[miklorsmith]

Maybe this is too specific for most people, but thought I'd share.  Through e-mailing Srajan Ebaen, who seems to share ears with me, he mentioned one of his all-time favorite SS amps was the Amp-1.

Having a new pair of VMPS monitors and needing a bigger amp to drive them, I picked up a used Amp-1, which is a 1-input, 45 watt integrated.  It sounds great on the VMPS's, and I decided to give it a whirl on the big rig.

Short story short, the Modwright pre and stock Clari-T toasted it (dual mono en-route back to Chez Smith).  The AZ was tight in the bass and incisive in the mids, but the treble has a shiny glare that I didn't even know the Druids were capable of.

I haven't tried the Clari-T on the 626's yet.  I think they're actually hungrier speakers than their size and efficiency would suggest.  And, it would be a pain.  It will happen eventually though.

And, changing course - the Tone idea is probably on hold.  Looks like a pair of Definitions are in the cards in a couple months instead.  You'll all be suffering my incessant cheerleading yet again.

[RoadTripper]

Hey Mike, did you ever try the Clari-T with the VMPS 626s? As you may have read, I tried the Clari-T with my VMPS RM40s and it more or less worked. It never clipped once and a few times I had to turn the volume down.

The best part was that after I put the Clari-T back where it belonged, driving my Omega Grande 8Rs, they had such a workout driving the RM40s that a great deal of break-in had occurred and they sounded a big notch better in all ways once back driving the Omegas.

And, will you be buying the Definitions without hearing them first? Even Srajan didn't try that.

[miklorsmith]

Zu's no-penalty return policy makes the potential pain tolerable.  I love the Zu sound and have been trying to figure out the best way to augment bass.  I had the Method in my sights, but it seems the Definition integrates even better.  So. . .

The problem with the Clari-T on the 626's is I don't have a preamp upstairs.  It will take a fair amount of juggling and the summertime is pulling me other ways.  Come fall, I will do it and join the circles.

[hum4god]

hi
i am surprised about your findings regarding the az.i have a pair of druids on the way and am thinking about an amp / pre combo that would work well.i thought about combining the az 2 monos with the modwright or a passive pre.
your comment makes me think.can you go more into detail about the difference between the clari t and the az?did you use the az with a pre?
thanks for your insights
malcolm

[miklorsmith]

No, I didn't try it with the pre.  It's an integrated and I used it as the chef intended.  I wasn't using power conditioning, and the demo was short.  I'm trying not to draw too many conclusions.

Right now, the Modwright pre and dual mono Clari-T is really awesome.  The Blackgate/Auricap combo Vinnie cooked up is bringing great bass out of the Druids, far better than the stocker.  The dual mono Clari-T would be less than half the money than the AZ units.

Don't sweat the power.  Unless you're throwing raves, these 6 watts are plenty for adult volumes, even in big rooms.  100 db is no sweat, and I've had them considerably louder in a huge room.

But, if you decide to go with the AZ monos, I'd love to hear your impressions.  I'm very interested in those amps as well.  If you want to go that way, you could  check out their new Patek amp, which would be  a lot cheaper.