AudioCircle
Industry Circles => GR Research => Topic started by: aricml on 20 Feb 2023, 02:54 pm
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I am hoping that someone here in this thread may have some advice for me on amplifiers to mate with a pair of x-statiks. I am currently building the room that I will use for listening which will be about 15' by 20' and just under 8' tall. I will have the freedom to set up up and treat the room mostly however I would like. I intend to pair the X-statiks with two Rhythmik F12 subwoofers and am looking for any advice on amp pairings with those speakers.
I listen to a lot of different music, with indie rock and electronic being probably the most common and I intend to stream (via Bluesound Node) or play CDs, I'm not really interested in vinyl. I am looking to spend in the $1-2000 range on an amplifier and am open to either tube or solid state. My friend has a Primaluna EVO 300 I have heard on the speakers and I liked how that sounded, so saving a bit more to get one of those used is not out of the question, but I'd love to know if there are other options I should be looking into. I have read good reviews on the LSA VT-70, and on paper that looks like it could be a good match. I have also heard my friend's Lyngdorf TDAI series integrated amp which I really enjoyed the low noise floor of. I do not need to go with an integrated amp though as I already own a Freya+ preamp I can use in the chain.
Has anyone had great luck getting a warm sound with a wide soundstage from their X-statiks? It's most important to me that it be easy to listen to without harshness on the high notes, and my second priority would be getting a set up where I can really hear where the different instruments are coming from. Thank you for any advice you can offer!
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I had Klaus at Odyssey Audio build a custom Kismet amp optimized for my X-Statics. He also did a matching one-channel amp for my center channel. No complaints!
Side note, how many hours do you have on your X-Statics? My X-On Walls were really harsh until I had a hundred plus hours on them.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=250210)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=249470)
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In your price range, the best amps I've heard are the Odyssey Stratos/Kismet amps. For more $$ you can move up to Pass or Esoteric.
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My X-Statics have been very easy to match. Most anything with a dozen watts or more...
If you could find one of Folsom's kits built out for a 5-6 hundred. Then look at a gillion 6bq7/EL84 designs.
I know guy that has a very nice pair of mono amps modified from old Heath Kits that could probably be had for $750- 800
Find an Eico HF-81 that's been rebuilt for under a thousand. Lots of good choices.
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I’ve found the Statiks sound best with more power. They’ll be fine with 20-80 watts but I feel like they really open up with 100-300 watts.
In your price range there are a lot of choices. You could try a Schiit Vidar which is 100 watts per channel. But for more money the Schiit Tyr amps really bring out the magic of the Statiks. Tube amps will bring out more warmth but have other issues.
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I really appreciate all the advice! I will be going to Axpona this year so can at least get some level of familiarity with a few of the brands suggested.
In your price range, the best amps I've heard are the Odyssey Stratos/Kismet amps. For more $$ you can move up to Pass or Esoteric.
I definitely will look into Odyssey as I keep seeing them come up when lurking around here. As far as Pass, I have seen the used 3 or 5 channel X3 and X5 amps on hifishark. I would imagine on an X3 for example, I could simply ignore one channel and use that as a stereo amp. Are there other models you would recommend keeping an eye out for?
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I’ve found the Statiks sound best with more power. They’ll be fine with 20-80 watts but I feel like they really open up with 100-300 watts.
In your price range there are a lot of choices. You could try a Schiit Vidar which is 100 watts per channel. But for more money the Schiit Tyr amps really bring out the magic of the Statiks. Tube amps will bring out more warmth but have other issues.
I have a couple of amps that are 150-200 watts and are of good/excellent quality. I don't find them better than amps in the 30-50 watt range. But my ears are pretty old, and Corndog may be on to something. :thumb:
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Love this thread topic. I am wondering if anyone has an opinion of the Parasound Halo A51 5-channel amp? I have a home theater build coming soon and will have 3 of the X-statik speakers up front as LCRs behind an acoustically transparent screen. I have been looking at 3 and 5 channel amps to drive these speakers. Suggestions?
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I have Odyssey mono Extreme with some upgraded capacitors and resistors. And also just purchased a PrimaLuna Prologue 5 for a good price. The Odyssey amps mate well with the NXOticas I own and a good choice for bang for the buck.
The PrimaLuna amps with stock tubes sounded good but didn’t blow my mind or anything. I replaced the stock tubes with Pinnacle 13D5a (12au7 variant) GE 5751 and GoldLion KT88. Now it blows my mind. :icon_surprised:
Also I added some more room treatment’s at about the same time I got the amp. Gik acoustics Polyfusers, so that’s part of the improvement.
I had the NXOticas hooked up to an old Parasound HCA-806 in bridged mode with fine results so I’m sure the higher end Parasounds would work great.
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Hi, over the weekend I first tried them to a Decware Torii MK4, not impressed, then I tried a Will Vincent Dynaco, a little better, but still not that impressed, so I hooked them up to an Emotiva XPA-2 and they sounded great, at first I only had them about 7 feet apart, so I put them about 11 feet apart and they sound really good, and these are stock X-staik speakers.
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Love this thread topic. I am wondering if anyone has an opinion of the Parasound Halo A51 5-channel amp? I have a home theater build coming soon and will have 3 of the X-statik speakers up front as LCRs behind an acoustically transparent screen. I have been looking at 3 and 5 channel amps to drive these speakers. Suggestions?
I had Parasound JC1 Monos (first gen) and a A21 in the past and I thought they weren’t much of an improvement over an Emotiva XPA2 yet cost way more. I have not heard the newer plus models though.
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The Emotiva amp looks like a good one to try. I don’t think there’s big differences in well designed SS amps anyway.
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I know I'm a noob here, but I have been using Kismet mono for about 3 to 4 years. Hooked to LSA Statement floostanders. Before that I had an Outlaw Audio 5 channel amp. The Odyssey Kismet has far more body and soul. Music is as it should sound. Better amps... yes. But for the price and quality, I love mine.
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I know I'm a noob here, but I have been using Kismet mono for about 3 to 4 years. Hooked to LSA Statement floostanders. Before that I had an Outlaw Audio 5 channel amp. The Odyssey Kismet has far more body and soul. Music is as it should sound. Better amps... yes. But for the price and quality, I love mine.
I almost bought a used pair of Kismet monos. I never heard anything but praise for Odyssey amps, an easy recommendation. The only thing that might be an issue for some, is needing to keep them on all the time for best sound quality.
I’ve owned Stratos monos and Symphonic Line Die Erleuchtung preamp for almost 20 years.
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I almost bought a used pair of Kismet monos. I never heard anything but praise for Odyssey amps, an easy recommendation. The only thing that might be an issue for some, is needing to keep them on all the time for best sound quality.
...
Here I am over a year later with my Kismets, and I have never once turned them off (except for the occasional power outage, but with a whole home backup generator, that only lasts about 30 seconds at most). :thumb:
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Here I am over a year later with my Kismets, and I have never once turned them off (except for the occasional power outage, but with a whole home backup generator, that only lasts about 30 seconds at most). :thumb:
I had no issues with keeping them on, just a certain person in n my home would occasionally notice those blue lights on when I wasn’t playing them and then fuss me and lecture me about wasting electricity. I thought about unhooking the lights, but they look cool. :nono: :scratch:
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I am hoping that someone here in this thread may have some advice for me on amplifiers to mate with a pair of x-statiks. I am currently building the room that I will use for listening which will be about 15' by 20' and just under 8' tall. I will have the freedom to set up up and treat the room mostly however I would like. I intend to pair the X-statiks with two Rhythmik F12 subwoofers and am looking for any advice on amp pairings with those speakers.
I listen to a lot of different music, with indie rock and electronic being probably the most common and I intend to stream (via Bluesound Node) or play CDs, I'm not really interested in vinyl. I am looking to spend in the $1-2000 range on an amplifier and am open to either tube or solid state. My friend has a Primaluna EVO 300 I have heard on the speakers and I liked how that sounded, so saving a bit more to get one of those used is not out of the question, but I'd love to know if there are other options I should be looking into. I have read good reviews on the LSA VT-70, and on paper that looks like it could be a good match. I have also heard my friend's Lyngdorf TDAI series integrated amp which I really enjoyed the low noise floor of. I do not
need to go with an integrated amp though as I already own a Freya+ preamp I can use in the chain.
Has anyone had great luck getting a warm sound with a wide soundstage from their X-statiks? It's most important to me that it be easy to listen to without harshness on the high notes, and my second priority would be getting a set up where I can really hear where the different instruments are coming from. Thank you for any advice you can offer!
I have been running an Aleph J with the Freya+ it is a wonderful combo, and with the high sensitivity you have it could be something to look into. I am running NX Studios with OB subs.
Thank you, Kelly
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I'm curious if anyone else has experience with the X-statiks and other moderate power tube amps (perhaps 20-35 watts per channel)? It would be great to hear about other pairings that worked well, and just as interesting to hear about pairings that didn't go so great.
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I had no issues with keeping them on, just a certain person in n my home would occasionally notice those blue lights on when I wasn’t playing them and then fuss me and lecture me about wasting electricity. I thought about unhooking the lights, but they look cool. :nono: :scratch:
Well, my household has blue lights everywhere with half a dozen PCs, NAS, two media centers (Game Room and Theater Room), Alexa devices, etc. etc. I am definitely NOT the poster child for efficiency. :lol:
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At a previous apartment I had my Statiks in a small bedroom. I drove them with a modified Dynaco ST35 which is only 18 watts per channel. It worked well enough for my needs. Being in an apartment limited how much I could crank them anyway.
The whole X-series of speakers are very forgiving. I have heard them driven with lots of amps over the years. The better the amp, the better they perform.
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I'm curious if anyone else has experience with the X-statiks and other moderate power tube amps (perhaps 20-35 watts per channel)? It would be great to hear about other pairings that worked well, and just as interesting to hear about pairings that didn't go so great.
In my temporary listening area (currently a wood shop) I’m using a Kickstarter Sprout and it’s very satisfying. I’m close at the apex of a 5’ triangle and I can see where more power might be handy in a bigger layout. A Sprout 100 might do it for me.
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Upon further consideration I took the aux output of the Sprout to a Pine Tree Audio hi-z to lo-z balancing adapter and put two Vidar 1 amps in line as monoblocks. Woof! So, yeah, the extra power brings these speakers to a whole new level.
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I’ve found the Statiks sound best with more power. They’ll be fine with 20-80 watts but I feel like they really open up with 100-300 watts.
In your price range there are a lot of choices. You could try a Schiit Vidar which is 100 watts per channel. But for more money the Schiit Tyr amps really bring out the magic of the Statiks. Tube amps will bring out more warmth but have other issues.
Quick question- if you have experience with the Vidar and the Tyrs, is there an appreciable “step up” in performance? I’m running a couple of Vidars and considering the Tyrs. Speakers are NX Studios. Thanks
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Quick question- if you have experience with the Vidar and the Tyrs, is there an appreciable “step up” in performance? I’m running a couple of Vidars and considering the Tyrs. Speakers are NX Studios. Thanks
I have not heard Vidar. I’ve been running tube amps for years before I went straight to Tyrs. The Tyrs were a substantial improvement over my highly tweaked 140 watt tube monoblocks. I’m seriously tempted to sell my tube amps but at the same time I still love the way they look. They don’t sound terrible but they lack the bass weight, air, dynamics, and resolution of Tyrs.
My main reason for trying Tyr was the choke input power supply. Well, that and the very positive reviews from people who’s opinions I’ve grown to trust.
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I have not heard Vidar. I’ve been running tube amps for years before I went straight to Tyrs. The Tyrs were a substantial improvement over my highly tweaked 140 watt tube monoblocks. I’m seriously tempted to sell my tube amps but at the same time I still love the way they look. They don’t sound terrible but they lack the bass weight, air, dynamics, and resolution of Tyrs.
My main reason for trying Tyr was the choke input power supply. Well, that and the very positive reviews from people who’s opinions I’ve grown to trust.
Are you running a tube preamp with your Tyr's?
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Buckeye amplifiers are excellent Class D stuff. https://www.buckeyeamp.com
The Ncore NC252NP will outperform most other stuff in the price range (about $600) for two channels of 250 watts. You don't need that much wattage but it won't hurt to have extra power. These are low distortion and clean amplifiers that give very accurate representation to whatever you put into them. I have some DIY speakers that are similar to the X-Statik and they sound great with them. I have also used http://www.tubes4hifi.com VTA ST120 tube amplifiers with them. These give 60 watts a side. It's a great tube amp but the distortion gets to be too much when you turn them up and I prefer the Buckeye by a long shot.
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Well, my household has blue lights everywhere with half a dozen PCs, NAS, two media centers (Game Room and Theater Room), Alexa devices, etc. etc. I am definitely NOT the poster child for efficiency. :lol:
May no be efficient but sure sounds like a fun place to be!
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Buckeye amplifiers are excellent Class D stuff. https://www.buckeyeamp.com
The Ncore NC252NP will outperform most other stuff in the price range (about $600) for two channels of 250 watts. You don't need that much wattage but it won't hurt to have extra power. These are low distortion and clean amplifiers that give very accurate representation to whatever you put into them. I have some DIY speakers that are similar to the X-Statik and they sound great with them. I have also used http://www.tubes4hifi.com VTA ST120 tube amplifiers with them. These give 60 watts a side. It's a great tube amp but the distortion gets to be too much when you turn them up and I prefer the Buckeye by a long shot.
Both the latest Hypex and Purifi amps are outstanding for the price.
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It does not look like Buckeye carries the latest Hypex amp module, the Nilai500.
Hypex says "Nilai (ten times better than NCORE®"
https://www.hypex.nl/technology/nilai/
No-solder kits are available at Madisound:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-amps/hypex-nilai500diy-250w-stereo-amplifier-kit/
AudioXpress did a write up on them when they came out last year, and there are plenty of other reviews including Alpha Sound on YouTube.
https://audioxpress.com/article/fresh-from-the-bench-hypex-nilai500diy-500w-mono-power-amplifier-kit-a-new-diy-benchmark
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Nilai mono kits in stock. https://vtvamplifier.com/product/nilai500diy-500w-mono-amplifier-kit/
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It would be nice if the VTV assembly service could include an upgrade of the throw-away e-bay binding posts in the Hypex kit. It might be worth asking if you go that route.
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Are you running a tube preamp with your Tyr's?
I used to use tube preamps in my main rig. I went through several Bottlehead preamps and the last one was the SP13 from VTA. I enjoyed them all and each one got progressively better sounding but only to a point. They ultimately hit a wall when it came to resolution. I’ve heard better resolving preamps but they were usually out of my price range. And then I took a chance on PS Audio’s GCD preamp/ dac because it was on sale and it didn’t use a typical potentiometer for volume control. My jaw literally dropped in the first 10 seconds of listening to it! I’m not saying it’s the best out there. But the GCD as a preamp is a freaking steal if you can get one for $1200 or less. It beats everything else I’ve heard with a pot in the signal path. (Granted, most of what I’ve heard is on the lower cost end of the spectrum.)
Now in my living room system which is mostly used for tv, movies, and video games I recently swapped out my Marantz receiver for a Schiit Saga+ preamp, Modi Multibit 2 dac, and Gjallerhorn amp. I’ve been continuously surprised by how great this little combo sounds! The Saga uses a relay / resistor stepped attenuator circuit which also sounds better than a pot. I’m curious to try Schiit’s Kara preamp sometime in the future and see how it competes with the GCD.
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It does not look like Buckeye carries the latest Hypex amp module, the Nilai500.
Hypex says "Nilai (ten times better than NCORE®"
https://www.hypex.nl/technology/nilai/
No-solder kits are available at Madisound:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-amps/hypex-nilai500diy-250w-stereo-amplifier-kit/
AudioXpress did a write up on them when they came out last year, and there are plenty of other reviews including Alpha Sound on YouTube.
https://audioxpress.com/article/fresh-from-the-bench-hypex-nilai500diy-500w-mono-power-amplifier-kit-a-new-diy-benchmark
I haven't used the Nilai stuff yet. I still use the NCore. The NCore stuff is so good, especially for the price, I think the benefits of anything better are very small. But Hypex does seem to keep raising the bar. For me, in regards to the original post, I would buy the NCore amplifiers any day of the week if I'm on any kind of budget.
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. I’m curious to try Schiit’s Kara preamp sometime in the future and see how it competes with the GCD.
I would also be 100% VERY interested in such a comparison! :popcorn:
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I would also be 100% VERY interested in such a comparison! :popcorn:
Here are some excellent measurements of the Schist Kara. It does well.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-kara-preamp-and-headphone-amp-review.48048/