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Thread: What is everyone using to power their 1400 Arrays?

  1. #1
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    What is everyone using to power their 1400 Arrays?

    I stole a thread title and substituted 1400 Arrays. Sorry, but curious. It seems the EMF(do I have that right?)back current from the Arrays powerful motor of the woofer may cause some issues to fully resolve the bass response. I really am curious to what people have done to 'correct' this issue.

    Mine? A switch from McIntosh MC402 (400 wpc into 2,4 or 8 ohms) to Marantz MA9S2 mono blocks. I am not qualified to give a reason for the difference. But I am qualified enough to know that these damn fine looking amps do the freaking job. Yes, I think some effort went into the design--maybe like the design for the speakers? ....or any speakers for that matter.)


    Quality. You see and feel and hear it in speakers. The very same with the sources. It has been almost a year since I bought this reference system and I still marvel at the construction. Yes, I adore my system-from the Arrays(not everyones cup of tea from a visual standpoint) to the tactile feel of the gear that makes music sound great-to me.

    That is my power to drive the speakers. I would love to hear your story.

    Be well everyone and remember, this is a hobby. Ones opinion is just that. Do not discount it.
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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Could you describe the sonic differences between the different amps you've tried?

    I'll chime in about my experiences later... busy at the moment.


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    I stole a thread title and substituted 1400 Arrays. Sorry, but curious. It seems the EMF(do I have that right?)back current from the Arrays powerful motor of the woofer may cause some issues to fully resolve the bass response. I really am curious to what people have done to 'correct' this issue.
    120 amps of instantaneous current from a Harman Kardon Citation 22.

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    Senior Member RedCoat23's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    120 amps of instantaneous current from a Harman Kardon Citation 22.
    ...jeez...you could weld with that...

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    I'm thinking in terms of an Outlaw 7900 (7 X 300 W) for the home theater (a while into the future). Right now it is a 2 x 80 W Denon PMA-915R I had around.

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    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    120 amps of instantaneous current from a Harman Kardon Citation 22.
    Got to love those old Citation 22s - tons of fun for my 4641! Name:  Citation22_4899.jpg
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    120 amps of instantaneous current from a Harman Kardon Citation 22.


    Very nice!

    An excerpt from the Marantz spec sheet;


    300 Watts into 8 Ohms, 600 Watts into 4 Ohms
    >150 Amps Peak Current Supply


    Given my current(no pun intended)situation with 'tax season' I will discuss my experience with getting the Arrays to sound the way they do at a later date. However, I suspect many can glean their own impressions knowing I only used the McIntosh MC402 and the Marantz amps. The latter amp does it all-in my opinion. Thanks for the answers do far!
    Careful man, there's a beverage here!

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    It's nice to see some of these companies learning that it isn't all about watts. I guess you're finding that out too.

    Yes. However, until I bought these speakers, I did not have a clue-none. I was ignorant of most everything audio. I still am in a lot of the technology as well as other areas. But I CAN read I do try to understand as time marches on. The thought that a 400 WPC McIntosh amp could have an issue with these speakers never occured to me. The Mac does perform quite well with the S/2600's, however. I guess it does depend on matching up components that meet the needs of the speaker. I got very lucky buying those Marantz monblocks without hearing them. I saw the specs, read a couple reviews, asked some questions to people smarter in this area and wound up with what I presume to be the last amp(and preamp) that I will need for a long time.

    Another snapshot of what a someone had to say about them;


    While developing the MA-9S2, Marantz looked at the internals of modern speakers and realized that the large magnetic circuits along with sophisticated crossover networks can, at times, present large back EMF conditions as well as introduce complex reactive loads that the output of power amplifiers have to handle. These conditions place exceptionally large transient current capability demands on the power amplifier. In consideration of these conditions, the MA9-S2 is capable of supplying more than150 Amps of Peak Current in short but adequate bursts, from a power supply that features a choke input and a double-shielded, low noise toroidal transformer.
    The toroid power transformer relies on a newly-developed "dual hemisphere" design with acoustical isolation augmented by silicon steel and a damped aluminum case. This greatly reduces internal vibration and sets the stage for finer resolution of sonic nuances. Shottky barrier diodes provide rectification for the power supply for the voltage amplification stage to eliminate subtle ripples that can negatively impact overall clarity. Finally, the storage capacitor bank, so important for the current amplification stage, is 50% larger than that used in the S1 for even more prodigious, yet superbly, controlled bass response.
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    Administrator Robh3606's Avatar
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    I am using an Crown PS400 to power my clones. No bass control issues with the Crown.

    Rob
    "I could be arguing in my spare time"

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    Quote Originally Posted by tom1040 View Post
    While developing the MA-9S2, Marantz looked at the internals of modern speakers and realized that the large magnetic circuits along with sophisticated crossover networks can, at times, present large back EMF conditions as well as introduce complex reactive loads that the output of power amplifiers have to handle. These conditions place exceptionally large transient current capability demands on the power amplifier. In consideration of these conditions, the MA9-S2 is capable of supplying more than150 Amps of Peak Current in short but adequate bursts, from a power supply that features a choke input and a double-shielded, low noise toroidal transformer.
    The toroid power transformer relies on a newly-developed "dual hemisphere" design with acoustical isolation augmented by silicon steel and a damped aluminum case. This greatly reduces internal vibration and sets the stage for finer resolution of sonic nuances. Shottky barrier diodes provide rectification for the power supply for the voltage amplification stage to eliminate subtle ripples that can negatively impact overall clarity. Finally, the storage capacitor bank, so important for the current amplification stage, is 50% larger than that used in the S1 for even more prodigious, yet superbly, controlled bass response.
    In other words, someone who used to work for H/K went to work for Marantz.

    Spin is pretty funny though. In this case "modern speaker" means any JBL 4-inch coiled driver manufactured anytime in the past sixty some years.

    These amps do look nice though. Marantz was my very first brand.

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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    I've used a number of amps... a vintage GAS Son of Ampzilla (80wpc), a Mark Levinson No 532 (400wpc), a Pass Labs XA30.5 (30wpc), a Halo A21 (250wpc), and currently a Hafler 9505 (250wpc). At one point I even had a pair of Atma Sphere OTL tube amps (100wpc) in here... no control at all, but the mids and highs were a real joy.

    First off I'll say that these speakers do present an issue on the bottom end with some amps, but I would also say that they are resolving enough to allow you to appreciate the different sonics of amps in general... back in the day, remembering our dear friend Julian Hirsch, there were so many issues with most loudspeakers that you were hard pressed to hear a difference between two properly working amps.

    I am not currently using the Haflers because I feel they are the best choice, though they are quite nice... excellent control of the bass and acceptable sonics up top... no I am using them because they are the best compromise of what I have at home at the moment. My overall favorite of the amps above was the little class A Pass Labs amp. Excellent control and a fabulous sound in the mids and highs... though it really wasn't quite enough power. I do think 200 wpc or better is required at least for the playback levels I like.

    In our showroom we had a similar bass control issue with the Everests. We found the bass to be quite full of "bass bloom" with the Bryston 28BSST˛ (1000 wpc) and it wasn't much better with the Mark Levinson No 433 (200wpc). We tried the Halo A21 (250wpc) and were impressed with the improved bass, enough for us to go upstream and we picked up a pair of the Halo JC-1s (400wpc)... these amps operate in class A for the first 25 watts have tons of current capability. The bass is extremely well behaved and the rest of the spectrum is detailed yet silky smooth. I'm considering getting a pair for my system. The down side is they are big, heavy, and produce a fair amount of heat... in standby they draw 250 watts each. Oh, and they are not inexpensive either... at $9K a pair.


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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    In other words, someone who used to work for H/K went to work for Marantz.

    Spin is pretty funny though. In this case "modern speaker" means any JBL 4-inch coiled driver manufactured anytime in the past sixty some years.

    These amps do look nice though. Marantz was my very first brand.


    Actually, I think "modern speaker" in Marantz's view was the B & W 800D. From what I could gather, it meant they built this amp to be able to drive those speakers and drive them very well. Not just from a 'great bass' definition. These amps are made for home use-not road/club use. Perhaps they have a bit more 'culture' than others.

    As a matter of fact, I really do not know how components are reviewed for the National rags or on-line publications, if they get kickbacks to recommend gear, but the quote was not from a Marantz representative-it was from someone who reviewed the amp and I think he may be well regarded in the audio world-but what do I know?
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    I have run the Jbl Array 1400's with a Bryston 4bsst squared Amplifier, 7b sst squared mono blocks And 28b sst squared amplifiers and did not discover the bass Bloom mentioned above. I found the Bryston's to be one of the most linear amplifiers I have run on the Array 1400's.

    Then again there slogan is "The first watt is as good as the last watt"

    IMO the Brystons are fantastic, and I have run many other amplifiers on the 1400's.

  14. #14
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    I don't want to derail the thread, but I didn't mean to dump on Bryston... I like them too, but on the Everest I did not like the 28BSST˛ mono blocks. I haven't tried any Brystons on the 1400 Arrays.


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    Senior Member andywin's Avatar
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    I use Musical Fidelity 550k's

    550W into 8 Ohms, just as it say's it says on the tin.

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