Thread: Amp suggestions for NS-10s?

cool,

I helped build, install the sound and then DJ'd a dance club years back. We only played 45 RPM long play vinyl. Its when I was first introduced to high end masters and tracks before they were cut down for radio etc. Some of the long play 45's sounded amazing. We fitted the club with Crown amps and all JBL. The bass was amazing. We used 6, 18"
front loaded JBL, mids and 2445 highs. Wow was how it all sounded. The specs on them were the best of all the amps we looked at. I later took part of that system on the road and started a techno duo. We used all JBL, all front loaded but used Carver, Yamaha and Bryston. Nothing compared to the Crowns for bass.

I've owned a couple of P.A.'s. My little 4-way was all JBL speakers and mostly Crown power. A pair of 4530's for sub, 4560's for low/mids, 2395 lens with 2440 drivers for upper mids and a couple of potato mashers for tweets. Crowns for all the power except the subs which was a BGW 750. TDM crossovers and an old beat to death PM1000 Yammie. Symetrix compressors and Yamaha Rev7's. It was a small but very very good sounding system. You could throw a grill cloth over it and swear you were listening to home theater speakers. It was all short throw so it worked well in smaller venues.

I kinda miss that sort of thing but not enough to ever want to move that kind of weight around again.

Originally Posted by RemyRAD

My main monitor amp is my old vintage Crown DC 300 A type II.

I have one of those that I've been meaning to repair that I use for keeping doors open. Heavy old beastie. Every time I bring it out, I wonder if they used a lot of lead in its construction.

i can't get old amps worked on in my neck of the woods.

i take them to the local "studio tech guru" and he looks at me like i am coming from mars. says they're too old to fix .... no parts support from the manufacture /out of business.

somthing like a new crown or qsc ... passive cooling 200 watts @ 8 ohms.

I understand there are those Crown DC 300 amplifiers that supposedly, can't be repaired due to discontinued parts? Lead? Feels like lead but it's all beefy iron and mostly from that single gargantuan transformer on the back. Because you needed a huge electromagnetic field to transfer huge power to your speakers. Now we have class D. Huge amplifiers are now quite lightweight. Basically a modification of a computer switching power supply as the power supply and as the amplifier. So your old DC 300 may in fact be nothing more than a doorstop? And it used a very early integrated circuit chip, might be like trying to find a original Neumann U-47 tube? I haven't heard of any good retrofit modifications? At least any that you'd want to use? Though it might be fine for driving a hysteresis synchronous capstan drive motor for an old analog tape recorder?

It's really hard to find those brand-new parts for your Duesenberg.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Yup, lots of doorstops. Some of those will be priceless and some are just junk.

1956-synthesizer.jpg


http://www.recording.org/etude/

=bigtree;391970
I need a new amp for my Tannoys.

I am very happy at home with a Bryston 4B driving my Tannoy DMT 10s although a 3B would probably be adequate.

I have built 4 (television) control rooms using Brystons to drive Tannoy DMT 12s & people were happy with the results.

To get back to the OP's question, I have always used Bryston 2BLPs for NS-10s. A lower cost alternative might be to find a used Crown D75 on ebay...try to get one with the black face and the stepped level controls. Even cheaper might be an old consumer Adcom GFA-535 on ebay.

I have also used a 3-channel Yamaha E492 as a power amp(again cheap on ebay) successfully with Tannoy Saturn home-style loudspeakers.

The idea of a tube Mac driving the NS-10s makes me uncomfortable. I agree that it sounds like a good match BUT remember these things are not supposed to sound accurate or good....they are, like Auratones, just a well-known reference.

btw, I have purchased 27 Bryston power amps in my career and not one has ever caused any problem either to themselves or to the attached speakers. I can't say that about all of the power amps that I have installed over the years. The big point about them however for me has been the convenience of the VCA option that allows a remote DC pot to control the level.

When funds permit, a Bryston 3B has always been on my list. s up