Salk HT3 Amp Advice

[83benz240]

I just ordered Salk Audio HT3's and 2 x 15" Rythik subs. I recently ordered an Emotiva XPA-2 amp before returning some B&W CM9's(before I ordered the HT3's). I have only a few days left in the trial period if I want to return the XPA-2 if people here feel that will not be enough to drive the HT3's.

So - will the XPA-2 have enough power to drive the HT3s?

If not, what amps are recommended here? I want to be able to drive these speakers hard but also not damage them.

Jim Salk said he uses the XPA-2 in his shop and said a lot of nice things about it but there has been some talk on this forum in the Loudspeaker section which makes me think the XPA-2 will not have enough to drive the HT3's sufficiently. Salk recommended the Van Alstine FET Valve 600R which is a $3,500 amp...

Any advice is greatly appreciated (even though it seems to drive me to spending all my $$$$ )

 

[Swerd]

Congrats on the HT-3s, a really fine speaker. It is a power hungry speaker, but the XPA-2 is plenty powerful. I don't know for certain if this amp is stable below 3 ohms impedance, but I suspect it will be fine for your speakers.

If Jim Salk says these amps can (and do) drive his speakers - you should take that to the bank.

What various posters on this forum say - not so much. Some of them, although they are nice guys, have been known to advise others to buy exaggerated and expensive levels of overkill that they themselves cannot afford.

Jim Salk has an agreement with Frank Van Alstine, who owns AVA. They both share display rooms at various audio shows around the country, and they both own each others' audio gear. Both make excellent products at very good prices. Frank Van Alstine has a pair of Salk HT-3 speakers and uses them as reference speakers when testing new amps. If you want another opinion, ask Frank. When he tries to sell you the FET Valve 600R, his top-of-the-line amp, be sure to tell him what your price limit is .

Dennis Murphy, who designed the HT-3 speaker, uses an older AVA amp, equivalent to the present day AVA Insight+ 260 amp. It is rated at 130 watts/channel and is stable as low as 2 ohms. He has driven other amps into failure with these speakers, but that AVA amp does well with them. I have heard that speaker driven by that amp at his house, and it drives them to very loud levels.

If you really want to spend the extra money, the AVA Insight+440 amp would be excellent. Ask Frank Van Alstine if he recommends the Double Die option for this amp, as it would allow the amp to deliver double the current.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would think the XPA-2 can power just about any speakers out there.

I'm planning on powering my Philharmonic 3 speakers with my Denon AVR-5308CI 150wpc.

 

[GranteedEV]

As I said in the other thread, the XPA-2 will be able to drive them fairly, but your criteria for "really loud" means that you could get near the edge of the amps limitations. It wouldn't surprise me if you clipped the amp. That doesn't mean it'll go around shutting down on you.

Again, different people have such varying definitions of loud so there's no telling what YOUR definition of loud is, and that's especially dependant on the dynamic content of what you're actually listening to.

I still suggest a Crown XLS-2500 over an XPA-2, and getting some 20A lines installed. One line for the dual 600w Rythmik subs and one line for the amplifier / receiver. I'd imagine the Crown has a good ~2-3db more headroom @ 3 ohms, and it's actually rated 2-ohm stable so stability is not a concern. It actually costs less than the Emotiva for what it's worth, so you'd save a few hundred not that it likely matters. I think it makes sense.