High end Vintage SS amp vs the best Class D amps

[AdamG]

I’m wondering how you reconcile this with the notion expressed in your signature line?

I have ever since been chasing, the capability of reproducing this experience in the comfort of my own recliner . We all must have a dream goal in life. Trying to recreate what it was like to be on Deck, Observing a complete re-cert Naval Gunfire Exercise (NGF).

 

[DSJR]

Yes this is very true, as I don't have central heat the KSA100 is very useful 650 watt fan heater in the winter months.
Although my daily driver is a KSA50S and that barely gets warm even after several hours of blasting it out.

I don't think there is anything necessarily 'magical' about class A, I just use these amps because they don't wimp out into low impedance load.
Maybe a big class D would also cope (the little TPA3116 certainly couldn't) but I stick with what I know works.

They can ban them if they like, I'll just ignore the ban

Hi Mart

KSA50s 'blasting out' and barely getting warm? What the heck was I doing when it went into medium and then high bias cooker mode almost every time I used it without ever sounding 'really loud?' Mind you, back in the day my neighbours 'loved me' when I had the big active ATC's and let rip with them from time to time, albeit when I 'thought' they were out - cough...

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

They are not silly if they sounds best (not always the case). Perhaps low efficiency speakers are silly.

Scenario 1: very efficient speaker driver @ 107 db/w coupled with a SET which outputs a maximum of 2 1/2 watts
Scenario 2: inefficient speakers with something like 85 db/w coupled with a >200 watt amplifier

Now which one do you think would be the larger waste of incoming AC at high SPLs?

I would think that any speaker with less than 90 db/w sensitivity should absolutely be banned from the planet.

 

[Mart68]

Hi Mart

KSA50s 'blasting out' and barely getting warm? What the heck was I doing when it went into medium and then high bias cooker mode almost every time I used it without ever sounding 'really loud?' Mind you, back in the day my neighbours 'loved me' when I had the big active ATC's and let rip with them from time to time, albeit when I 'thought' they were out - cough...

I hardly ever even light up the first bias indicator. Speakers are 90dB sensitivity. If I really crank it I can get the first bias light to come on for a few seconds, but I wouldn't want to listen all the time at that sort of level.

 

[tomtoo]

Scenario 1: very efficient speaker driver @ 107 db/w coupled with a SET which outputs a maximum of 2 1/2 watts
Scenario 2: inefficient speakers with something like 85 db/w coupled with a >200 watt amplifier

Now which one do you think would be the larger waste of incoming AC at high SPLs?

I would think that any speaker with less than 90 db/w sensitivity should absolutely be banned from the planet.

I like to see a speaker thats at 40HZ 107db/w efficient. Could you show me one?

Let me tell you my beliefe, with that 2.5W you can drive a high-efficient tweeter to a acceptable level. But even a high efficient woofer, would start to laugh louder than this 2.5W will drivem at 40HZ.
And iam really not the bad boy that talks about 30Hz.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I like to see a speaker thats at 40HZ 107db/w efficient. Could you show me one?

Let me tell you my beliefe, with that 2.5W you can drive a high-efficient tweeter to a acceptable level. But even a high efficient woofer, would start to laugh louder than this 2.5W will drivem at 40HZ.
And iam really not the bad boy that talks about 30Hz.

My woofers have an efficiency 101 db/w and are driven by a 35 watt amplifier. They do 40Hz (the speaker cabinets are refrigerator-sized).

 

[AudioSceptic]

Yes, they do, especially if you want to measure really small AC voltages with any real precision.

Rick "prefers this to a digital multimeter for most audio work" Denney

I didn't know that Trio (that's what Kenwood was called in the UK) made meters. That looks like proper pro gear. How long have you had it?

 

[tomtoo]

My woofers have an efficiency 101 db/w and are driven by a 35 watt amplifier.

At what freqency?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

At what freqency?

Through their pass band up to 500Hz which is where they're crossed over.

 

[tomtoo]

Through their pass band up to 500Hz which is where they're crossed over.

So what are your woofers in which case?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

So what are your woofers in which case?

15" professional drivers.

 

[tomtoo]

15" professional drivers.

What are the drivers and what construction is the case?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

What are the drivers and what construction is the case?

I go to great lengths on this forum to not get into specifics of what gear I own. I have reasons for this, and that's the way it is.

 

[tomtoo]

I go to great lengths on this forum to not get into specifics of what gear I own. I have reasons for this, and that's the way it is.

Ok this is a typical 15 inch pro driver. Not sota but typical. Now look what happens at 40Hz with the efficience.

https://www.beyma.com/en/products/c/low-mid-frequency/115LEX16FE8/altavoz-15lex1600fe-8-oh/

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Ok this is a typical 15 inch pro driver. Not sota but typical. Now look what happens at 40Hz with the efficience.

https://www.beyma.com/en/products/c/low-mid-frequency/115LEX16FE8/altavoz-15lex1600fe-8-oh/

That's not the one I own, and the cabinet makes a difference - so what's your point in all this?

 

[DSJR]

I hardly ever even light up the first bias indicator. Speakers are 90dB sensitivity. If I really crank it I can get the first bias light to come on for a few seconds, but I wouldn't want to listen all the time at that sort of level.

What are my boxes, around mid 80's sensitivity? That means I'd need almost four times the power for same volume levels I suspect.

 

[tomtoo]

That's not the one I own, and the cabinet makes a difference - so what's your point in all this?

That even 100 db/w at 40 Hz would be outstanding and iam interested in the specific construction. Thats all.

 

[oldsysop]

I go to great lengths on this forum to not get into specifics of what gear I own. I have reasons for this, and that's the way it is.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

That even 100 db/w at 40 Hz would be outstanding and iam interested in the specific construction. Thats all.

The specific construction is that the speaker cabinets for the woofers are hybrid horn/reflex loaded and they are very large, and thus very efficient.

 

[AdamG]

That even 100 db/w at 40 Hz would be outstanding and iam interested in the specific construction. Thats all.

Go take a look at JTR Audio. Jeff has multiple models with 100 +db/w @40hz capable speakers and subs.
https://www.jtrspeakers.com/home-audio