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I've been trying out different preamps and amps with my Sierra 2's and found the PrimaLuna integrated with EL34 tubes to sounds truly amazing. The sound was better than my ATI amp with the Rotel 1590 or Parasound P5. That being said the PrimaLuna only has about 36 WPC and I noticed the specs for the Sierra 2 state 45 WPC minimum.
What should I watch out for by using the lower power amp?
Thought I would followup with what I've experienced so far. I have been using the Sheffield Drum and Track Record as one of my reference CDs for critical listening. I also listen to some piano, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar tracks too.Quote:
Originally Posted by PoppaOptic
While I enjoyed the PrimaLuna at lower and mid volume it clearly ran out of steam when listening to music fairly loud. The sound became "compressed" is the best way I can describe it. Then I then tried the higher output PrimaLuna (~80WPC) but these had different tubes. I've always thought "tube rolling" was a myth, but in this case I truly heard a difference in the high end. The cymbals and snare drums simply didn't sound the same.
Next I tried my trusty ATI amp with 150 watts again after it was repaired. While it sounds good, it simply didn't sound as good as the low wattage tubes. So I decided to keep looking.
Next I tried a Plinius Integrated with 60 WPC. The sounds was good, but simply ran out of juice. I ended up having the amp shut down in overheat protection! The dealer said it was a first.
After that I tried a larger Plinius with 200 WPC. This worked great with the bass. Ths slam was equal to much larger speakers which was a little surprising! My only issue was the high end. Everything sounds "grainy" at moderatly high volumes or high volume. This was still clearly better than my ATI though which was also surprising. The bass was more defined and voices sounded clearer. I suspect an even more powerful amp would be better overall, but buying a 300 WPC amp is not what I care to do.
So my quest continues. At this point I'm not sure the Sierra 2 will be my "final" speaker since I can't seem to find the combination I'm looking for currently. I truly enjoy the sound from the RAAL tweeter, but can't seem to find the right combo for the music I enjoy. I'm not sure if the Sierra Towers are the answer and trying to do a home audtion is a big deal since I have to pay up front.
The search continues....