AudioCircle

Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Cheap and Cheerful HiFi => Topic started by: 2bigears on 24 Aug 2012, 11:19 pm

Title: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: 2bigears on 24 Aug 2012, 11:19 pm
 :D   Hello, i have been breaking in my V's with a VAC Avatar and digging the speakers for sure.. i have since moved soooo far north it's not funny.. Power supply is lumpy to say the least so the Avatar is popping tubes and fuses left,right and centre.....
     Can i get a recommend on a SS amp please.. We all know the V's are great on efficiency,so that help in the selection.....  thank you for any help .....    :D   better yet ,,do you have a good one FS?
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: S Clark on 24 Aug 2012, 11:42 pm
Pick up a used Virtue and run it on batteries... or check with Gary Dodd to see if he is close to building another batch of battery tube amps.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: persisting1 on 24 Aug 2012, 11:43 pm
Any used Virtue Audio amp would be great. Especially a Sensation with the Dodd buffer.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: persisting1 on 24 Aug 2012, 11:44 pm
Pick up a used Virtue and run it on batteries... or check with Gary Dodd to see if he is close to building another batch of battery tube amps.

You beat me to the punch  :thumb:
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: persisting1 on 24 Aug 2012, 11:50 pm
I'm sure you've seen the Class D thread. If you're DIY inclined, I'd give that a consideration.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=76400.0 (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=76400.0)
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: morganc on 25 Aug 2012, 12:11 am
You might want to ask MichaelHiFi.   He just had a pair of NCores and didn't find them to his liking, but he is working on perfection!  I would think a Pass Labs F3, Aleph, or The like would be a great choice.   I would also of course ask Danny his opinion on the matter.   
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: persisting1 on 25 Aug 2012, 12:25 am
You might want to ask MichaelHiFi.   He just had a pair of NCores and didn't find them to his liking, but he is working on perfection!  I would think a Pass Labs F3, Aleph, or The like would be a great choice.   I would also of course ask Danny his opinion on the matter.

Those are great choices, but since he posted this in Cheap and Cheerful, I'm sure he's not looking into spending that kind of money on a amp. I'm sure NCores would be fun though.

If you're referring to clones, then yes  :thumb:
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: shadowlight on 25 Aug 2012, 12:29 am
Would TBI Millenia MG3  (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=108242.0) work?
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: mca on 25 Aug 2012, 12:46 am
I find it hard to believe the Avatar can't power these.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: john dozier on 25 Aug 2012, 12:48 am
A Classd Audio amp would work well. I am enjoying mine. And they are cheap and cheerful. Regards
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: 2bigears on 25 Aug 2012, 12:49 am
 :D   WOW, thanks guys.... 1 thing,,,, the VAC is an integrated...  i do like that ..but it's not in stone ..  battery sounds like the way to go .... so now i need a set ???? amp and pre :D
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: 2bigears on 25 Aug 2012, 12:50 am
 :D  the VAC can power these.... it's just i live at the end of the grid.... very dirty KW's delivered.. :D     Darn,,,,i had Danny on the phone just yesterday .... what the hell was i thinking ????   he would know of all people .... :D
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: persisting1 on 25 Aug 2012, 01:00 am
I've never heard them, but I've read good things about KingRex. 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/kingrex2/u.html (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/kingrex2/u.html)
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: Jonathon Janusz on 25 Aug 2012, 02:04 am
I'm also interested in the answers to this question.  A lot of talk is made on the super-v with low-power tube amps, not so much on solid state.

I can tell you from experience, that the Virtue Sensation can sound promising with the super-v coaxes.  I run a M901 with the 30/130 wall power supply, no tube buffer, sonicaps with platinum bypasses.  I have pretty good AC power, but for what it is worth I still do hear a bit of line noise through the coaxes that would probably be all but gone on batteries. 

Another little quirk of running the Virtue gear with the very high efficiency coaxes is the gain and volume control of the amp.  With the Virtue being fed by a Tranquility SE/Mac Mini combo, I can only realistically use up to about 9:00-10:00 on the volume dial before my ears/room say stop.  The steps in the volume are a little steep, in particular using the remote.  Sometimes I have a time of it finding a "happy medium" on the volume control with one button push on the remote being too much, and one less being too little.

I could go on about details regarding the sound of this combo, but honestly my setup right now is so far from ideal I will just say that all above being said, it can sound very nice if set up well.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: 2bigears on 25 Aug 2012, 02:29 am
 :D   MY LOCATION SUCKS GEOGRAPHICALLY......
             A small tube amp and pre on battery sounds like the ticket....
              But i could be wrong totally ????? :D
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: Early B. on 25 Aug 2012, 02:31 am
:D  the VAC can power these.... it's just i live at the end of the grid.... very dirty KW's delivered.. :D

Is your problem the VAC amp or the need to clean up the dirty power?
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: 2bigears on 25 Aug 2012, 02:36 am
   soooo polluted power in my area which like i say ,,,, is at the end of a grid.....the very end .. :D
       i dig the idea of flee power/battery  :D
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: S Clark on 25 Aug 2012, 03:21 am
I can tell you a bit about the 15 wpc Dodd battery amp, because it shares much of the same circuit found in one that Gary made for me.  In mine, he took two old 1958-1962 vintage Eico mono integrated amps and gutted them and used the iron to make me a pair of mono integrted amps using 6BQ5 and 6DJ8 tubes.  Mine has some limitations that the battery version doesn't, but the imaging, fluid mids, and sense of space surpases my upgraded Moscode 401HR.  Mine doesn't have the bass extension that the Moscode has, but otherwise it holds it own with the more expensive amp.  If you are running the Super V, then the bass is not powered by that amp anyway.   If I remember correctly, Gary was asking about $1500 for the battery amp. 

Now, the bad news is that he has had a hard time getting parts (transformer?) for it.  So it may not currently be available.  You'll just have to contact him.  If it's available, I suggest that it's the best answer to your problem.  http://www.doddaudio.com/

Scott

Oh yeah, here is a write up I did a couple of years ago.  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=69032.0
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: 2bigears on 25 Aug 2012, 03:47 am
 :D   sounds like Dodd battery is the way ..... another BLOWN BUDGET,,,,, ha
           can't take it with ya .....  time for DC i think ..... :D
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: sl_1800 on 9 Sep 2012, 11:15 pm
I run a Class D on mine.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: JLM on 10 Sep 2012, 09:37 am
I've never heard them, but I've read good things about KingRex. 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/kingrex2/u.html (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/kingrex2/u.html)

Last time I ordered KingRex I never received the order (pre-amp) and never got a reply via e-mail/phone.  Had to cancel payment.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: JLM on 10 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
:D   MY LOCATION SUCKS GEOGRAPHICALLY......
             A small tube amp and pre on battery sounds like the ticket....
              But i could be wrong totally ????? :D

Where is this land of such misery?  From other's accounts it seems to me power abberations (the technical term) correlates to age of the local grid first and industrial users sharing your substation.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: john dozier on 10 Sep 2012, 12:55 pm
Another vote for ClassD Audio. Superb amps and service. I replaced some $5k tube monoblocks with the Spiral Groove amp and never looked back. Regards
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: nickd on 10 Sep 2012, 03:23 pm
You might put serious consideration into the NAD 390DD integrated. It has an adjustable digital crossover and the sound may suprise you.  :o

I used a NAD M2 on my Super V's for a few weeks and was blown away. the bass quality will take them where tubes can't go. You can't even hear if it's on, its that quiet.

I have used a Krell EVO 403, an PBN EB1 super amp, and a Cary 200WPC SS amp (I also have used tubes on the V's) . The NAD stood out as a screaming value and had the best bass among all of them. The 390 DD is supposed to be better with a newer DAC and DSP. At $2500 retail, that would put a used one in the extreem value zone.
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: Rocket_Ronny on 10 Sep 2012, 04:38 pm

How far north are we talking. I thought Cold Lake was far enough north. Are you visiting Santa Clause?

My pick would be the Dodd tube amp or TBI.

Rocket_I just moved east but not north  :duh: _Ronny
Title: Re: Have GR Supper V's and need an amp ??
Post by: persisting1 on 10 Sep 2012, 07:20 pm
Last time I ordered KingRex I never received the order (pre-amp) and never got a reply via e-mail/phone.  Had to cancel payment.

That isn't a good sign. I take it you ordered directly from them?