Opinion on power for my Aerial 7t speakers?

GP Hill

Super Member
i love my speakers. They do everything right and sound delicious. I’m running them with a Vincent SV-237 integrated amp that’s 150w per channel at 8 ohms and 250 w at 4 ohms. The speakers are 4 ohm with 88db sensitivity. I’ve been looking around at several things in the last few months with larger integrated amps like the Mac MA9000 or separates and mono blocks. Is good power at 300-400-500w per channel going to make a big difference in sound. My room is roughly 16’x17’with a fair amount of room treatment.
 
If they sound "delicious" with your Vincent, why would you look for another amp? Your amp has more than enough power for the room size, keep what you have and enjoy.
 
Bi-amping/mono blocks them is probably the next logical step up for you if you want to get more out of those speakers.
 
Congratulations on owning a pair of 7Ts. I've listened to those on several occasions and they are the only speakers that would have me replacing my Aerial Model 8s.

My recommendation is to get a pair of monoblocks that are rated at a higher power level than the speakers.

When I auditioned my Model 8s (100W @ 8 ohms minimum, 500W @ 8 ohms maximum) I did so using a Vincent SV-236MK tube/hybrid integrated amplifier (150W @ 8 ohms, 250W @ 4 ohms) and while I knew I'd want more power, the Vincent did a decent job of driving them. The only real issue was that the bass wasn't really on par with what the speakers could produce with that amp although that wasn't clear to me at the time. There were a couple of other issues to consider and work out but all in all, the Model 8s sounded great during the audition at the store. It was clear, however, that more power was needed.

More on the audition and comparison with some Vienna Acoustics Straus speakers can be found here:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/used-speaker-audition.559330/

I purchased the Model 8s a week or so after the initial audition.

My front speaker amplifiers at the time were powerful but, and I will confess to having purchased these without hearing them, the quality wasn't there. So an amplifier upgrade was in order, as well as some new cabling to take advantage of the bi-wire connections on the Model 8s.

I talked with Michael Kelly at Aerial Acoustics and we discussed the amplification issue. I also asked him about bi-wire cables vs. using the factory jumper plates. He said that if I had the power that a bi-wire arrangement would be preferred and that I should use the 4 ohm taps with that cable to bring out the bass from the 10" woofers in the lower 61 liter cabinet. He said he was not concerned with amplifiers that exceeded the speaker specs. Rather, he encouraged it and told me I'd realize why once I started listening. Wise man, that Michael Kelly fella.

After I took delivery of the Model 8s, I powered them with the incumbent monoblocks and that cemented my intent to upgrade those amplifiers and give my system an upgrade. I was contemplating an incremental amplifier, preamp, tuner, digital system upgrade and I chose a pair of McIntosh MC501 monoblock amplifiiers to power the Model 8s and I added some Acoustiz Zen Satori bi-wired cables plugged into the 4 ohm tap at the amplifier end. I couldn't be happier with the pairing. Again, it was one of those purchases made without an audition but for some reason I felt pretty confident about the upgrade. Initially, I began to question myself on my decision but it all turned out in the end. Here's the link to the MC501 setup and review:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/a-mcintosh-mc501-review.635470/

So while some would consider the amplifier specification to be a bit of overkill, I'm a firm believer in giving Aerial Acoustic speakers more power than specified, which has been validated by the designer/builder recommendation and by my own personal experience.

Good luck with your amplifier choice. If you have any questions about what I did and why just post up here or PM me. I'll be glad to help where I can.
 
The entire Aerial Acoustics line loves power. Good clean power. You just need to try the amplification out, unfortunately.
 
I’m sure glad I asked the question. I’ve been looking around on the McIntosh thread on here and there seems to be a lot of love for the mc 452 which is a dual mono design that is rated at 450 watts. Are the 501’s or 601’s going to be noticeably better? Which preamp are you using? This could get expensive pretty quick.
 
The MC452 would be a very nice amp to pair with the 7T's. It has plenty of power, it's a very dynamic amplifier and it is well regarded.

I don't know if the MC501 or MC601 would be considerably better than the MC452. I've not had the opportunity to audition a pair of 7Ts with either the MC452 or MC601 so I can't say for certain which would be best or if you could even hear a difference. MC452 owners are just as pleased with their amplifier as us MC501 owners are with our monoblocks. If space is at a premium, the MC452 would be a very intelligent and quality choice.

I am using a McIntosh MX135 pre-amp/processor in my system but I am seriously contemplating adding a C2200 or C2500 2-channel pre-amp for music listening in a pass through configuration.
 
I can do this or re-do my master bath this summer!
The correct answer depends on (in order):

1. You're married
2. When you use the john, you need scuba equipment
3. If you're a REAL audiophile

You make the choice... :biggrin:
 
No wife anymore. I can do this if I want. I’ve always wanted McIntosh gear. I’m 67 with a really bad back. If I buy this stuff I may have to build a miniature cherry picker!
 
Just thinking out loud right now. Wonder how a big high current amp would sound with my Vincent as a pre amp?
 
One of the best matches I’ve heard on Aerials is McCormack - however good luck finding one in the used market. Pretty cost effective as well.

If you’re in a “cost no object” mood, try an older Jeff Rowland power amp. I heard this combo once and it was phenomenal.
 
Back
Top Bottom