I've often wondered whether I was getting the best out of my mk 1 Arcs driving them with a Harman Kardon PA2200 and Exposure 2010s integrated. So I picked up an NAD 2700 power amp (restored by Quirk Audio), and it's been eye-opening. The quantity of excellent bass and overall definition are a revelation--they're like a new set of speakers. I understand that newer Arcs are easier to drive, but the mk 1s absolutely appreciate more power than I'd been feeding them.
Shahinian Arc Amplification
- Thread starter Afranta
- Start date
True for both Arcs and Obs, of either generation. Unless you have the current available, you will never hear the interaction of the bass driver and passive as Dick designed it to work. They will certainly play music without sufficient current, but as you have discovered, to truly hear what they can do, you need some oomph. I tried all the Naim power amps with my Obs 2 and none of them could drive them effectively.
Interesting. I’ve found the 180 works well with my Obs2. The 250 with regulated power supplies did not.
naimplayer
Aspiring to be a halfwit.
I drove mine with teddy Pardo monoblocks. A sublime pairing. Streets in front of the CB NAP 250 with ncc200’s fitted. A match made in heaven.
Good luck stay safe.
Good luck stay safe.
I found the 180 drove them without the cutouts of the 250, but did not manage to get the bass/passive pairing moving as it should.
Ponkbutler
pfm Member
Have you tried any of the more recent Chord amps? I may give them a go with their DACs into my Diapasons....
Hi, nope, know nothing about Chord amps I’m afraid. A friend has a pair of Hawks, so familiar with them, but only ever heard the mighty Diapasons at a show. Took me a long time to find the right amp for Obs, you’ll need something that doubles down each drop from 8 to 4 to 2 ohm, so a pretty hefty transformer (mine is 3kVA) and a suitable damping factor and slew rate. The last two are hard to find in published specs and reviews. Good luck!
MUTTY1
Waste of bandwidth
My arcs are probably MkI’s. Woke them after a long sleep with Mission Cyrus Mk11/PRX. They sounded nice. After a 48hr warm up of an Avondale 270z power amp I turned up the volume.They sound astonishing! Apart from anything else it’s the way percussion is reproduced that stands out. The instant start/stop tells you the speakers are under control.
If you can’t stop even this old guy jigging about, somethings right
If you can’t stop even this old guy jigging about, somethings right
What did you settle on? I'm using an Elicit r with Arcs at the moment. Tried a few amps with the arcs and none have really fallen short. Have been tempted at times to try something more muscular and see.
Hi, don’t know the elicit. A friend uses Plinius on his Hawks, they are sublime and drive the big Hawks with ease, however, he is minted and there to many £££££‘S for my wallet. I use a CODA Continuum CSX, which I knew nothing about before I bought it and now love. Rarer than hens teeth in the UK though.
http://www.coda-continuum.com/datasheets/CSX Datasheet.pdf
Arcs are not very fussy in my experience and I have found that the Naim 250, Avondale monoblocks and Teddy Pardo monoblocks were all satisfactory. Obelisks are a different matter (seven active drivers) and the Dynavector amps are the only ones I have found that drive them properly. I am currently using a Dynavector HX 1.2. However they are far from easy to obtain.
Hi, almost impossible to buy DV amps anymore, think the Australian chap has promised some more ‘in the future’, but that has been the case for a few years now. I agree with you that many amps can drive the Arcs, but if you read the OP’s comment again, there’s a big difference between satisfactory performance and what they are truly capable of. ATB.
Salamander
pfm Member
Wish I'd had on of these when owning Obs driven by Naim 135's AUDIONET AMP I V2 Silver (Demo) | Audio Harmony
pocketkitchen
Registered User
I still have one for sale in the classifieds!
Yep, 135’s I found the best of the Naims, particularly after the WH Phoenix mod. The sound coming from the Obs was sweet with them, but they also totally failed to get the bass/passive moving properly. Switching to the CSX was a revelation, whole parts of the available music had been switched off before.
Eyebroughty
JohnC
One of the best amps, make that integrated, is the Rega Osiris, it will drive any of the Shahinian range from the Larcs to the Diapasons with ease.
Connected to whatever source using Rega's own interconnects and speaker cable you will find few if any can rival the Osiris and that includes Dynavectors!
Also any of the latest Linn Akurate or Klimax amps with their dynamik power supply again are more than capable.
Connected to whatever source using Rega's own interconnects and speaker cable you will find few if any can rival the Osiris and that includes Dynavectors!
Also any of the latest Linn Akurate or Klimax amps with their dynamik power supply again are more than capable.
Never heard an Osiris, but I have consistently heard from people whose opinion I trust that it is an impeccable performer with Shahinian. Interesting comment ref the Linn amps, I didn’t know that.
mickhick1
pfm Member
These are the figures for a Parasound A21, like the one I have for sale in the classifieds:
250 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 Ω, all channels driven
400 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 4 Ω, all channels driven
750 watts RMS x 1, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 Ω
Current capacity:
60 amperes peak per channel
Power bandwidth:
5 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB at 1 watt
Total harmonic distortion:
< 0.2 % at full power
IM distortion: balanced 16 V rms
< 0.04 %
Slew rate:
> 130 V/µsecond
Dynamic headroom:
> 1.5 dB
Interchannel crosstalk:
> 80 dB at 1 kHz;
> 63 dB at 20 kHz
Input sensitivity:
1 V for 28.28 V, THX Reference Level
Input impedance:
33 k Ω unbalanced; 66 k Ω balanced
S/N ratio:
112 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
Damping factor:
> 1100 at 20 Hz
Voltage:
110V - 120V
Dimensions:
17-1/2" w x 7-5/8" h x 20" d, 7" h without feet
Net weight: 60 lb.
Would that drive obelisks OK ?
I’m afraid I have no experience of that amp, but the numbers quoted look good. @Darth Vader might be able to give you a better opinion than me, as he has more experience than I.These are the figures for a Parasound A21, like the one I have for sale in the classifieds:
250 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 Ω, all channels driven
400 watts RMS x 2, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 4 Ω, all channels driven
750 watts RMS x 1, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 Ω
Current capacity:
60 amperes peak per channel
Power bandwidth:
5 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB at 1 watt
Total harmonic distortion:
< 0.2 % at full power
IM distortion: balanced 16 V rms
< 0.04 %
Slew rate:
> 130 V/µsecond
Dynamic headroom:
> 1.5 dB
Interchannel crosstalk:
> 80 dB at 1 kHz;
> 63 dB at 20 kHz
Input sensitivity:
1 V for 28.28 V, THX Reference Level
Input impedance:
33 k Ω unbalanced; 66 k Ω balanced
S/N ratio:
112 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
Damping factor:
> 1100 at 20 Hz
Voltage:
110V - 120V
Dimensions:
17-1/2" w x 7-5/8" h x 20" d, 7" h without feet
Net weight: 60 lb.
Would that drive obelisks OK ?