Audio advice and discussions with audiophiles and professionals. Free discussion forums, open to all and frequented by industry experts. Ask questions and get advice on stereos, speakers, hi-end amplifiers, pre-amps, home theater, tube hi-fi, turntables, vinyl, tweaks, music, films, video, DVDs and more.
I am considering matching the ZOTL with some very high eff speakers. Has anyone used the ZOTL amp with Pi speakers? What's the verdict? Which Pi model do you recommend? I listen to prog rock, modern classical, jazz & bizzare obscurities in a roomy condo. See www.davidberning.com for more info on the amp.
I don't have PI speakers, but have experience with the ZH-270 and Siegfried 811-10 with a JBL 4344Mk2, a big 4-way monitor built from parts similar to those in the PI-4 pros. This JBL has lower sensitivity (93db/W) than the PI speakers, but MAY be comparable to the PI-4 pro in terms of impedance peaks at bass driver resonance. Anyway, both amps work great with it. The ZH-270 just delivers the goods and will recreate undistorted live jazz band sound levels in a home setting. (The neighbors did complain about that.) The Siegfried plays reasonably loud without strain and does so with greater finesse across the spectrum: better bass articulation, more intelligibility in voices, finer details in cymbals, you name it. I would expect that results with the PI to be even better given the higher sensitivity. Amazingly, Siegfried is more dynamic sounding than the ZH-270, and offers, to my ears anyway, a more natural presentation. The only PI I would worry about matching with Siegfried is the Pro, since Z-max is considered high for a lower power SET, but 10W is probably enough (Wayne warns PI prospects not to use the pro with 2A3s). The ZH-270 will be loafing on the PIs, any model. If you do go for the Pro and Siegfried, let me know how it goes...I might do the same some day.
Thanks. I doubt I'll ever get anything but the ZOTL though. His other amps are quite a bit over my audio budget. I just hope that the ZOTL will be loud enough. I could afford to run two of them in dual mono.