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Using Pi with SS gear... [message #40000] Wed, 22 January 2003 10:03 Go to next message
ports is currently offline  ports
Messages: 19
Registered: May 2009
Chancellor
Hello there...I'm new to this post & I was wondering about using Pi speakers with hi-power SS gear...after reading some of the entries in this post it seems that most owners use low power tube amps because of the speakers' high sensitivity...does anyone use higher power SS amps (125w/ch) with these &,if so , how do they perform ?
Any info is much appreciated....thanx...ports.
Re: Using Pi with SS gear... [message #40002 is a reply to message #40000] Wed, 22 January 2003 11:47 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Chris R is currently offline  Chris R
Messages: 133
Registered: May 2009
Master
How much do you value your hearing? There's nothing wrong with high
power gear, but unless you like it really loud, you won't be using
much of the power. You will have gobs of reserve for transients
though.
Chris
I love mine! [message #40006 is a reply to message #40000] Wed, 22 January 2003 15:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ToFo is currently offline  ToFo
Messages: 219
Registered: May 2009
Master
Ports,
I have theater 4Pi's (one of the loudest models) connected to Adcom GFA 5400 (125 W/ch). I love it. Sure it is overkill for when you are just sitting in front of it casualy listening (it does run in class a for a few watts so ironically it sounds its best down low, & with 4Pi thats 99% of the time). I do like to feel it sometimes though(great for partying on the deck).

There is much buzz over the circuit topology thing. Much of it is real. Where I find fault is when folks think your an idiot, or deaf, for not choosing the "better" one. I want SET tubes AND ss. I think these devices are great tools for different job (with a good bit of overlap). It can be so confusing when you see someone post about how awful sand amps are, then a week later they write a paragraph on how damaging subjective terms and hyped stereotypes are. The Pi forum has a lot of varied opinions, but you don't find a lot or doubletalk here. (you don't have to look far to find it though) We like what we like and I think you should start with the amp you have. You can't lose with killer headroom and a solid bottom octave. If you find the more intimate SET thing still beckons, there are great inexpensive kits abound. Keep both amps hooked up and put you speakers connection high on the cabinet so you can just reach over and change to the other speaker cable. I plan to build some bottlehead stuff this spring. I like '64 Chevy Impala and '97 Jetta GLX, I don't compare them, and I don't expect they drive the same. I like the difference.

I was worried about the big ss amp when I was building the Pi's. I thought the vol knob would be too touchy to adjust, and that it would blow me to the other end of the room. It's fine, so I still have yet to see a decent set of compatible equipment that couldn't be set up to sound great.

Thomas

Re: Using Pi with SS gear... [message #40007 is a reply to message #40000] Wed, 22 January 2003 15:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18787
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I like to run powerful amps. For me, the tube amp deal is sort of retro and nostalgic. I have owned some tube radios for a long time, but I didn't consider vacuum tube technology for high-fidelity sound until relatively recently. There are those that have enjoyed high quality tube amps for quite some time; I suspect there are those that never stopped using the technology. But as to the recent "tube amp craze" - I am a newcomer. I've been using high-quality solid state amps for a long time.

I was surprised to find how good tube amps can sound. I expected bass and treble to be attenuated, and for what bass was there to sound bloated and underdamped. I expected the "midrange sweetness" that people talked about to be simply a result of lacking bass and treble. I wondered if "liquid vocals" might be a result of low-order harmonics. But what I found was that the little tube amps work quite well. A good tube amp sounds very nice, in my opinion.

I think that for what they are expected to do, tube amps do very well - surprisingly well, in my opinion. They are a hell of a lot of fun to play with, in the same sense that shortwave radio is fun to play with. And they really sound very nice too. I can easily see that's why they are so "addictive" with lots of audiophiles these days. But the high powered, high quality transistor amps are excellent too. That gives you the ability to have dynamic range that is impossible with less power. Having a good clean current source ensures that the rubber meets the road.

oops, didn't really get the big question [message #40009 is a reply to message #40006] Wed, 22 January 2003 16:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ToFo is currently offline  ToFo
Messages: 219
Registered: May 2009
Master
Grain-o-salt is in order, I will try not to overstate though.

How they sound, ahhh. Dynamics are real, percussion and brass just fly out into the room. The bass is so good that a bass playing friend of mine built some after one listening session(no kidding). The Pi's do overtones and upper harmonics very honestly. I now feel that as a trend, a lot of the audiophile speakers out there, win the fight for good overtones at the expense of the fundamentals. I still hear all of the air, breath and texture, but with many speakers I hear a wet breathy, 3 foot wide mouth in space. With the Pi I hear somebody singing. A person, with a nose and a throat and heaven forbid a chest. Maybe it's boring, but when people sing, I just want it to sound like somebody standing over there singing. I helped my brother record a song last week and when I played it on the Pi's I freaked. I was sitting next to my brother all day hearing each lead, harmony and instrumental live. (home studio/no booth, my brother had cans on.) I mixed it after the parts were all laid down, through quality studio gear, so I know what it sounds like. On the Pi's it sounds like what we heard in our brains. All this from a "sand amp" powerd pair of Pi's, Wow!
Thomas

Re: Using Pi with SS gear... [message #40019 is a reply to message #40000] Thu, 23 January 2003 05:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ports is currently offline  ports
Messages: 19
Registered: May 2009
Chancellor
Thanks for the advice guys...I don't have the high -end gear like some of the people on this forum...a Nikko pre/power amp combo from 1990, but so far it's been good...I DO value my hearing ,but I also like to turn it up at times and so far alot of the stuff I've heard doesn't hold up if you turn the dial a few notchs, or if it does it's out of my price range...the Pi kits sound like they might fit the ticket...thanks again....ports
Re: I love mine! [message #40020 is a reply to message #40006] Thu, 23 January 2003 06:27 Go to previous message
ports is currently offline  ports
Messages: 19
Registered: May 2009
Chancellor
Thomas...thanx for the info...I am thinking of the Pi 2 towers sometime in the future....great layout for listening you have there...my system isn't high end like your Adcom....Nikko pre/power amp combo circa 1990,125w/ch, but I'll have to start somewhere...appreciate your reply...thanx...ports.
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