Thanks very much for your
informative review of the Rockport Technologies Ankaas. I am also a big fan of
Rockport speakers and of the Mira specifically. I know that Andy Payor prefers to use
high-powered solid-state amps to drive his speakers, as they are of average sensitivity. I
know his speakers are nominally rated as 4-ohm speakers, but I am not sure how benign or,
conversely, how difficult a load they represent to the partnering amp across the frequency
spectrum. I checked both your review and Jeff's review
of the Mira but there were no accompanying speaker measurements that showed impedance
and/or phase measurements across the frequency spectrum.
Do you know if there are any material dips in impedance at
any point in the frequency curve that would represent a difficult load to the partnering
amp for both the Mira and the Ankaa? Secondly, what equipment did you use to drive the
Ankaa during your review period? Did you try any tube amps and were they successful in
driving the Ankaas? I have heard the Miras with ARC REF 110s multiple times at my dealer
and they seem to do a sufficiently good job of driving them, but I can't help but wonder
if they are missing out on the dynamics front a bit given the ARC's 110Wpc power rating.
Thanks for your response in advance.
Sincerely,
Cyril
Glad you enjoyed the review. Unfortunately, I have never
had the opportunity to try an amp other than my Classé CA-2200 when the Ankaas were in my
home. The CA-2200 is a very good amp and is rated at 200W into 8 ohms and 400W into 4
ohms. The Classé amp had no problem getting the lowest notes from the Ankaa. While I
suspect a strong amplifier is needed to get the best from the Ankaa, I also suspect even a
moderately powered amplifier can get a lot out of them.
I do own a pair of Miras, which are also a three-way
speaker with drivers of the same size. Since I have owned the Miras, I have used a Nuforce
MCH-3SE-C7 (power amp), a Coda Amplifier 11 (power amp), a Bel Canto 300sui (integrated
amp), and a Simaudio 600i (integrated amp). As you can imagine, all of the amps have their
own sonic signature, but all were able to drive the Miras just fine. The Coda amp provided
the deepest bass while the Classé amp seemed to be the most neutral. The important point
I am trying to make is that the Miras are sensitive enough to sound great regardless of
the amp's power, but neutral to the point that they will also reveal the weaknesses of the
partnering amplifier.
I did pose your question to Andy Payor as well, and this
was his response: "The Ankaa is rated as a 4-ohm load and its impedance doesn't dip
down below 3.5 ohms anywhere, and at this impedance minima the phase angle is essentially
zero, so it won't be difficult for the partnering amp to deliver current into the load.
The maximum phase angle is about 24 degrees and is in conjunction with about a 5-ohm load,
so again the reactive component of the impedance should be no trouble for any competent
amp, tube or solid state." Hope this helps. . . . Randall Smith
Devilsound, Ayre, and computer audio
March 2, 2010
Editor,
I just read your review of
the Devilsound DAC and I think our tastes are similar enough to trouble you with one
of those dreaded "this or that" questions.
I have a modestly good system without the computer side:
Sony SCD-1 as primary SACD player or as a transport into a Muse II DAC, which goes
into Wavac MD300B amplifiers driving Omega Super 6 Alnico single-driver speakers
(having given up the Koechels for space). I'm now experimenting with USB output of
lossless ripped CDs and have been impressed how "not bad" the sound was taken
through a Music Streamer directly into the Wavac.
I know the Muse is a little long in the tooth, and
technology has come a long way. So the question is whether to simply use maybe a
Devilsound or Music Streamer+ into the amp and continue using the Muse as a SACD/CD-only
component, or to replace the Muse with something that is USB compatible, perhaps the MHDT
Havana or Ayre. What do you think? Thanks so much. And if I'm missing a better way
forward, I'm all ears.
Doug
The answer depends on whether you see music streaming
from a computer as a huge part of what is already quite an impressive line-up of
components you’ve assembled. The Devilsound DAC is certainly a great way to get into
computer audio reasonably and without much hassle. The sound is quite good, as you read in
my review, and I’m quite sure you’d be impressed with its sound given your
current DAC. If you think you will want to do computer-based audio in a more serious way,
one that handily surpasses what you have now as a source, then going the way of the Ayre QB-9 is
certainly a great choice. With the right computer setup -- with the Ayre as your
centerpiece -- you will have sound that will eclipse your older Sony/Muse combination
easily. So it really it depends on how deep you want to go. Either way, you have some
really good alternatives to listen to. . . . Jeff Fritz
