 Ohm 5W resistor? Also, are you going to switch the preamp from amp to amp? If you're driving both all the time, then you must load both and the larger amp may need a higher Wattage resistor.

A note on tube amps, esp. no-feedback types (like the Paramour): I suggest wiring for 4 Ohm out on the amp .. better control for the impedance swings of the Chorus speakers.

Leo

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Thanks for the replies. I had a few conversations with some sales guys at a high end audio store around me and the consensus is that a tube pre into a ss amp is better than ss pre into a tube amp. So I'm leaning towards not using the yamaha as a pre and getting a tube pre to feed Paramours. I'm still debating too, if an integrated tube amp is what I really want/need for my purposes.

I'm not quite ready to setup a a dedicated 2 channel system yet (WAF reasons) so I'm trying to cram all of this gear with the HT gear. So I'm thinking the amp switch will definitely be needed. I've read else where that you shouldn't run an amp with no load. I just needed some confirmation that some resistance in the switch or at the terminals should be used. So, I'll be looking more into that when I purchase the switch.

Leo - can you elaborate on why you suggested wiring the Paramour for 4 Ohms instead of 8 when the Chorus is spec'd at 8 Ohms?

Thanks again guys.

Carlo

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do those sales guys know about super-efficient horns from experience and listening? <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

otherwise all their advice is solid-state with cones flawed!

flea-powered tube amps will control the impendence challenge of the woofers better with the 4-ohm tap (although some people switch back, especially if they have a powerful sub-woofer for the deep bass).

hooking the Bottlehead 2A3 Paramours into the pre-amp out of the receiver fro the two main channels is much easier way to add tunes to the system (some multi-channel receivers often have a 2-channel output choice

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1202/bottleheadparamour.htm

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