I finished my 1801b's in early '05 and have tried many amps, including:
Pass X250.5
Ayre V5x
Bat VK-200
Muse 160
Monarchy SE 160 & 250 hybrids
Hafler 220 & 200 with 20 yr old Musical Concepts GX mods
Lightly modded Hafler DH-120
2 - Panasonic XR10 receivers (as monoblocks)
Caztech SEP-40 -- Quasi SE40 clone
I recently finished building monoblocks using the Hafler 220, 200 and Musical Concepts latest PA-3D Signature driver cards.
These amps are the best by far for driving the 1801b. I built monoblocks, which may have been overkill. A Standard MC modded single stereo 220 or 200 would probably be extremely close. I expect these new amps will handle the 1801c as well.
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I built custom, sand-filled stands. The speakers are spiked to the stands, and stands spiked to the wood floor. The coupling is such that the speakers are utterly immovable. This arrangement seems to solidify just about all aspects of presentation, with one exception. ...
Bass response is a mixed bag. Looser coupling results in more tuneful, tauter bass; while these stands seem to increase extension, weight and impact at the expense of some tautness. I suspect the floor is being energized a bit thus radiating due to the extreme mechanical coupling. I prefer the weightier presentation. The slightly looser bass creates a warmer musical underpinning.
Imaging stability is clearly improved, though not radically.
Overall, a worthwhile approach. I'll see if I can upload some pix to the gallery.
Dave
