They are by no means easy speakers to drive. They perform best with low-distortion amplifiers delivering over 150 watts per channel. The cabinets need to be filled with iron filings or sand to reduce resonance, and they require solid stands underneath. They only truly shine when given the very best equipment you can offer. If you have the right room for them, they’ll give everything they’ve got.
Compared to current models, the bass is very slightly slower, but that’s only noticeable in direct comparison. However, their musicality is far superior—much superior. This was Mo Iqbal’s project featuring the famous C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium) drivers. They sound absolutely divine.
But they need proper amplification to perform as they should. Forget 80-watt amplifiers—unless they’re valve amps. They pair beautifully with anything powerful, and the more refined the amplifier, the better they sound.
The POA-6600A monoblocks are a perfect match, provided they’ve been modernised. They also pair well with powerful Classé amps, and PASS units are another good match. But they truly explode in musical quality when driven by VAC or CAT monoblocks.
The real madness happened when connected to Convergent Audio Technology JL5s.
Anyone reading this will think, “He’s crazy.”
But I’m not.
These are impressions built up over more than 20 years of living with them.
At home, they’re connected to modified 6600As, playing every day. If I ever decide to replace them, it’ll be a nightmare—very few speakers have ever sounded better here. And those that did could easily buy seven or eight complete systems like the ones I currently own.
In short: if you have good amplifiers, give them a try. If you don’t—forget it.
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