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Anyone familiar with the AR9 and tubes


Guest Lorin

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I'm considering (it's actually on the way) driving them with an SET 845 tube amp at 18-22 wpc. Currently running Adcom 565 monos; incredible bottom end, too much in fact. Mids and highs very clear but shrill. Hard for me to articulate the impression. Listening fatigue sometimes but, not always, seems to depend on the source. Room is 3024 cu. ft. (Not sq.ft.) with an open side of the long axis. Less than average reflection. My expectation is that I will bi-amp with a ss on the bottom end and eventually change to a tube application. Thoughts, considerations, and for those who know, any recommendations?

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Unless I've missed it, there hasn't been a lot of discussion here concerning bi-amping any speaker let alone the 9. There have been a few here have have done some bi amping with the 9, I myself modified my 90s to allow them to be bi amped.

I'm currently using tow old Heathkit AA-1800 for the job and they are transparent enough that they take on the coloration of whatever is driving them. My impressions with bi amping the 90s are good, better than with a single amp, but I didn't see a night and day difference. I saw a massive improvement when I added an active crossover. The change was absolute night and day with an improvement in every aspect.

Any other opinions or thoughts out there?

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Hi Lorin

Thank you for this very interesting topic and also your path to that web-site.

This adds to this web-sites wealth of information.

Thank you and have a great day.

Good luck

Vern

>Thanks for the feedback. Regarding your experience with

>bi-amping and the significance of using a crossover; very

>informative article at http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm.

>The author addresses such and the reasons for it in the sectin

>"Actual vs. Effective Power".

>

>Thanks,

>Lorin

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  • 8 months later...
Guest Lorin

For anyone interested; I have been running the AR9s with the SET 845 in a bi-amp configuration for about a year now. I used a SS amp(330 watts into 4 ohms)on the bottem end for the first few month and then went with a tube amp on the bottom for reasons I won't go into. Both the SET on the upper, and the Push pull mono blocks on the bottom are only 18 watts per channel. The performance is better than I had hoped for. Far superior to what the Adcom mono blocks deliverd. Not the punch the Adcoms had but much fuller, richer and deeper base. The top end is much better but, thats not saying whole lot. I felt the Adcoms were just too harsh sounding. For what it's worth I have posted my system on Audiogon. Search by "Dared", the system name is "Happy for now! . . . ?" In case you did not catch it on an earlier thread, an active crossover is essential to effective bi-amping, and in the case of the AR9s, although built to be bi-amplified, they are not an exception.

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