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Amps amps amps amps, have I found the next one?

Gazdatronik

Gazdatronik

Super Member
So, being happy with my Apt amp (100-125wpc) for these 10 years now, I seem to have outgrown it.

The DCM timeframe 600's I got from my brother in law are very inefficient, thirsty and do indeed have a wack impedance curve, as was promised by others who owned them before me. Seems like the warning lamp comes on too soon.

So I go digging around for a suitable new replacement and come up with this thing- The Cerwin Vega CV-900.
210wpc at 8 ohms, and the DCM's are 6ohms, so that works out to approx. 265 wpc from the CV, which is good, since the DCM literature says 250watts max. Fragile tweeters!
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A wise old guy once told me that cheap (new) amps are fun as long as you are paying more than a dollar per watt, otherwise its probably junk. This one is $300. I'm going with the DJ amps since getting a residential model with similar specs runs into the thousands of dollars.

It does a couple of cool things, like the 40 hz hi pass, which is convenient since 40hz is about all the Timeframes will do, its 2 ohm stable, and it frees up the Apt to power the infinite baffle subwoofer project I want to do(slated for completion July 2018) and its not as butt ugly as some of the other pro models.

So, my question is, for the same money, can I do better? I've looked, and haven't really found anything. I would get used, and it seems like there is plenty of DJ amps out there, but very few have the watts I am looking for.
 
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Interesting. According the to manual, the TF600's sensitivity is rated at 92 dB/1 watt/1 meter, which means they are very efficient and easy to drive, and should play insanely loud on just a couple of watts. I powered the TF600's I used to own with a Yamaha CR-1040 (80 wpc) and they would get plenty loud without the slightest hint of strain or distortion.
 
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I'm a JBL man since birth, and the sensitivity of them will spoil a man such as myself. I know it says 92db/watt, but my volume knob tells a different story. Perhaps 92db at one frequency-but its not 92 through the spectrum.

The L100's and L26s I used to have were rated at 89-88db, but JBL used a warbling tone to get a more honest reading of what they could do.
The DCM's have better imaging and more treble, so I don't mind if they need more to push them. I do like how they sound.
 
No, for the money you cannot do better unless you bought used. Pro amps are in many ways better than home amps. They are made to operate 24/7 in commercial environments so they have extra power handling built in to prevent hot running. For example, pro amps feature large transformers and banks of output transistors for stress free operation. This results in speed and objective accuracy which is often misinterpreted as being that P A sound. Some older pro amps are loaded with metal die T-03 output transistors which IMO are superior to T-03P and output modules which are plastic clad and not as good at dissipating heat as metal. Still not convinced? Look at nudies if Bryston and Crown XLS amps and they will look remarkably similar.
 
You should be very happy with your acquisition given the endorsements above. I've been using my XLS2500 for about three years and it is a powerhouse. Had I not recently turned my attention to tubes recently, I would not hesitate to add another like linked to above. Good luck.
 
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