[Christopher Witmer]

Has anyone done listening comparisons of the Clari-T used in a monobloc pair versus used as a single stereo amp? I would really like to hear any impressions.

Also, there are some dual voice coil fullranges (e.g., Exact) and some fullranges that can be modified to dual voice coil operation (e.g., Lowther) . . . I was wondering, how about taking two amps and using one as L+L and the other as R+R (with each channel going to a separate voice coil of the same driver)? In such a case, "crosstalk" between the two channels would become irrelevant, right?

Here is an example of a "dual contact voice coil" driver: http://homepage3.nifty.com/kt-whran/5150rmspl.html

[miklorsmith]

To take advantage of both channels in each mono, you could split RCA's into the amp and and speaker cables out of the amp.  This would be a conventional connection to the source and speakers, but, um, unconventional around the amp.

Don't see why it wouldn't work though.

[Dmason]

Chris,

Tell us about Exact. Is that the product of Sano San? Do you have access to "the good stuff" .....where YOU are?? Where can you link me to shop some drivers from J.A. Pan Audio?

I can tell you Chris, that IMHO, the little ClariT sounds sooo good, it warrants audition and evaluation of the Very Best drivers one can get their hands on. Dual voice coils would be a dream. Like the Hartley 220MSG here.

The better the drivers, the better the amp sounds.

[Christopher Witmer]

Although the page is in Japanese, there is a large block of English text describing the drivers here:

http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e44605268

I have one pair of these drivers, but the enclosures for them will not be finished until August. The enclosures will be made of fancy burly hardwood and marble. The sound of these little drivers is truly jaw-dropping. (I have had the pleasure of listening to the same drivers in cabinets that are dimensionally identical to mine, so I know what to look forward to.) I listen to a lot of pipe organ music so I shall be using my pair in conjunction with a pair of subwoofers, but for about 90% of my music the subwoofer will be totally superfluous. Mr. Sano also makes 16cm drivers that play a good 10Hz lower, but unless one needs their added efficiency (as high as 101dB/1W/1m for the most powerful models) I am inclined to think that one gets the most bang for buck by sticking with 12cm drivers combined with subs if one craves the very deepest bass.

The biggest drawback with the Exact drivers is the price. The drivers shown in auction are 179,000 yen for the pair . . . that is more than $1500. If one could realize just how much work goes into a pair of these drivers, just about anyone would agree that they are in a certain sense inexpensive, but the fact remains that one could buy five pairs or more of decent Fostex speakers for that kind of money . . . not to mention the kind of sound one can get from a properly user-modified Tangbang fullranges, etc.

The other problem is the wait. I have two pairs of Exact drivers coming down the pike: 12cm units identical to those shown at the above auction and a 16cm "one-off" set that Mr. Sano is cobbling together for me from various oddball parts that have been gathering dust in his atelier for the past quarter century. The total time from conception to delivery for both these sets is probably 18 months? I have not been keeping track. My situation is somewhat unusual in that Mr. Sano is literally building these with me and my family in mind. He has met my family -- we have gone to live concerts and taken meals together -- and he has made it a point to become thoroughly familiar with how my family relates to music. Even so, I think that for a completely new build, about the absolute shortest time that Mr. Sano could deliver a pair of drivers would be about 10 weeks. (The ones up for auction are already finished, but usually he starts building from scratch after an order is received.) And then there is a 1000-hour break-in process after the drivers are delivered. Mr. Sano is quite a character . . . he gives individual names to each pair of the drivers he builds, according to their character. But these "babies" can have a long gestation period!

Chris Witmer
Tokyo