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Pre/power Amplifier for Obelisk Mk-2

L

lebo

Member
Ok, I took an opportunity and upgraded my Obelisk mk-1's to Obelisk mk-2's.

Time to review pre/power amplifier options. Currently have a dated Perreaux 200i that's "ok".

Here's my consideration list so far. Any more ideas for a shortlist?

  • Accuphase (seem highly regarded)
  • Plinius
  • McIntosh (american....hmmm)
  • Vitus RL-100 (seem highly regarded)
I'd consider integrated or separates, but I think I need:
  • high damping factor
  • high current
  • very low noise (including no transformer hum)

Not a valve fan. Prefer reasonably mainstream. Not a made in China fan. Assume class-A is not going to be powerful enough? Dynavector have nothing atm. Spend about the same as on the speakers hopefully.

Thoughts? Thanks, L
 
In your position, both geographically and speaker-wise, I'd be looking out for s/h Dynavector. Or is s/h not something you'd consider?
 
The s/h Dynavectors are hard to find. Also quite old - though unsure when the new model is out. I'd probably prefer new.
 
I tried a wide range of amps with my Obelisks - Goldmund Job, Conrad Johnson CA200, Dynavectors (L200/L100 with HX1,2), Hegel H160 and H360 and finally settled on a modded Croft 25R with a Plinius power amp

The Dynavectors were great -very well balanced and dynamic sound with good bass control. But I found the sound slightly disengaging especially in the mids.

The Hegel H360 had the tightest sound and the most detail but I found myself yearning for a bit of valvey warmth

The Plinius power amp I am using is working very well with my Croft 25R - definitely enough power but smoother and fuller than the Hegel.
I will probably try a Plinius pre or integrated at some stage as well.
I can definitely recommend trying Plinius or Hegel. The Hegel is great but may not suit you if you are looking for a fuller and warmer sound

The Vitus looks great and will probably work well going by the specs and reviews but havent heard one myself
 
Plinius is a good bet, I used an older 8200 Mk1 integrated and it did a pretty fabulous job overall with my Ob2's. I would think the Perreaux might be similar.

As to the Mc-intoss-sorry-I cannot recall the exact model of preamp and mono's used with it, but I found them utterly slow and ploddy sounding on my Obs, not a good thing to my ears, but as always, you may hear things differently than I.

Another couple of setups though that I found very good and you might consider adding to your list, is the Sanders Magtech amplifiers. They will drive the pants off the Obs, and sound quite nice doing it. I liked the Sanders better than Pass Labs X-150 and X-1 pairing, but very much slim margins all around. Also, Coda CSIb integrated, or really most any of Coda's amps are a great choice. Not sure how easy it is to get any of these where you are located, including being able to demo them, which might pose a bit of a problem.

As to the Vitus and Accuphase, I couldn't say, haven't heard them with Obs. I would think the others that were mentioned would be great choices as well. Have fun!
 
banjoman said:
I tried a wide range of amps with my Obelisks - Goldmund Job, Conrad Johnson CA200, Dynavectors (L200/L100 with HX1,2), Hegel H160 and H360 and finally settled on a modded Croft 25R with a Plinius power amp

The Dynavectors were great -very well balanced and dynamic sound with good bass control. But I found the sound slightly disengaging especially in the mids.

The Hegel H360 had the tightest sound and the most detail but I found myself yearning for a bit of valvey warmth

The Plinius power amp I am using is working very well with my Croft 25R - definitely enough power but smoother and fuller than the Hegel.
I will probably try a Plinius pre or integrated at some stage as well.
I can definitely recommend trying Plinius or Hegel. The Hegel is great but may not suit you if you are looking for a fuller and warmer sound

The Vitus looks great and will probably work well going by the specs and reviews but havent heard one myself
Click to expand...

What's your opinion of the Goldmund amp?
 
Having gone down this road myself I would if I could start all over again, just go straight to Bryston. I tried Dynavector hx75, naim 135, Avondale voyagers, electrocompaniet AW250. I owned all of these, so they weren't home demos. The best was the Bryston, which I am aware isn't everybody's choice. But to me they had a neutral sound that could be tailored with a pre of your choice. A valve pre can work wonders with this combo. They have power a plenty and are perfectly happy with the so called tricky impedance curve that Obs have.
Go for 4bsst upward (300w) or 7bsst mono blocks (600w each) . You could go for the squared model (later addition)but upon audition I couldn't tell enough difference between them to justify the £££££ difference.

Good luck:)
 
kasperhauser said:
What's your opinion of the Goldmund amp?
Click to expand...

I used a Job225 with a modded Croft 25R and a passive pre as well
It was very good indeed with Proacs and Shahinian Compasses, but felt a bit lifeless with the Obelisks, to be honest.
Its a very good power amp but was not a great match with my Obelisk Mk1s

The Mk2s are easier to drive, I believe, and could fare better...

Goldmund has launched monoblock versions of the Job225s which could do a lot better, but the DV, Hegel and Plinius power amps definitely delivered more power and dynamics
 
lebo said:
  • high damping factor
  • high current
  • very low noise (including no transformer hum)
Click to expand...

Well a Meridian 559 meets all those criteria (I have two with my Obs 2) and you are correct. The heavily doped passive bass unit that in mechanically crossed over from the front woofer needs a lot of current to get moving and very good damping to stop it. Without this the bass can sound woolly and indistinct but with my 559s you feel the low organ notes through yer bones.

The amp is uncannily quiet. I can't detect any transformer hum and when you realise that a 559 has two 1.2KVA transformers thats amazing. Also there is zero noise through any of the 8 units of my Obelisk 2 with ear pressed fully against them. I don't use a pre amp but with my DAC connected there is zilch sound until I press play.

One thing you have missed from your list is the need to be able to cleanly drive down below 2 Ohms. The Obs hover around 2 Ohms in the important treble region. This is where the ear is most sensitive something like 100,000 times more than for a deep organ note. So if an amp struggles driving such a low impedance it will definitely be heard. Also its just not the impedance but also the phase angle. Under some conditions the amp will be dissipating more as heat than that which enters the speakers! This means a good overhead is needed if the output transistors are to stay within their safe operating area.

Don't dismiss a pure class A amp but it will be big, heavy and use a lot of lecky Oh and have a price tag to match. My amps weigh in at 42Kg each and a decent class A will be bigger and heavier or most likely as two mono blocks.

Cheers and enjoy the music,

DV
 
Am I really the only PFM reader running Obelisks with Rega Osiris? I've listened to DV /Obelisks - not yet convinced its a better combination....
 
There's a Meridian G55 Power Amplifier ex demo nearly half price over here at the moment. Great price. Bridge it into 2 @ 300W? Thoughts?
 
Audio Research DSi 200 integrated is superb with Obelisks. Still available used and worth the search. For McIntosh try a C47 or C52 with an MC 452. Nothing slow or plodding about either combination. All three are solid state.
 
lebo said:
The s/h Dynavectors are hard to find. Also quite old - though unsure when the new model is out. I'd probably prefer new.
Click to expand...
Which new DV model are you referring to? I didn't know that there was anything in the pipeline...
 
I agree that the Osiris works very well with the Obs. Well worth a listen. The new DVs are definitely (finally) on the way....
 
Linx Stratos pre-power monos, must be a mint set knocking around given your location.
 
I've been using a Plinius P8 power amp and it is a very good match indeed with my Obelisks.
Nice balanced and punchy sound and enough grip
Strongly recommended and I am considering trying something further up the Plinius ladder
 
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