How many watts per channel do you run with?

Gary and John,

Yes true for steady state current draw, but not for millisecond transient peaks.

The circuit breaker and wire will easily allow two, three and even more, than the rated current for a short duration, without, the breaker tripping or the wire heating up.

So, even though the system could be playing along with a few to several hundred watts of rms, peaks could be in the thousands without clipping.

Bruce

Indeed, that's why a Sunfire 400 ~ seven has a 15 Amp fuse (1800W max) even though the amp is capable of drawing 2800W.

M-400a with the Lascalas. Shear magic

M-400a with the Lascalas. Shear magic

You should really try tubes.

M-400a with the Lascalas. Shear magic

You should really try tubes.

No Thank You

You are missing out, BIG time. Tubes and horns are a match made in heaven.

You are missing out, BIG time. Tubes and horns are a match made in heaven.

Yep-- I ran a pair of Klipschorns with two little ASL 20 watt mono's--sweetness abounded,,you really owe it to yourself to try it.Have fun.

You are missing out, BIG time. Tubes and horns are a match made in heaven.

I totally agree.

The big thing is don't go in with pre conceptions, try different things to hear it for yourself. You are the only one that knows what sounds good to you.

Good point Roy,, I recently heard a pair of single driver "horns" driven by a 2 watt SET amp--makes you wanna re-think all this power mumbo-jumbo--prior to pushing my K-Horns with tubes--I had some Adcom 555's bridged mono's (gawd awful)--I think back about it and think how much I did not know at the time,plus all the great music that I could have been listening to with tubes.Just my .02 worth.

Okay, here's the deal with tubes. First I have no interest in maintaining these things. From what I been hearing, most people I know that have them seem to spend more time screwing with them then enjoying them. Another thing I hear is that they are always swapping tubes searching for a certain sound. I guess different tubes produce different sounds. They are always looking for ways to tweak then and upgrade them.I don't know much about tube amps I guess. But I just don't want to be bothered with all that. Another thing I'm hearing is that I would be more impressed with the results of a tube pre amp the a tube amp.

To be honest, I don't think I want to invest money in an amp just to find out I really don't like the difference then I'm stuck with something I don't want. Yeah, I guess I can always sell it but then I have that to do and maybe at a loss? Ya never know and I'm not in the selling business and don't want to be.

Besides, my M-400a has given me the exact sound I have wanted since the day I took it out of the box way back in 1981. All I ever have to do with my 400a is turn it on and crank it up and it delivers the most clean, natural sound, time and time again. I have heard tubes before on various equipment including Lascalas. Was I impressed? Evidently not, I'm still using the M-400a and for me to go with a Tube amp with the power of an M-400a the cost would be way more then I care to spend on an amp. Maybe a 5-10 watt tube amp can satisfy some of you folks but it wouldn't even begin to do it for me. Not that the 400a goes beyond that level, actually it rarely does but it's nice to know it can when I want it too!!

BUT, if someone here wanted to donate a pair of Silver 7's to the cause.......

Mains ( ALS ) 650 each

Surround ( AL-III,s ) 350 each

Center ( Paradigm CC 390 ) 225

Sub ( Paradigm ) 275....

First I have no interest in maintaining these things. From what I been hearing, most people I know that have them seem to spend more time screwing with them then enjoying them. Another thing I hear is that they are always swapping tubes searching for a certain sound. I guess different tubes produce different sounds. They are always looking for ways to tweak then and upgrade them.I don't know much about tube amps I guess. But I just don't want to be bothered with all that.

Tube gear is not a hassle, in fact, it's fun. Hell, there are even tubes amps that are self-biasing today.

Another thing I'm hearing is that I would be more impressed with the results of a tube pre amp the a tube amp.

That would depend on a number of factors, but that's certainly not the gospel. For horns, I'd recommend tubes all around.

Besides, my M-400a has given me the exact sound I have wanted since the day I took it out of the box way back in 1981.

Kinda hard to know about the exact sound if you haven't tried anything else in your system since 1981! Believe me, there are far better amps out there.

Tube amp with the power of an M-400a the cost would be way more then I care to spend on an amp. Maybe a 5-10 watt tube amp can satisfy some of you folks but it wouldn't even begin to do it for me.

That's a common misconception. The fact is that a tube amp can be 2 to 3 times less powerful (rated wpc) and yet play as loudly as a SS amp because tube amps soft clip, while SS amps hard clip. You'd be surprised how loud 10 tube watts can get. I don't know off the top of my head the efficiency of your speakers, but I'm guessing around 105dB. So, at one watt of amp (tube or SS) power, they are producing an SPL level of 105dB. At two watts they are at 108dB, 4 watts is 111db, 8 watts is 114dB.

At CF two years ago I think some folks got a wake up call. The 9t SS blocks rated at what, 575wpc were at least matched, if not surpassed in volume by a pair of 180wpc tube blocks, which also sounded a helluva lot better too.


For S&G's, there's a 50wpc VTL tube amp for sale right here for the paltry sum of $675.00 that I guarantee will smoke the M-400a.

First I have no interest in maintaining these things. From what I been hearing, most people I know that have them seem to spend more time screwing with them then enjoying them. Another thing I hear is that they are always swapping tubes searching for a certain sound. I guess different tubes produce different sounds. They are always looking for ways to tweak then and upgrade them.I don't know much about tube amps I guess. But I just don't want to be bothered with all that.

Tube gear is not a hassle, in fact, it's fun. Hell, there are even tubes amps that are self-biasing today.

Another thing I'm hearing is that I would be more impressed with the results of a tube pre amp the a tube amp.

That would depend on a number of factors, but that's certainly not the gospel. For horns, I'd recommend tubes all around.

Besides, my M-400a has given me the exact sound I have wanted since the day I took it out of the box way back in 1981.

Kinda hard to know about the exact sound if you haven't tried anything else in your system since 1981! Believe me, there are far better amps out there.

Tube amp with the power of an M-400a the cost would be way more then I care to spend on an amp. Maybe a 5-10 watt tube amp can satisfy some of you folks but it wouldn't even begin to do it for me.

That's a common misconception. The fact is that a tube amp can be 2 to 3 times less powerful (rated wpc) and yet play as loudly as a SS amp because tube amps soft clip, while SS amps hard clip. You'd be surprised how loud 10 tube watts can get. I don't know off the top of my head the efficiency of your speakers, but I'm guessing around 105dB. So, at one watt of amp (tube or SS) power, they are producing an SPL level of 105dB. At two watts they are at 108dB, 4 watts is 111db, 8 watts is 114dB.

At CF two years ago I think some folks got a wake up call. The 9t SS blocks rated at what, 575wpc were at least matched, if not surpassed in volume by a pair of 180wpc tube blocks, which also sounded a helluva lot better too.


For S&G's, there's a 50wpc VTL tube amp for sale right here for the paltry sum of $675.00 that I guarantee will smoke the M-400a.

I don't consider $675 a paltry sum. Also, I did mention I have heard Lascalas with tube amps before and I wasn't impressed, not enough to spend $675!! I also mentioned that I rarly do crank beyond 5-10 watts but on occasson I like to get insane. Sure, I know there are probably many amps out there that are better then the M-400 series but I have been and am completely satisfied with what I have. With 8 years in the Army and living in the barracks in Germany, I had the opportunity to audition just about every brand of vintage audio ever produced. Between 1980 and 1984 it was nothing short of stereo wars in those days

I understand this is a hobby to many people and those people are always chasing after something. Whether it being to get better sound, upgrading for the sake of upgrading or just to show off, whatever the reason, I don't fit those catagories. I feel I have the best sound I can acheive that is satisfying to me. Its clean,quiet,it can be earth shaking and window breaking. I have never had the need or never cared to impress anyone and I never cared to just buy gear for the sake of buying gear or to just audition different sounds. I love it live. I think I have gotten real close to that. With over 40 years of attending live concerts and some of those with in studio experience, I think I have some understanding of the sound I was looking to get, short of actually having DIO performing in my living room that is. Just about all my gear has been refurbished and sounding as sweet as the day it was bought, with the exception of my 3bx and EQ which are next to be done.

I assume, one day, with the efforts of a few guys here and the few at Audio Karma that maybe one day, I just may break down and get a tube amp. Like I said before, if there's anyone here that wants to donate a pair of Silver 7T's to the cause.....................

I have 600 watts a channel at 8 ohms!!!

I have a Carver Pro. PT1800 running my ALIII's which have upgraded JL W6 sub drivers! The subs pull 350 watts a channel EACH by themselves!

7T's on the Klipsch would be deafening LOL.