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Hi everyone....asking advice for a friend..

A friend of my recently bought PMC MB-2SE speaker... Which amps should that speaker better with?? Should he go for solid state or valve amplifier??

He has Audio Research Ref 5 pre.. Esoteric CD player(forgot model) and Audio Research valve mono block amp.. Which only about 100watt or 150watt per/block (forgot model).. He wanted to upgrade the mono block amp only.. Which amp (solid state or valve) and brand should he go for. Thanks heaps in advance gals and  guys

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8 minutes ago, BATMAQN said:

Should be able to get something sort of good for that kind of budget. :winky:

But it has to be match nicely.. Don't wanted to get a badly/wrongly set up

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2 minutes ago, deanB said:

Commercial Classifieds are worth a look at the moment.

being looking in classified section.. There is a Halcro amp..and fews others but not quite sure which one or type to go for...like valve or solid state 

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Guest deanB

Don't forget, ARC recommends an amp over 20k ohms input impedance with the 5se preamp. But most (not all though) power amps exceed that figure.

Would your friend consider the 80kg CAT JL2 in the Classifieds? It is a slightly unorthodox thing to cable up and takes up a lot of real estate but has a reputation of being able to drive "most" speakers.

Also, have you been checking out the PMC owners thread on the Speakers forum?

Edited by deanB
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24 minutes ago, deanB said:

Don't forget, ARC recommends an amp over 20k ohms input impedance with the 5se preamp. But most (not all though) power amps exceed that figure.

Would your friend consider the 80kg CAT JL2 in the Classifieds? It is a slightly unorthodox thing to cable up and takes up a lot of real estate but has a reputation of being able to drive "most" speakers.

Also, have you been checking out the PMC owners thread on the Speakers forum?

Thanks..gonna check it out

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Depending on your musical tastes, the Audio Research D450 would be a great match.  The ref150, great as it is, lacks some low end control on that 12” bass driver.  The D450 retains the AR house sound, whilst adding significant bass weight.

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The D450 from their "definition" range doesn't remotely have the beautiful tonality and realism of the 150SE from their "high definition" range. They give it away in their own naming convention even...

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I should elaborate further on my experience with the ref150 on my MB2se speakers.

 

I lived with this combination for around 2 years until i moved on to the Mola Mola Kaluga monos.

 

Firstly, what i liked: using the 8 ohm tap the midrange was rich and liquid. The soundstage was wider than with any other amp i have used and the imaging had that holographic quality.

 

There were however negatives. The 8 ohm tap lacked bass and there some occasionally audible treble distortions. The 4 ohm tap improved this, but the mids became flat and lifeless. The ref150 runs hot and uses fans for cooling. These fans are audible during low level listening. During my 2 years with the amp i went through 4 blown fuses and 1 blown tube due to a capacitor failure. To sound its best, the ref150 needed around 1 hour to warm up.

 

Some people will live with those compromises, and some are obviously speaker specific issues.

 

 

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I'm sorry to hear you had trouble with your ARC amp. When I had the ref150SE for two years, I didn't have any issues with it at all. Additionally, I set the fans to a lower speed so they couldn't be heard; by default they're set to the highest speed by the factory.

Edited by Ittaku
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9 hours ago, Ittaku said:

I'm sorry to hear you had trouble with your ARC amp. When I had the ref150SE for two years, I didn't have any issues with it at all. Additionally, I set the fans to a lower speed so they couldn't be heard; by default they're set to the highest speed by the factory.

Yes the lower fan speed was better for noise, but I always had a lingering doubt about the extra heat leading to some of the failures I experienced.

 

My experience would suggest the MB2se has some significant impedance variations across the audible range.  PMC don’t publish this data, and also refuse to release it when asked (I know because I asked).  The local wholesaler for PMC (who intervened and took over my email questions to PMC UK) basically told me to get a solid state amp and promptly refused to continue further discussions with me.

 

Despite the terrible customer support from PMC, the MB2ses remain excellent speakers.  Due to the assumed variances in impedance they represent a difficult load to drive well.  If starting out fresh I would follow the advice they gave me and go with solid state amplification.

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13 hours ago, Stereophilus said:

I should elaborate further on my experience with the ref150 on my MB2se speakers.

 

I lived with this combination for around 2 years until i moved on to the Mola Mola Kaluga monos.

 

Firstly, what i liked: using the 8 ohm tap the midrange was rich and liquid. The soundstage was wider than with any other amp i have used and the imaging had that holographic quality.

 

There were however negatives. The 8 ohm tap lacked bass and there some occasionally audible treble distortions. The 4 ohm tap improved this, but the mids became flat and lifeless. The ref150 runs hot and uses fans for cooling. These fans are audible during low level listening. During my 2 years with the amp i went through 4 blown fuses and 1 blown tube due to a capacitor failure. To sound its best, the ref150 needed around 1 hour to warm up.

 

Some people will live with those compromises, and some are obviously speaker specific issues.

 

 

When  I heard the 150 on your set I thought it was awesome.  Still do.  I assume it was the 8 ohm tap we heard.   But I guess when you have them long enough you start to notice the limitations.  The mola’s were better for the bass but the soundstage of the 150 was worth it IMO.  I wonder if the ref250’s would do both........

Edited by Steam
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31 minutes ago, Steam said:

When  I heard the 150 on your set I thought it was awesome.  Still do.  I assume it was the 8 ohm tap we heard.   But I guess when you have them long enough you start to notice the limitations.  The mola’s were better for the bass but the soundstage of the 150 was worth it IMO.  I wonder if the ref250’s would do both........

I have the ref250SEs after upgrading from the 150. I originally expected them to be just like the 150 but "more" but in fact they're very different to the 150, but also more than double the cost. Not only more grip and control at the bottom end, but much bigger presentation and significantly more delicate and sweeter midrange and treble. Though I'm only comparing on my own speakers which I designed myself and they don't go down much below 4ohm, but I run them off the 4ohm taps.

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2 hours ago, Steam said:

When  I heard the 150 on your set I thought it was awesome.  Still do.  I assume it was the 8 ohm tap we heard.   But I guess when you have them long enough you start to notice the limitations.  The mola’s were better for the bass but the soundstage of the 150 was worth it IMO.  I wonder if the ref250’s would do both........

Yes, the 8 ohm tap was what you heard.  The Mola Mola amps were brand new that day and not yet burned in.  They have opened up a lot and the treble is sweet and extended now.

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  • 3 weeks later...

thanks all for the inputs... My friend  set his mind to Audio Research Ref-750 SE....after audition to a fews... Now just looking for a demo or second hand one to come up for sale....

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3 minutes ago, Antran said:

thanks all for the inputs... My friend  set his mind to Audio Research Ref-750 SE....after audition to a fews... Now just looking for a demo or second hand one to come up for sale....

That's a pretty spectacular choice of amp, but only a very very small amount have been sold in Australia, and they're never available for demo so I don't like his chances of finding one second hand.

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2 minutes ago, Ittaku said:

That's a pretty spectacular choice of amp, but only a very very small amount have been sold in Australia, and they're never available for demo so I don't like his chances of finding one second hand.

I told him that.... 

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