Ernie, I would think they would sound great with that amp! Thanks audiotom!
For several years I was content being a hybrid ESL owner until the different bug bit. They were dipole flat panels with transmission line bass modules. Great bass but they had a small but wonderful sweet spot. Move out of the sweet spot and the treble falls off the cliff. My concern was losing the expansive soundstage and transparency an ESL system provides. Well, I didn't trade down with my SoundScape 8's.
My west wall setup has the speakers in a living room open to main level. The room measures 15' x 16' to a short corner chimney wall. The main level continues on for another 23' x 20'. Ceiling height is 14' on the main level. The SS8's are 21" off the back wall and 46" from the side wall and chimney corner wall. They are 7.5' apart and I sit the same distance away. This was arrived at by trial and error and doing room sweeps. Sub placement was done the same way. The subs just shore up the low frequencies. They don't come in for most music, but will with my Telarc Michael Murray Bach The Great Organ at Methuen album.
I have two stacked GIK Tri-Traps in the left corner, and one each in opposing corners. One GIK 244 panel is on wall behind and between speakers. At first I made the mistake of placing them with all room treatments in place from the previous speakers. This resulted in a disappointing sound as the mid range was minus 10-15dB in some frequencies, so I removed treatments from behind each speaker. At this time the SoundScapes are not toed in at all. I am using the open grill on rear of midrange with stuffing.
Gear wise I have been all tube and tube / SS mix. I prefer to remain all SS now. To me the Raal tweeter begs for no roll off of the highs. Amp wise I tried a Sanders ESL AB amp and the Wyred4Sound SX-1000 mono blocks. Both worked well, plenty of detail and dynamics, but perhaps too neutral. Some might say dry or sterile without a tubed pre. The old Class A Krell KSA-250 fixed that. I actually gained some bass and had to dial the subs down. It is an old and complex design, but still has a cult following. I have detail, dynamics, and musicality. Very involving. Just the right amount of warmth for me. I embrace both digital and vinyl here. My diy dual mono digital sounds very good, but the vinyl does edge it out.
I am all over in music genre. Just about anything but rap. One of my desert island choices and demo albums would be Talk Talk / Colour Of Spring. Hollis's nasally vocals have always set a hook in me. This album stepped away from the synthesized pop of their earlier albums. One of my fav tracks is the first, Happiness Is Easy. This track features drums, a wicked snare, weird chord, three percussionists, a very closely miked accoustic bass, electric bass, guitar, piano, Steve Winwood on a Hammond organ and a children's choir. The acoustic guitar and piano seem to dance gracefully in and out. On a good system some of the notes from the eight supporting musicians can be surprising; on a great system they can be startling. For a one note system resolution measurement, I like Pink Floyd / The Wall; 'The Happiest Days Of Our Lives' The simultaneous kick drum/choked snare. Amazed at the details and decay I hear in that short moment in time.
Some of my other favorite demos are Jennifer Warnes / The Hunter, 'Way Down Deep.' Patty Larkin / Regrooving the Dream; 'Hand Full of Water' features an acoustic guitar with notes that decay into tomorrow. 'When' has a blistering guitar and drum duel. 'Mink Coats,' haunting vocals and deep drum. Sergio Mendes / Brasileiro; 'Magalenha' starts out quietly with a ringing toca triangle, male then female vocals and then the drums come in! Drums with a beat that will get any woman in the room on her feet dancing (it has worked like that here on occasion anyway).
So I now I have an expansive soundstage, transparency, off the chart dynamics and slam. I mean chills and hairs up on the back of my neck. The SoundScape 8's seem to have no limitations; they excel at everything I play on them. They sound fantastic at both low and high volume. They look fantastic! This is one of the best systems I have ever put together. High marks to Jim and the Salk crew!
Some other fun demo tracks.
Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Pops Orchestra / Time Warp (flac) / Strauss: Introduction to Also Sprach Zarathustra
The Blue Nile / Hats (vinyl or my hi-res flac vinyl rip) / Seven A.M. (or any other track on that album)
Deadmau5 / 4x4=12 (flac) / Sofi Needs a Ladder
Steely Dan / Gaucho (Universal 200 gram vinyl Japanese pressing) / Babylon Sisters
Nirvana / Nevermind (Universal 200 gram vinyl Japanese pressing) / Smells Like teen Spirit or In Bloom at ~105dB
