Thanks Ludimagis. Will make a decision soon.
Cheers,
Sid

sidvee June 21, 2014 06:18

Hi Ludimagis,
It's good to know that you're enjoying your system as much as ever. I'm
impressed that your 300b SET mates with the Ascendo speakers to the
extent it does. I'm sure that these speakers weren't designed with low
wattage SET amplifiers in mind to drive them. You have 3 desirable
amplifiers to rotate in your very nice system. I haven't any doubt that you
enjoy and appreciate your system and music as much as I do.
Charles,

charles1dad June 18, 2014 15:37

Hi Charles,

Been awhile since I've been on agon, but to answer your question about the different amps. The best sound seems to be with the Audio Mirror 45W set amps, just enough power to drive the speakers with most music and some great Vintage tubes. Used the N Core last summer and again now. More then enough power, organically detailed sound - very nice SS sound for this tube head. The 300B, although my favorite is used for a month or so in between the others - really at it's best with acoustic and Barouque. Enjoy all 3, and not a huge difference, seems that the Lamm pre and the speakers set the stage, so to speak.

Still a little envious of your setup though,...

Take care

ludimagis June 18, 2014 15:17

Hi Sidvee,

In terms of your room size it is certainly possible.
But close enough that it may depend on listening level, type of amp, carpeting, etc.

I listen in the near field with the speakers along the long wall & on one side of the room. Room is 20' x 13', so, I have a 3 sided listening space of 15' x 13', with the other side open for that 5 extra feet. Not the perfect listening space, but I'm very happy with the overall sound and sometimes have it fairly loud. The front panel of the speakers are at 43" from front wall and the one speaker is 47" from center to the side wall. Of course the other speaker has plenty of open space on it's side. I don't experience any noticeable wall reflection issues with the slight exception that some bass notes on the closed side are occasionally enhanced by the corner wall reflection. Toe in is very slight, aimed at outside of my shoulders.

I have had them slightly closer to the walls and sound was good, but this is the best positioning for me.

Hope this helps you a little.

ludimagis June 18, 2014 14:21

Ludimagis,
Nice system! I am contemplating the C8 renaissance speakers to replace my Harbeth Shl5. My room is quite small though 14' x 12', however I feel that these will work in that space. What do you think?
Cheers,
Sid

sidvee May 31, 2014 00:43

Ludimagis,
Hello,
You have two very different amps with the 300b SET and Hypex N core. Do you enjoy them equally? Does one mate better with your Ascendo speakers(it would seem to favor the N core)? This is an interesting contrast of power amplifiers, must be fun.
Charles,

charles1dad July 08, 2013 21:41

System edited: Just added a few descriptions. Really pleased with the N Core amps. So much so that I sold the Gamut amp.

ludimagis July 08, 2013 21:11

Ludimagis,

The SET 300B has worked out better than I'd hoped for. My poor VAC has just been sitting and collecting dust ever since the SET showed up, I even sold off my Plinius SA 100 MKIII.

Thanks and regards,
Dan

islandmandan May 12, 2013 18:42

Hi Dan, With your custom Tannoy's and killer crossovers's, I have to imagine that you have wonderful synergy with your new 300B amp.

ludimagis May 12, 2013 14:53

You have a choice of excellent ampifiers to choose from, but the 300B is still your favorite. I hope I feel that way also, as my first SET 300B amp will arrive this week.

I'm hoping it will provide enough power to drive my Tannoy HPD 315's (12" Dual Concentric), though it's only 9Wpc.

I also use a passive line stage, in my case, a transformer-based Sonic Euphoria. You have the best of both worlds, with your Lamm preamp.

It sounds as if you are really enjoying your system, may it long continue!

Best regards
Dan

islandmandan April 14, 2013 20:50

Thanks Glenfihi, have to admit, I truely enjoy this setup!

ludimagis April 14, 2013 20:04

Some near stuff you have there. Looks like a joy to listen too.

glenfihi April 08, 2013 00:16

Hi Harvey,
Yes, I still have the Ascendo speakers. Have had them for about 3 years & thoroughly enjoy them. From what I hear, I'd say that the 29Hz (-3dB) that is reported on the Ascendo spec sheet is accurate. I recently had a money crunch & listed them for sale & glad that they didn't sell.

ludimagis November 03, 2012 23:19

Hi,
Are you still listening to the Ascendo's, or have you replaced them? Thinking of replacing my venerable Genesis Tech 8300 (no subs) with something as musical (or better) with improved bass.
Thank you,
Harvey

1bruingas October 25, 2012 04:25

Ludimagis,
Thanks for your impressions. It seems you can`t go wrong with either amplifier.I could see how your Ascendo would respond favorably to the SS Gamut amplifier.
Regards,

charles1dad September 02, 2012 16:23

Hi Charles, nice to hear from you. The significant advantage is the increase in gain that the Lamm offers. 18 vs 6 for the passive. Overall the sound quality is similar, but I slightly prefer the Lamm at this point. I have only used it with the SS Gamut so far.

The Gamut is as you expect not like a set amp in terms depth of soundstage or immediacy and 'presence' like the Audio mirror SET amp. Hard to explain, it does result in a very natural sound but differs from the tube base set amp in that it drives the notes of music slightly different. With tubes it becomes easy for me to become one with the music, probably due to the slight emphasis on the inner bloom of the musical notes.

I am thourgholy enjoying this different perspective ~ But I do feel that the musical nature of the Lamm is part of the reason. I see it as a great summer time amp. I do believe that I will still slightly prefer the Audio Mirror but this Gamut is actually a better overall match for the Ascendo speakers

ludimagis September 02, 2012 16:10

Hi Ludimagis,
I bet the Lamm pre was a nice addition. What are its advantages and disadvantages compared to your passive pre?

Is the Gamut amp a direct equal to your SET amplifier and does it offer similar tactile,3 dimensionally and the 'presence' factor as some SET are known to do?This is what SET amplifiers seem to do better than most other amplifier types in my experience.
Regards,

charles1dad July 28, 2012 21:28

System edited: I have to laugh at myself for listing this setup in the 'Done for now' category. A year later and some new pieces picked up, and now it may be complete. The recent finds are Lamm LL2 preamp which I slightly prefer over the passive Stereo Knight. Although this did confirm for me, just how good the Stereo Knight is. The other buy is the Gamut D200 MkIII SS amp. It has 6-7 years since I've had a SS amp. Just had to hear what the extra w/ch would do for the Ascendo speakers. With the Lamm pre at 8 - 10 oclock I'm not using much of those 200 watts. But I like what I hear and will probably keep the Gamut as my summer time amp. Now I'm convinced that the 45W Audio Mirror amp brings these speakers to full song on almost all recordings. They will be my cold weather amps. Finally a sense of contentment.

ludimagis July 28, 2012 15:02

Good decision on upgrading to Audio Mirror SET amp. Love the look and feel and fit with these amps.

Several Ascendo C8s and System F came up for sale but I had to pass since purchasing new house.

lapierre December 02, 2011 04:55

Just an update on pairing the Audio Mirror 45W SET amps with the Ascendo C8 speakers. Thanks to Charles & Lapierre, my search for more powerful amps was re-invigorated. The C8 definitely sound fuller on the more complex music with 45w/ch. The difference is that now the TOS (rear firing ribbon tweeter) and the bass driver are now more fully engaged.

The Audio Mirror amps are designed and constructed very well. Coherent, even handed, and smooth ~ from top to bottom. Good detail and only very slightly lacking in that last % of refinement. They really are good amps and imho Vlad Bazelkov is at that same level as some of the better known builders that markets direct to the end user.

Could be that the C8's might be better suited to as much as 75 - 150w of quality solid state or push pull amps. I didn't expect the C8's to be set amp friendly, but the system sounds very good with 45w set amps in my 15' x 23' room.

ludimagis September 24, 2011 17:16

I just purchased a pair of Audio Mirror 45W SET amplifiers. From what I've read they are powerful, so maybe soon I'll hear what an extra 30 watts of single ended triode does for the Ascendo.

ludimagis July 12, 2011 21:26

I have seen the Coincident demo unit that is listed here on agon, but it is out of my price range.,... dreaming of any Lamm, and window shopping Ayon Crossfire, sophia 845, Pass Labs XA30.5 and a couple of others.

ludimagis June 19, 2011 02:59

Lapierre,
I have not heard the C7, only the C8; but there was another agon thread from last year where both are mentioned. Depending on your room size, I would guess that 1 Mac could be sufficient.
There was an pro online review of the C8 and the reviewer was running Mac amps.

ludimagis June 18, 2011 16:23

Hello,
Ludimagis, I don`t know what price range you have in mind for an amplifier. Coincident has just released the MarkII version of the Dragon mono blocks now. This use 211 output tubes in push-pull mode with a 300b driver and an interstage transformer. These are said to be nearly as pure and natural as the Frankenstein but with much more power and able to drive difficult speaker loads. The web site has more details.

charles1dad June 16, 2011 03:47

Thanks for the insight on Ascendo C8. Love tweeter ribbon combination design.

I also was under the impression more power was needed for Ascendo C8 to max low bass and improve midrange using TOS.

Looking to upgrade to the C8s and wanted to know if I could use single MC275 amp (75w) instead of two MC275s running in mono (150w). Need to improve on lower bass and better midrange separation using TOS. Percussion is important to me with great separation and depth. Could easily add REL sub to improve lower bass but require more improvement and detail in midrange.

Did you happen to listen to Ascendo C7s?

lapierre June 16, 2011 03:06