Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.
Return to Planar Speaker Asylum
108.245.106.138
Thinking about upgrading my systems amplification with bi-amping, This seems like a good choice for the bass panels. So what do the forurm members think?1. As in Kessler's previous top-of-the-line designs, these amplifiers are fully balanced, differential amps, but unlike his earlier balanced designs which were essentially balanced bridged amplifiers, the 6000 series uses only a single input stage with dual-differential output stages. The reason: the advantages of balanced designs are retained and noise is reduced by 50%.
2. The design uses current feedback instead of the more common voltage feedback. The reason: current feedback amplifiers are faster with virtually unlimited slew rate and are better able to reproduce today's best music and film sound.
3. Kessler used Thermaltrak output devices for the 6000 series. Unlike traditional designs where external diodes or transistors attached to the heat sinks track the amplifiers operating conditions and use the details to adjust bias, Thermaltrak devices have the temperature sensing device in the same package as the output transistor. The results: bias is optimized in real-time.
4. The 6000 series use dual DC servos to track and maintain DC offset. The result: DC in the amplifier's output is reduced to insignificant levels.
5. These amplifiers use a revised PCB layout. They are still modular with the complete amplifier including the power supply parts on a single card, but now the AC components are on one edge of the board and away from the signal input. The result: improved signal-to-noise performance.
6. All of the amplifiers in the series use dual toroidal transformers, dual power switches and dual line cords. The results: the AT6002 is now a complete dual-mono design and the amplifiers with many channels, as in the 7-channel AT6007, can be hooked-up to two independent 20 amp circuits for greater sustained output power than is possible from a single AC circuit.
ll the amplifiers in the 6000 series are rated at 300 Watts RMS from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with no more that 0.03% THD at 8 ohms with all channels driven and 450 Watts RMS at 4 ohms under the same conditions. Signal-to-noise ratio is typically 128 dB referenced to full output so each amplifier in the series is capable of playing back the full dynamic range available on today's lossless recordings.
Pricing: MSRP
AT6002 Stereo Signature Amplifier $4,595.00
Edits: 07/25/15Follow Ups:
A buddy of mine uses them on in a quad amp mode on his linkwitz speaker
great sound
Bill
The listing of all the specs sounds to me like manufacturer hype. Some of the features are nice but probably have no real advantage - for example how many users are going to have two independent 20A circuits available. The spec that I would be most interested in - the ability to double down, which by the way is what Magnepan recommends - is sorely absent. Of course this may not matter if you go to active biamping.
As the two other previous posters have said, "How does the amp sound?". You really need to be able to audition it before purchase. If it were me, I would be looking at the Sanders Magtech for about the same money as it has a proven record with Magnepans.
As I said I would rather have tubes with Maggies but I have heard the Sanders Magtech with 3.6 and it sounded very nice
Alan
The specs do tell you something and i would be most concerned about how much the 6000 current limits going from 8-4 ohm , apparently they didn't invest much into the PSU for their thermal tracking output devices .. :)
Regards
Current limits comes into play when using sine waves and SOA of the Power Transistors (and/or heat sinking) more than the instantaneous voltage a power can output into a load... However some amplifier do have a switch that select 4 ohm operation that in many cases reduces the rail voltages of the power amp at lower impedance to inexpensively "protect" the power amp. Other amp will change the current limiting cuits of the power amp with the impedance select switch.With MUSIC it is never the RMS capability that is important it is the Peak voltage swings that come into play. The power supply needs to be able to supply the peak current only for a moment or so. And yes - sometime the instantaneous current need to be supplied when the voltage is lower than peak.
I Amplifiers would be rated an Peak Power @ 50Hz, 1kHz and 5kHz with a five cycle tone riding on a -15dB RMS pink noise signal- it would tell you more what the Amp would be capable of on real music. And for fun you could also spec it for a challenging -60 degree (inductive) phase load as well.
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius
Edits: 07/30/15
They could have adjusted their rated the output power to 225 wpc into 8 and 450 into 4 as some manufacturers do, so they would then appear to double down.
Most if not all manufacturers tend to overstate the power since relatively fewer customers understand the implications of doubling down and there are plenty of buyers who think of amplifiers like muscle cars.
Ironically so does ATI , Amercan Muscle is their slogan ... :)
It's going to take a lot of 'Muscle', American or otherwise to move them around; 88 to 138 lbs. (model dependent), shipping weight 96 to 146 lbs. No matter how it performs it's still a killer of an amp!
I suggest to read up on Morris Kessler. The ATI amplifiers are superior designs.....both from a technical aspect and from the value aspect as well.
Many design features and they build their own multi-secondary transformers in-house. You won't find anything better in any amplifier anywhere.
Dave.
Yes but that would be advertised not factual , can you name an amp that claims to double down and measures not ...
Have you heard the amp? Specs are nice but seldom tell you how it will sound with a given speaker. I have 3.6's and use a pair of David Berning ZH270 OTL Tube amps. Best sound I have ever heard in my house. Do not like ss except maybe the Pass amps and the oddeseys
Alan
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: