Best Amp for Tannoy Revolution XT8F

[Quadraflex65]

I’m currently powering a pair of Tannoy Revolution XT8F’s with a 20 year old Rotel 100 watt per channel receiver, with solid results. However, the receiver has a variety of technical issues and it’s time for an upgrade. I’m considering Rotel 1592, Yamaha AS-1100 and Vincent 237MK. Looking for suggestions and comments on best integrated amp pairings for these speakers. Thanks in advance.

 

[GordonW]

Budget? Given that the amps referred to above, tend to be between $2500 and $3000- I'll take that as a lead.

I will say- I've had great luck pairing the XT8Fs with Rogue Audio amps. The Tannoys just seem to thrive, with tubes driving them...

In that range, the Cronus Magnum III would be awesome. The XT8Fs don't need a huge amount of power (they are pretty efficient)- they do want GOOD power. The cronus Magnum has been a VERY good match to these- plenty of dynamics, great imaging, great bass.

If you're not ready to go with a pure tube amp- then the Rogue Audio Pharaoh hybrid integrated amp could be just the thing. Tube goodness in the preamp, with a beefy solid-state output section.

I'd recommend at least listening to them... they're some of the highest-performance amps I've found, for anywhere close to the price...

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[Rick Z]

I just got my XT 8Fs yesterday. If I was in the market, I'd spend time on Audio Advisor and Music Direct looking at what they have to offer. I'd also investigate the Yamaha models on Amazon.

 

[trinhsman]

Listen to Gordon. I know him personally and he knows what he is talking about with these amps. Just my 2 cents.

 

[tomlinmgt]

@GordonW Most every review I’ve seen about the Hegel integrated amps points out their high damping factor. Would that be relevant with the Tannoys in question?

The XT8F’s have had my attention ever since they came out. There are no dealers near me, and I’ve not run across anyone who owns a pair, so an opportunity to hear them has alluded me. I’d like to hear from you @Quadraflex65 and @Rick Z regarding your experience with them.

 

[Rick Z]

@GordonW Most every review I’ve seen about the Hegel integrated amps points out their high damping factor. Would that be relevant with the Tannoys in question?

The XT8F’s have had my attention ever since they came out. There are no dealers near me, and I’ve not run across anyone who owns a pair, so an opportunity to hear them has alluded me. I’d like to hear from you @Quadraflex65 and @Rick Z regarding your experience with them.

Let me preface my remarks by saying that I have 70 year old ears, and so understand that YMMV.

That said, I am comparing the Tannoys to my KEF LS50s. The Tannoys have a brighter / more extended? high end, and they are very nearly full range on the low end. I find them much to my liking. Mids and lows are all I have left at my age, so if the Tannoys have somewhat of a V shaped frequency response, that is exactly what the doctor ordered in my case.

I watched all the videos on YouTube, and found that they were spot on. Especially the Audiofool.

I purchased them from Upscale Audio. They are local to me, and I have dealt with them before. They were packaged extremely well. The boxes were nearly the size of refrigerators.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[Rick Z]

Let me add a bit more information. My listening room is 10 X 12. I listen in the near field. I'm driving them with my Parasound amps bridged for 400wpc. I haven't tried them yet with my PrimaLuna amps. But the Tannoys are bi-ampable, so I may eventually try the PrimaLunas on the top and the Parasound amps on the low end. It's nice to have options.

 

[GordonW]

@GordonW Most every review I’ve seen about the Hegel integrated amps points out their high damping factor. Would that be relevant with the Tannoys in question?

The XT8F’s have had my attention ever since they came out. There are no dealers near me, and I’ve not run across anyone who owns a pair, so an opportunity to hear them has alluded me. I’d like to hear from you @Quadraflex65 and @Rick Z regarding your experience with them.

The XT8Fs have good bass damping on their own- so they're not as dependent on amps with high damping factor as some. That said- the Rogue Audio tube amps (which tend to have damping factors between 10 and 20, IIRC), give great bass precision and quality on the XT8F speakers.

Naturally, the hybrid Rogue amps (Solid-state output) have comparable damping factor to other SS amps (several hundred or so, IIRC)...

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[tomlinmgt]

Let me preface my remarks by saying that I have 70 year old ears, and so understand that YMMV.

That said, I am comparing the Tannoys to my KEF LS50s. The Tannoys have a brighter / more extended? high end, and they are very nearly full range on the low end. I find them much to my liking. Mids and lows are all I have left at my age, so if the Tannoys have somewhat of a V shaped frequency response, that is exactly what the doctor ordered in my case.

I watched all the videos on YouTube, and found that they were spot on. Especially the Audiofool.

I purchased them from Upscale Audio. They are local to me, and I have dealt with them before. They were packaged extremely well. The boxes were nearly the size of refrigerators.

Hope this is helpful.

Let me add a bit more information. My listening room is 10 X 12. I listen in the near field. I'm driving them with my Parasound amps bridged for 400wpc. I haven't tried them yet with my PrimaLuna amps. But the Tannoys are bi-ampable, so I may eventually try the PrimaLunas on the top and the Parasound amps on the low end. It's nice to have options.

Thanks for the feedback. I had LS50’s and though they hardly did anything wrong per se, I found them rather stale and lifeless (and that was with a pair of 12” sealed DIY Dayton Titanic subs and a 375wpc Soundcraftsmen). Then again, I was using them in a 16x20 room so it wasn’t a good matching of driver surface area to room volume. The XT8F’s seem maybe a tad large for a 10x12 unless you have room reflections under control or keep volume levels low to moderate. I’m sure it doesn’t take much to get them goin’ using the amplification you have in a room that size. How does resolution of images and sound stage compare to the litttle Kefs?

 

[Rick Z]

Thanks for the feedback. I had LS50’s and though they hardly did anything wrong per se, I found them rather stale and lifeless (and that was with a pair of 12” sealed DIY Dayton Titanic subs and a 375wpc Soundcraftsmen). Then again, I was using them in a 16x20 room so it wasn’t a good matching of driver surface area to room volume. The XT8F’s seem maybe a tad large for a 10x12 unless you have room reflections under control or keep volume levels low to moderate. I’m sure it doesn’t take much to get them goin’ using the amplification you have in a room that size. How does resolution of images and sound stage compare to the litttle Kefs?

I've always had difficulty dialing in the center image of my LS50s. The Tannoys on the other hand are soundstage champs. At least in my room and in my setup. I do listen in the near field so my current amps are overkill for the Tannoys. I'll be looking at the Schiit Aegir for them. I have another set of bookshelves coming, the power should be more suited to them, or so I have been told.

The LS50s are pretty good close in. But probably not so much in a room as large as yours. I'll probably take mine to my cabin in Montana and use them on the desktop.

 

[Quadraflex65]

Great feedback. For the record, I absolutely love the Tannoys. Amazing and energetic bass reproduction, smooth, realistic mids and clean slightly sweet highs. The Rotel puts out a clean 100 watts per channel. I’ve also got a Martin Logan Dynamo 700 to round out the low end. But the bass these tannoys produce is outstanding and very tight.

With the Rotel gradually dying I can’t help but think what these speakers would sound like with more power-hybrid, tube and solid state all under consideration. I’ve heard great things about Rogue, auditioned Yamaha-s-1100 and Rotel-1592. Also the Vincent mk237 will be auditioned. I need sub AND pre-outs. Also A/B and A+B switching. That eliminates a lot of gear! The Rotel and Yamaha seem to be the main contenders in my price (2500). I just feel the tannoys are so good, they can go to another level. I’m using the B channel to power either M&K high end satellites or a well preserved pair of KEF 107’s in the rear of the room for occasional 2.1 surround sound and party/entertainment type events.