jeff's eight
Active Member
Any suggestions? I am thinking tube pre and s.s. amp.
Budget $2,000 ea. Up to 5 years old ok.
Room 14 x 16 x 8.
Budget $2,000 ea. Up to 5 years old ok.
Room 14 x 16 x 8.
Amp and Pre to match Altec M500's?
- Thread starter jeff's eight
- Start date
What's age got to do with gear? Those M500's are old, some of the best gear is old, it just needs to be checked out and updated.
I'd run those on an all tube setup and with a total budget of 4K there is a lot to choose from.
Join Barter Town, there are always very nice amps/preamps for sale. There are a few on there right now that won't come close to your budget and will make those speakers sing.
So tell us the story on how you found these, they are quite rare.
BillWojo
I'd run those on an all tube setup and with a total budget of 4K there is a lot to choose from.
Join Barter Town, there are always very nice amps/preamps for sale. There are a few on there right now that won't come close to your budget and will make those speakers sing.
So tell us the story on how you found these, they are quite rare.
BillWojo
jeff's eight
Active Member
Bill,
I recently had an HH Scott receiver rebuilt, the 340a, and would rather buy a finished newer product next time around.
I heard a pair of the M500s at a local Hifi store and was taken by them so I bought a pair and had them modded some.
I have been advised to avoid older solid state equipment. Circuitry concerns I believe. Another fellow whose opinion
I also value likes tube preamps with ss amps so this is the direction I am focused on at this point. I want a lot
of power as I recently heard the Quad 2905s and they are power hungry. So basically I would love something that will work
with both the Quads and the Altecs but the future is more likely the Quads.
Is there more on Barter Town than I will see on US Audio, Audiogon and eBay?
Damac,
Thanks for the tip on the MC225 amp. I read up on that and it sounds extremely very intriguing. However I have a receiver of the same
vintage which also produces 25wpc and runs on 4 x 7591 tubes. The Mac is no doubt a step up but in the end would likely
seem to be too much of the same. I do hope to find one to listen to.
I recently had an HH Scott receiver rebuilt, the 340a, and would rather buy a finished newer product next time around.
I heard a pair of the M500s at a local Hifi store and was taken by them so I bought a pair and had them modded some.
I have been advised to avoid older solid state equipment. Circuitry concerns I believe. Another fellow whose opinion
I also value likes tube preamps with ss amps so this is the direction I am focused on at this point. I want a lot
of power as I recently heard the Quad 2905s and they are power hungry. So basically I would love something that will work
with both the Quads and the Altecs but the future is more likely the Quads.
Is there more on Barter Town than I will see on US Audio, Audiogon and eBay?
Damac,
Thanks for the tip on the MC225 amp. I read up on that and it sounds extremely very intriguing. However I have a receiver of the same
vintage which also produces 25wpc and runs on 4 x 7591 tubes. The Mac is no doubt a step up but in the end would likely
seem to be too much of the same. I do hope to find one to listen to.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
Altec M500 was designed to handle 250 watts RMS and over 500 watts peaks. Its only moderately efficient at 96.5 db 1 watt. using a 3154 woofer. Of course the HF driver has been attenuated almost 10 db to match, but what ever amp you choose don't ever allow it to clip. Hafler made a great 200+ watt FET amp that sound great. The Altec woofer can be a little sloppy so stay away from tube amps if you want the best woofer performance. Crown reference amps are another choice. They only made two models. I would want a Mac 7200 as it has power guard to protect the Horns. If it were me I wouldn't be to close to the speakers so as to give the woofer and horn a chance to blend. So if you sit over 10 ft away you are going to loose a minimum of 10 db. So that makes the speakers 86.5 1 watt 10 ft. So to reach concert level you will need close to reach short peak levels of 105 db. Now room Gain might add a few db more. Now if you want to feel bass you will need the two speakers to develop 110 db, which these two speakers can do for you with a great 200 watt per channel amp.
The reason I recommend the Mac MC 7200 is it doesn't have auto formers, puts out 256 watts rms and 325 watts peak with less than a .1% distortion, as the Power Guard turns on to prevent clipping . It has VU meters that are very accurate and will allow to monitor your speakers until you recognize when your speakers are starting to stress. If you had an unlimited budget I would recommend either the currently produced MC 302 or a pair of MC 301's. They do have autoformers, but the amps are much more advanced than the ones used in the 80's. which was when the 7200 was manufactured. In case your wonder a 7200 can drive loads below 2 ohms safely with over 600 watt out put. per channel.
The reason I recommend the Mac MC 7200 is it doesn't have auto formers, puts out 256 watts rms and 325 watts peak with less than a .1% distortion, as the Power Guard turns on to prevent clipping . It has VU meters that are very accurate and will allow to monitor your speakers until you recognize when your speakers are starting to stress. If you had an unlimited budget I would recommend either the currently produced MC 302 or a pair of MC 301's. They do have autoformers, but the amps are much more advanced than the ones used in the 80's. which was when the 7200 was manufactured. In case your wonder a 7200 can drive loads below 2 ohms safely with over 600 watt out put. per channel.
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