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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: Marantz MA-9S2 Monoblock Amplifiers
Post Subject: Not Forgetting the Speakers, and Listening...Posted by Paul S on: 12/3/2023
Amir, I have shared that I quite liked the (original) Audiopax amps I have heard. Whatever they claim, they do sound right to me. Although I have never played much with a de Lima amp I have played quite a bit with most of my own phono stages, pre-amps, and amps in terms of bias, including both tube and SS stages, and I agree that the sound can be "shaped" this way, obviously within the limits of what the system topography affords. Again, I very much prefer to start with (fairly) efficient, "lively" drivers/speakers, and (again) at this time I am using 95 dB speakers with very powerfull SS amps that I have used stock, to date. The MA-9S2s do have a provision to throttle back gain. I am not sure exactly how this works, but I had planned to use this feature for dimming my (once planned) center channel, which I wound up scrapping, along with my reason/excuse for using the attenuation feature. As far as the Soapbox Idea I am pushing in this thread, it is about using powerful amps with so-called "efficient" drivers/speakers, to get the "last word" in terms of FR transient response in the Musical Sound from the SYSTEM, including the speaker/amp combination discussed in this thread. I will say plainly that I still prefer the sound from relaxed SET and old paper drivers; but this preference is obviated/swamped by "real world listening" to big, complex Music, where, IMO, SETs and old radio drivers loose their sonic advantages, as they simply can't do Big Music to my satisfaction. We at GSC know about DSET, which is +/- an end run on the question of driver/amp "net efficiency" vs Total System Sound. This takes us back to knowing in advance what one wants to hear. I can't imaging being happy with 89 dB speakers driven by Audiopax, certainly not in the house I'm in now. However, it's possible that someone else might find it serves him well. Again, I agree that de Lima was "on to something", whatever it was, and I think there is already at least one thread (and certainly several posts) on the Audiopax amps posted here at GSC.
Best regards,
Paul SRerurn to Romy the Cat's Site