In Reply to: Tenor OTL amps with Quad ESL posted by framerunner on December 15, 2009 at 06:16:48:
Though I cannot speak authoritatively regarding those particular amps, I have had similar concerns regarding use of amps with my Kingsound King (reviewed for Dagogo.com) speakers. Similar to the Quads, these are tougher than normal to drive.
You may want to read my article on the King speaker in order to see how I approached things. The danger of blowing amps is very real; I tried the Cambridge Audio Azur 840W amps bridged and they blew. No biggie; I knew they had protection circuitry and tried running them with that difficult load to see 1. If they could take it, and 2. If they could recover from it should they fail. They were reset within seconds - the protection circuitry is a fantastic feature which essentially fool-proofs them. They do work splendidly in Bi-Amp mode with the King and have superb SS sound. They do run hotter, more like a Class A amp than A/B.
I contacted Pathos in regards to use of the Classic One MkIII in bridged mode as I was concerned about the very issue you state. I was assured that the amps should be fine, and indeed they are. In fact, they drive the King with surprising authority and are one of my favorite amp schemes with the King.
Further, just published is the Moscode 402Au review, the Moscode being Harvey Kaye's development of the OTL to his own hybrid design. These also handled the King with aplomb, not a hint of strain or weakness.
There are many options, however I would heed manufacturer's warnings. And just because you get the amps up and running doesn't mean they won't blow in due time. There are too many good amps in the world to get hung up on having to match a particular brand to your speakers. A system can be made to sound fantastic with any number of suitable amps.
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Follow Ups
- In Principle I Would Be Cautious... - Doug Schroeder 06:58:35 12/15/09 (4)
- "Harvey Kaye" ??? - Dave Pogue 10:18:54 12/16/09 (1)
- I Can't See Where That Came From!... - Doug Schroeder 10:40:35 12/16/09 (0)
- RE: Pathos vs. Quad 57 ESL's: - Vinylly 14:29:34 12/15/09 (1)
- That Is Entirely Possible... - Doug Schroeder 18:05:55 12/15/09 (0)