I tried to keep this as simple as I could. I know some people are going to say "what in the heck are you doing with that SET amp on a speaker which has 84dB/w/m sensitivity?" Well, it just seemed to turn out that way due to various factors. But it works, and I'm pleased with the results. The S8 amp could be the star of the show!
Cherry slats on the top of this one - using the tube stage w/RCA connectors.
Unison Research S8
24 watt SET integrated amp. Nice wood embellishments. All hail the great 845 tube!
Spendor S3/5
The classic monitor that everyone knows about. Walnut finish.
Cardas Golden Cross
I got the 0.5m pair because I was afraid my wife going to strangle me with them if I got them any longer.
Shunyata DiamondBack
Have this one on the amplifier. Excellent cable for the price.
Shunyata Black Mamba
Managed to get my hands on a Black Mamba - I hope my wife doesn't find out. This is a strange and compelling sounding cable. Thick, rich, detailed, and ambient in the lower register.
Nrchy - I'll try to get some pics up. I've been checking out your system as well. Looks great. Send me your turntable if you dont need it any more...:)
Kehut - I live in condo, so I'm not too heavy handed with the volume. But with the addition of the volume control on the CD player, I get the feeling that I could hurt the speakers if I wanted to. The S8 is deceptively powerful. But that's a moot point, because I could never listen for long periods of time with that kind of gain. By the way, that Manley Stingray looks very good, and I'm sure it sounds great as well. I haven't heard the KR's like a lot of other people, but I get the sense that Shuguang might be a better bet, especially now, with the introduction of the second version of 845M.
Artg - I have the original Shuguang 845 for now (still much nicer than the Valve Arts), but SuperTNT has just come out with a new 845M (not the old 845M, which they call 845C sometimes), and it seems that they have the heat dissipation thing straightened out, and a few other things. Check out their website, supertnt.com. It looks very interesting. I've pretty much made up my mind already, but once I hear a few words from Ed Sawyer (he'll be doing a review soon), I'll probably go for it. As for the input tubes, it's the Mullard CV4003. I'll see if I can get some pics up once I lower the resolution of them.
Aball - There is a review of this amp in a Hi Fi Choice issue, but to me, nothing really coincides with what the reviewer is saying and what I'm hearing, except maybe that the midrange comes across in a big way. But that type of sound might be inherent in the 845 tube. Some of these reviews you just can't trust too much.
Jimlisa - I was wondering if this S8 could drive the Spendors as well, but they can do so easily. I haven't tried any other serious speaker with it - I'd like to try a pair of Totem Mani-2's. From what I hear though, that might be pushing it a bit too far.
Octuple--Very nice. Im actually concidering the S8 to replace(in addition to??) my Manley Stingray which drives my Usher 6371's at 90db and 4 ohms very well.
Its nice to know that the S8 works well with your less efffecient Spendors. Hmmmmm. ;-)
Ditto Arts quiery of what 845 your using. Shuguang? Valve Art?..KR's?? and pics would be lovely!
The Unison amps I have heard have all been very impressive in terms of driving inefficient speakers. The 845 monoblocks were amazing with JM Labs and Royds - ditto the little Simply 2. I would love to hear/have an S8 after hearing what the monoblocks could do. Great amps.
looks like a sweet setup - I have an Unison S2k and, while my speakers are 94dB/w/m @ 6 ohms, I have always suspected that the amp, all 16 watts, is capable of pushing less efficient speakers -
How do you like the tube/Spendor sound? I, too, thought about Spendors, although I am pining after a pair of SP 1/2. I have also wondered what Proacs would sound like w/ the Unison. What other speakers have you had success with?
