Planar Speaker Asylum

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Planar Speaker Asylum

FINAL poweramps for the SoundLab Majestic 745s

184.190.183.193

As told in the long thread several pages down, I've been actively pursuing the best poweramps for my M745s.. Finally I found them--PS Audio's BHK 600s.. Driving my SLs, they are unexcelled (in MY experience) at being rich, natural, and musical sounding while being very resolving and spacious*.

What a trip, and was it ever worth it. :-)

* and they never make small instruments sound large.

Follow Ups:

That pair of XA60.8s has dethrowned the BHK600s, and the latter amps... - jeffreybehr 21:48:52 10/26/24 (0)
...were among a vanload of surplus audio equipment that my son and I delivered to The Music Room this week.. Took three pairs of monoamps, a pair of Vandersteen model 7.2s, two CC speakers, and a pair of Rythmik 18"-driver subwoofers.. Drove 14 hours each Thursday and Friday.

The Pass XA60.8s sound both smoother and more resolving than the BHK600s, and they drive the SoundLab Majestic 745s with ease.
- https://tmraudio.com/ (Open in New Window)
The BHK600s still reign supreme, but I plan to buy a pair of PassLabs... - jeffreybehr 13:14:11 09/10/24 (0)
...XA60.8s, the current-series class-A monoamps rated at 60WPC/8 and 120/4...and which, it turns out, are built into the SAME chassis as the X260.8s I have (and which are for sale on USAudioMart).. 'Stereophile' measured maximum power* of 150 into 8, 240 into 4, and 380 into 2; THAT ought to be enough for the soundLabs, especially at the lower-than-average levels at which I listen!

My tentative plan is to sell the '260s and keep both the '60s and the BHK600s, and I'll build the new lowboy platform to accomodate both pairs and the Emotiva plus a Magneplanar centerchannel speaker.

This is really a 'dialog' speaker and not a music speaker, as it has no bass section.. Most CC speakers, IMO, reproduce male voices too thickly; this Maggie does NOT.. I do NOT use a CC speaker for multichannel music, so this speaker's thinness is not a problem but IS a blessing.
.

* defined as that reached at 1% THD+N
- https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650138393-pass-labs-x260 (Open in New Window)
Bought some IsoAcoustics Orea Bordeaxes for front feet. - jeffreybehr 16:04:38 08/03/24 (6)
They're rated to around 35 pounds each, and with the power transformer in front, the '600's weight distribution is probably about 65% front and 35% rear.. (Sounds like an old-Detroit-iron muscle car.) Have Orea Indigos under the rears but will be getting 4 more Bordeauxes(sp?) for the rears.. Have also redistributed my various stainless-steel, nonmagnetic dampingbars about the amps; the top of the loboy rings a good bit.

Have installed a set of BRIMAR ECC88/6DJ8s.. PCs are AQ Dragons, speakercables are AQ RobinHood Silvers, IC is Neotec top-of-the-line, UPOCC-silver with N'tec connectors.
The amps sure do sound really great.

Edits: 08/03/24 08/03/24 08/03/24 08/05/24
- All you are missing are some shakti stones (NT) - goryu 05:10:40 08/07/24 (3)
  NT
  - He was using VPI Bricks, but - E-Stat 13:59:35 08/07/24 (2)
    such really is unnecessary with toroidal transformers.
    - RE: He was using VPI Bricks, but - goryu 06:27:59 08/08/24 (1)
      surprised not to see a few of these products in the system:
      
      https://drive.google.com/file/d/18meYHp7D9x4JL2wXAFbopTGxg6sFHhUt/view?pli=1
      - Sorry - E-Stat 10:15:48 08/08/24 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: He was using VPI Bricks, but posted by goryu on August 08, 2024 at 06:27:59
        
        sophomoric humor fails with me.
- What's the third tube? - Sondek 11:13:52 08/04/24 (1)
  Rectifier? What type?
  
  Reminds me of my old Counterpoint hybrid amp, but on steroids.
  
  Also, FWIW, I've been using 6DJ8 types for nearly forty years and I've switched all of them in my system to the JJ E88CC. Premium, selected tubes for ~$40 each. They've pushed out the Tele's.
  - Rectifier, an EZ81/6CA4 (NT) - jeffreybehr 12:33:59 08/05/24 (0)
    .
Bascom King is one of the amplifier legends of our day - E-Stat 14:31:12 07/30/24 (0)
Should prove to be excellent amps for the investment. 600 watts should be plenty to drive the cores.
I really enjoy my 300 watt VTLs, but there are times I'd like to have a pair of Siegfrieds for extremely dynamic material.
I just got my backplates back from Gunnison. After nearly twenty years, a couple of controls needed to be thoroughly cleaned and I specified replacing the HF variable pot with fixed resistors. Dr. West also replaced one of the HF toroids. Unfortunately, we're remodeling the two other bedrooms upstairs and all their furniture is now in the listening room. You can barely see the speakers!

Edits: 07/30/24

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