To Doug Schneider,
Thanks for looking at the B1s Doug!
Did you get a chance to try other amps? I've got this SET hang-up, specifically, Wyetech Sapphire monoblocks: 18Wpc parallel 300B with stout power supplies and output trannies. Okay, perhaps not an ideal pairing, but the impedance and phase swings of the B1 don't look too bad. Is there a chance these could fly? I could also biamp with perhaps solid-state or digital-switching amps driving the low end.
Thank you kindly for your time!
Lawrence Samoyloff
Based on our measurements in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s NRC, the B1’s voltage sensitivity is about average, but the impedance is a touch low, mostly below 1kHz, which is where the woofers take over from the dome midrange (the crossover point is 900Hz). If an amp is going to have trouble driving the B1s, it is going to be in the bass region.
What I know of Wyetech Labs (the company is located in my city) is that their amps deliver a respectable amount of power for a SET-type design, and they don’t necessarily cry uncle when required to drive a tough load. That’s probably what you’re referring to when you mention the stout power supplies and transformers. I agree. Therefore, it’s definitely worth trying them with the B1s, since using a SET amp appears to be your thing -- it might work fine, particularly if you don’t need to play the speakers very loud. If not, you could also try what you suggested: biamping by using a traditional solid-state or a digital-switching amp for the bass region and tubes for the highs. If you do that, though, make sure the output levels of the amps are matched so the bass doesn’t end up dominating the mids and highs, or vice versa. . . . Doug Schneider
