[Randy]

I hooked up my  2.2 to my main system and it just didn't have enough juice to adequately drive them. The volume dial was up at the 5:00 position where there was a lot of background hiss coming from the speakers. Are the Sensation models more powerful? What does the battery pack do for them? More current?

Not to be negative about the Virtue. I love how it makes music with my smaller system, and I find myself listening to it much more often.

[Jason T]

I hooked up my  2.2 to my main system and it just didn't have enough juice to adequately drive them. The volume dial was up at the 5:00 position where there was a lot of background hiss coming from the speakers. Are the Sensation models more powerful? What does the battery pack do for them? More current?

Not to be negative about the Virtue. I love how it makes music with my smaller system, and I find myself listening to it much more often.

Randy

What power supply are you using?
The sensation has the same power output.
I'm driving some 4ohm 87db 3 way speakers that I built with my sensation and I can get the volume up high enough to satisfy almost anyone's volume requirements. However my speakers can handle more power than the sensation can give them.
I'm using 12ah batteries on mine.

If your main speakers are an 8ohm load you won't get over 60wpc from the amp with even the largest power supply (my JT Dynamic 30volt 10amp model) if they are 4 ohms you should be able to get around 90wpc and plenty of bass drive providing you have enough power supply behind it.

[Randy]

Jason - I have the 30v/130 watt upgrade. The speakers are rated 8 ohms. Maybe they aren't a good match for the Virture. Once upon a time, I had a Red Wine amp and it wasn't a good match for these speakers either. Well, I didn't buy the Virtue for these speakers, but maybe next year I will get a pair of new speakers that will work well with a Sensation. (Audiokinesis)

[Jason T]

Jason - I have the 30v/130 watt upgrade. The speakers are rated 8 ohms. Maybe they aren't a good match for the Virture. Once upon a time, I had a Red Wine amp and it wasn't a good match for these speakers either. Well, I didn't buy the Virtue for these speakers, but maybe next year I will get a pair of new speakers that will work well with a Sensation. (Audiokinesis)

The 130watt supply should be sufficient.
It sounds to me like you're right you may have found a pair of speakers our amp doesn't get along with. There are very few out there but they do exist

[TQdB]

Hi Randy..

What amp do you normally use on those speakers? (So we could look up some specs on it) -- And what make/model are the speakers too? ..

My 901 exhibits a ton of low frequency interaction with the speakers I've tried it with so far. More, I'd say richer (if vs potentially louder), than other amps I still own, even ones of higher power ratings.

Based on this, I might posit that your 2.2 is using more of its watts to drive your speakers deeper than than normal, but the speakers aren't efficient at those frequencies so the watts seem to be lost and the entire apparent output level suffers as result.

Is there an 80Hz highpass on the 2.2? ... Alternatively you could test this using a preamp with a low-filter switch or an Equalizer that could be set to cut out some of the lower bands so the power utilization is biased/preserved more towards frequencies where the acoustic power output on those speakers is more efficient.

*

[50jess]

What are your speakers?  I use to have the same issue with my Virtue 2 driving my VA Mozarts.  Adding a preamp solved this issue. 

[Randy]

Guys, thanks for offering to help.  Here's a link to my speakers from a webpage that somehow has stayed available long after the company, Roman Audio, has called it quits. http://www.onhifi.com/product/roman_centurion.htm
It's a good review until the writer starts talking about scat singing.

Too bad, great speaker, but I guess they just need more power that what the Virtue offers (and the Sensation, I guess, too). The appeal of the Sensation in addition to good sound for me is that it can be powered with  batteries, something I tried before with a Red Wine amp (30 watts). It also didn't have enough power for the speakers and I often drove them to clipping. I have poor electricity here in the evening hours, but great during the day, and I've tried many different brands of power conditioners, including two that "regenerate" the electricity, all to little effect.

I do have a tube preamp here but would have no idea how to connect it to the Virtue, but it might be interesting to try as long as I don't blow something up.  My current amp is PS Audio GCC-100, 100 watts/channel of digital power. I guess it's a class D amp, but the technicalities are beyond me. It's a good amp, but as I said it's the appeal of battery power that's had me thinking about a Sensation. I'm very happy with the Virtue amp with a set of bookshelf speakers in my bedroom where most nights I fall asleep listening to it. (Jason found that funny.) I have also been thinking about new speakers but probably not anytime soon. I hate to give up on great speakers but there's always that urge to try something different.

[Jason T]

Simply hook your tube preamp up to the Two.2 the same way you connect it to any amp and turn the volume knob (on the virtue) up all the way and enjoy.

[Randy]

Jason, you mean connect the preamp into the sockets where my CD player is now connected? Is there any reason why I should be nervous about doing that?

[srb]

Is there any reason why I should be nervous about doing that?

No.
 
The amplifier is basically a power amplifier with a passive volume control in front of it.  If you like the matchup of your selected preamplifier, you often can improve the sound a wee bit by bypassing the Virtue volume control completely per your Virtue Owners Manual Page 10.  http://www.wihifi.com/virtuemanual/Virtue%20ONE.2%20TWO.2%20User%20Manual.pdf
 
Steve

[Jason T]

Jason, you mean connect the preamp into the sockets where my CD player is now connected? Is there any reason why I should be nervous about doing that?

if you'll read the Two.2 owners manual link SRB posted you will find that we installed jumpers inside the amplifier that allows you to bypass the volume pot in the amp turning it into a Amplifier instead of an integrated amp.
I run one that way
its all part of the Virtue Versatility  

[Randy]

Thanks, guys. I may try that some time just for fun, but one reason I like integrated amps is  because you don't need a preamp, which I've always found color the sound one way or another. The tube preamp I have is an oldie from a company named Croft from the U. K. Very tubey sound, not the sound i prefer these days. It would be an interesting experiment hooking it up to the Virtue, that's for sure.

P.S. I wasn't aware of the Virtue manual online. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[50jess]

The Virtue 2 as an amp and a tube preamp provides good synergy.  Give it a try!

[eclein]

+1 on that 50jess...I have mine setup like that currently and its so smooth and easy to listen to...I love it, actually I fell in love with my Two.2 again after using a tube integrated for awhile. It also sounded great but the 2 has just that extra thing I can't put my finger on that just does it for me. I use mine as an amp with a GF DAC-09 as a pre/DAC right now. Hopefully soon it will just be a pre and I'll eventually try another DAC, probably again from Grant. I'm looking at the model they have based on the ESS Sabre chip...........could be awesome.

[50jess]

I pair my Virtue 2 with a DARED SL-2000A.  Superb combination!  I'm interested in pairing it with a GF DAC-11.  It must be marvelous.

[virtue]

Audiokinesis speakers are f*cking incredible with our amps.  They're very sensitive and the impedence curve is apparently a good match. 

It's possible that another amp is right for your current speakers, but bad for others.  The fact that Vinnie's high-current amp wasn't a good match with this speakers is a bit telling.

One way to mitigate this problem is to buy more power than you think you'll need.  You give up space, heat, and expense, and they can blow out some speakers, but you will have a better chance of it never being under-powered.  I once believed that 90wpc @ 4 ohms was enough for all -- we had built the last amplifier anyone would need.  It's not true for all speakers.

Some of my 500 wpc ICEBlock customers drive very sensitive speakers (that need 5w only) and love the extra juice.  I find that kind of thing frightening...

But it's not always about rated power either.  Some "low wattage" tube amps give extra current on the low-end.  Look at the electricity they draw... it's good that some of it is coming out the jacks

[Randy]

Yes, Seth, I quickly came to the conclusion that virtue/audiokinesis might be a match made in heaven, but the speakers I have now are so good I have been finding it hard to move on to something else just for the sake of curiosity. Duke and Lou at Daedalus might tell you I have been looking at their speakers for years.  Meanwhile, I sure have been enjoying my Virtue 2.2 and might upgrade the speakers for it before anything else. Thanks for your comments.