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£1k integrated amp for Shahinain Obelisks?

alanbeeb

alanbeeb

pfm Member
New or 2nd hand, and must be reasonably easy to find i.e. not unobtanium!

Medium sized room, 8ft ceilings, carpet, curtains, soft furniture, 14ft x 18ft.
Must be reasonably sized - not behemoth, so can fit on TT-sized wall shelf which can support 35kg+. All types of music played.
Remote control a must.

Any suggestions? :D
 
Gaius said:
They are not an easy speaker to drive, you will need some serious grunt.
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Indeedy so. As you probably already know I use two Meridian 559s in bridged mode. One on its own was good but two are even better and I haven't the foggiest idea why. Mine come in at 42Kg apiece but do both sit on my Hutter rack.

I don't think an integrated within the price range will cut the mustard. Previously I had a pair of Naim 135s and then had them Avondaled to stage 3 but they just couldn't make the Obs sing. Others on pfm seem to think that combination sounds good. All I can say is that they haven't yet heard the capabilities of the Obelisk.

I wonder what the rest of the OPs kit is?

Cheers,

DV

PS I note the OP is looking at the Rotel in the classified however its rated down to 4 Ohms but the Obs hang around 2 Ohms in the important treble region where the ear is most sensitive. Any amplifier stress will be heard unlike if its buried in the bass.
 
^ I'm not sure what difference it will make knowing what my sources are, but they are a Sony SCD-XA5400 sacd player (saw off a dCS Puccini) and a Scheu Analog Premier/Clearaudio Unify/Benz Glider L2/Ortofon Verto/CEC PH53.

I have a Spectral DMC 30S (up for sale) which was driving a pair of active speakers until a couple of weeks ago. So I could use it as a pre-amp for a serious power amp sitting on the floor (but I really need to sell the Spectral!)
 
alanbeeb said:
^ I'm not sure what difference it will make knowing what my sources are, but they are a Sony SCD-XA5400 sacd player (saw off a dCS Puccini) and a Scheu Analog Premier/Clearaudio Unify/Benz Glider L2/Ortofon Verto/CEC PH53.

I have a Spectral DMC 30S (up for sale) which was driving a pair of active speakers until a couple of weeks ago. So I could use it as a pre-amp for a serious power amp sitting on the floor (but I really need to sell the Spectral!)
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You may want to consider the lesser Merdian 557 that comes in around £800 +/- s/h. It is spec'ed to drive difficult loads below 2 Ohms and there is a pfmer who had used both 557 and 559 successfully with early Obs.

The reason I asked about your kit was to see if a pre-amp was really necessary. I don't use one as both my phono stage and DAC have their own volume controls and sound better without a pre.

Take a peek https://www.meridian-audio.com/data/557.pdf

Cheers,

DV
 
There's a Goldmund Job 250 amp currently on the wam for £800 so you'd just need a pre. Splash a little extra and get the Dynavector L100 that is on ebay at the moment.
 
thebiglebowski said:
There's a Goldmund Job 250 amp currently on the wam for £800 so you'd just need a pre. Splash a little extra and get the Dynavector L100 that is on ebay at the moment.
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Good call on the Goldmund Job 225. I am finding it to be excellent with my Shahinian Compasses. I know the Obelisks are a different beast and more difficult to drive, but at that price - it is worth a try.
Also, passive pre amps are a very good match with the Job 225. So, get a quality affordable passive pre and you may have a very good set up
 
Last time i tried them with a Nait XS/Hicap DR or a 72/HCDR/160 they sounded like they had a blanket over them. Conversely my Arc's sound amazing on a Nait 2. I think they are a difficult speaker to drive and take some power….
 
Your best chance is to spend £1k on some used DIY amps or as per DV with a Meridian power amp. Probably best to sell them and buy something less demanding.
 
Shahinian used to recommend Creek Destiny on their website. These don't seem to be very fashionable in the world of forums, and you rarely see them second hand, but I suspect there are plenty of happy users out there.
 
Elephantears said:
Shahinian used to recommend Creek Destiny on their website. These don't seem to be very fashionable in the world of forums, and you rarely see them second hand, but I suspect there are plenty of happy users out there.
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OK name just one happy user?

As I have said many times over there are several on pfm who rate inferior amplifiers as giving 'good' performance with Obs. But I tell yer teh truth. They just don't know how good these speakers can sound with the correct amplification. These peeps have in my view never compared music at a 'live' performance with what can be achieved with the Obs.

I have done the comparison and do hear the difference and you know what? Sometimes my home HiFi sounds better than the live performance I have recently experienced. Like at Glyndebourne. the sound quality depends on where you sit. At home it is often better........

However at 70 my poor old ears have deteriorated.

Cheers,

DV
 
Oh those poor deluded fools. Or gosh, could it be the case, that there are many people who enjoy music at home via their hifi who don't spend time on hifi forums? And maybe their "truth" and their "correct" is just as valid as anyone else.
 
alanbeeb said:
Oh those poor deluded fools. Or gosh, could it be the case, that there are many people who enjoy music at home via their hifi who don't spend time on hifi forums? And maybe their "truth" and their "correct" is just as valid as anyone else.
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Have you been on the pop Alan?:D:D:D
 
had my first drink for 3 months tonight.... but anyway, I am grateful for all the advice so far and I have got my eye on a Meridian 557, as well as Quad 707 as potentials. But I am also hearing of people who have enjoyed the Obs with relatively humble integrateds like Nait XS etc, and that would be an attractive option too.
 
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