Pro Audio Review - June 2008 - (Page 24) STUDIO | REVIEW RECOMMENDED STUDIO AMPS Whenever I do a passive studio speaker review, I am always asked for amplifier recommendations. With powered speakers the dominant players these days, the pros have fewer choices, but if you look into the hi-fi market, companies there are still building plenty of amps to choose from and the features really are not different from the pro amps. •Bryston — Long-time Canadian amp manufacturer still makes some of the most versatile, accurate sounding amps with pro features. If you don’t need gobs of power, I would try the Bryston 4B SST at 300 wpc, priced at $3,499. The 14B SST, priced at $5,900, will power most any speakers for big rooms — with more than 600 wpc on tap. Contact: www.bryston.ca •Hot House — Richard Rose and Co. are still making pro and hifi amps. The standard standby SV Stereo 400 (200 wpc) is a nice-sounding amp, priced at $2,299. Contact: www.hothousepro.com •Pass Labs — Nelson Pass of Threshold fame has been producing his namesake line since the early 1990s. The MOSFET XA and X series are the best for the pros. They are not cheap, but I like the X350.5 ($9,500) for medium and big speaker rooms, and the $5,000 XA 30.5 for closefield setups. Contact: www.passlabs.com •Legacy/Coda PowerBloc — Legacy sells an OEM bipolar amplifier, produced by amp/preamp manufacturer Coda, rated at 300 wpc. I own two Coda preamps and have used the Coda amps. Transparent and analytical. $3,800. Contact: www.legacyaudio.com •Lipinski Sound — The clever, in-stand design L-301 make Lipinski’s and other speakers come alive. They feature bridged mono (600 w) stereo 300 wpc or parallel power modes and are priced at $4,000 each. Contact: www.lipinskisound.com •Parasound — The NewClassic line of Parasound amps are still sleepers with their lower cost and good sounding Class A/B bipolar output. I like the two channel Model 2250 (250 W) as well as the five-channel Model 5125 for small 5.1 rooms. Contact: www.parasound.com •Monster Cable — That’s right folks. Monster Cable’s big MOSFET 250 wpc amp, Model MPA-2250, priced at $2,499 is one pretty sounding amp that has plenty of headroom. In fact, a LA mix engineer turned me on to the amp. Contact: www.monstercable.com •Behringer — Bang for your buck is Behringer’s A500 160 wpc traditional Class A/B bipolar output amp. Not in the league of the Pass or Bryston, but pretty darn good for a couple of hundred bucks. Shockingly good. Contact: www.behringer.com — John Gatski LEGACY Continued From Page 23 to-moderate levels, but produce a bit of harsh sonic haze and edge when cranked up. You can’t listen like that for very long. I also tried the Studio HDs out in the middle of the room as a midfield monitor to see how it projected the sound from 7 to 8 feet. It was not as effective as the much bigger, Legacy Focus, but it was as effective as the standalone Lipinski L505s with more low bass. The Lipinskis need a subwoofer for any bass under 75 Hz. As for negatives with this monitor, I had none. It sounds great, it looks good, it’s easy to place and offers the flexibility of choosing your own amp. The only negative is that Legacy is an orderonly company and you can’t march down to your local dealer and get a quick audition. You get a 30-day audition with a money back guarantee and free pickup if you don’t like them … and I’m doubtful that you wouldn’t like them. | SUMMARY For those facilities where great closefield speaker accuracy is desired and the pocketbook does not mind plunking extra coin for a good old fashioned amplifier, the Legacy Studio HDs are hard to beat. The deal gets better if you already have a good amp sitting in the gear closet. John Gatski is Publisher/Executive Editor of Pro Audio Review. 24 | ProAudio Review | June 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.bryston.ca http://www.hothousepro.com http://www.passlabs.com http://www.legacyaudio.com http://www.lipinskisound.com http://www.parasound.com http://www.monstercable.com http://www.behringer.com http://www.linearsystems.com http://www.proaudioreview.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.