Apogee Duetta

[Aron]

Hi!
I just got my hand on a nice pair of these speakers. Because of the long distance the speakers will be stored at my brother's house until i can arrange safe shipping.
My first ribbon speakers so i could need some advice about how to get them sounding right. I need a new amp for them so before i could afford a big Krell or like it would be nice to get advice for affordable amplifiers that work well.
Advice for maintaining would also be great!
Thanks
Aron

[samurai]

Hello Aron, congrats!

I've only had owned 2 pairs of Apogee Stages so I can't give you any good advice.
If Michael our HK apogee guru is reading this, he'll surely advise you as he owns a fully restored pair of Duetta Signature (actively driven) himself.

On the other hand, you can make use of this to search on the old Apogee forum archive for more information:
http://www.apogeeacoustics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22

Chi

[Aron]

Thanks Chi
I am searching the net for info, specially the replacement of panels issue. The speakers are supposed to be fully working and up to specs but i hope to be prepared if damage.
Aron

[samurai]

Aron, your best bet is the stuff that Graz makes in Australia.
Michael had his sent all the way there to be fully restored.

Touch wood you won't be needing these info but prices are here:
http://www.apogeeacoustics.com/repairsapogeeribbons.html

As far as I know, the bass panels cannot be fitted by yourself and must be done by 'approved installers'.

I find Duetta very smooth sounding and minimal fatigue, can listen for hours!
The last pair i've heard was in Singapore driven by a full set of Spectral gears.

In case you overlook, plenty of apogee systems on audiogon for you to read up on

[Aron]

Thanks  Chi, i"ll look up on gnon
Aron

[jaspert]

What about some newer Class D amp (500w/4ohm) from Wyred4Sound or a Denmark brand (? ) without the brand name price mark up like Bel Canto?

Someone offered me a pair of Apogee Mini Grand yesterday but I had to decline.

[samurai]

IMHO, quad 57 is much better than the Apogee Stage/Mini Grand...because that's what I did, I sold my Mini Grand for the ESL57 

[rfgumby]

I believe the Duettas have a far more difficult time being driven than their approximately 5 ohm impedance would lead you to believe.  A friend who used to have them was never happy with anything shy of 200 watts per channel.  I think with moderate listening levels you could get by with a 100wpc amp.  If you're a tube aficionado, you may want to try them with Speltz Zeroformers to make the load easier for a tube amp to "see", without much sonic degradation.

They do sound awesome though, somewhere between Quad ESL's and Magnepans, which certainly can't be bad!

[jaspert]

IMHO, quad 57 is much better than the Apogee Stage/Mini Grand...because that's what I did, I sold my Mini Grand for the ESL57 

Chi,

You just make a little happier ..

[hatehifi]

What about some newer Class D amp (500w/4ohm) from Wyred4Sound or a Denmark brand (? ) without the brand name price mark up like Bel Canto?

Someone offered me a pair of Apogee Mini Grand yesterday but I had to decline.

I've run into several Apogees and always thought they need a serious power supply. I have no idea if class D will drive them. All my auditions were with Spectral, Gryphon and Krell and found Krell to take 3rd place. I have heard them with other amps (never with tubes though) and always found the results 'primitive', that is, lacking a lot of what pushes my hot button. Class D might work - anybody know for sure?

I agree with Scott, there is a lively Maggi-like / Quad sound that is quite beguiling. I was offered a pair before I owned my Gryphon Tabu otherwise I might still have them... 

[GP49]

I agree with Scott, there is a lively Maggi-like / Quad sound that is quite beguiling.

I knew that instantly when, as a late-teens kid, I walked into an audio store on College Avenue in Berkeley and heard a pair of Quads playing an RCA LP with guitarist John Williams.  At the time, Quad ESLs list-priced about the same as the AR-3 (though ARs were discounted). 

But the typical-kid problem arose; no money...

[Aron]

Thanks for all info.
The more i read about it on the net, the more i look forward to recieve them. Right amplifier and placement seems to be the key. I could borrow my classD from the horn setup but i doubt it will be very good for that. I might get a Dynamic Precision that might do the trick.
Aron

[rfgumby]

Try to avoid "networked" cables on them.  You know, MIT, Transparent, etc.  Anything with an inline band pass filter or compensating network will further sap the power available to the Apogees, which is not a good thing.  And the phase issues created by those types of cabling will show up almost immediately on the Apogees, and it would be a shame to blame the speakers for the faults of those types of "magic box" cables.  They have their place, and work well occasionally, but this won't be one of those cases.

[Aron]

Try to avoid "networked" cables on them.  You know, MIT, Transparent, etc.  Anything with an inline band pass filter or compensating network will further sap the power available to the Apogees, which is not a good thing.  And the phase issues created by those types of cabling will show up almost immediately on the Apogees, and it would be a shame to blame the speakers for the faults of those types of "magic box" cables.  They have their place, and work well occasionally, but this won't be one of those cases.

Hi Scott,
thanks for the tip. I have never had mutch apetite for network cables but i heard a setup with big MIT Oracles speakercables that sounded marvelous and felt sonmething was missing next time when he had changed to another more normal cable. Anyway this kind of cables are way off my budget and priority and i might need a rope when my wife finds out what is heading for our house
Aron

[Aron]

What about some newer Class D amp (500w/4ohm) from Wyred4Sound or a Denmark brand (? ) without the brand name price mark up like Bel Canto?

Someone offered me a pair of Apogee Mini Grand yesterday but I had to decline.

Hi
I have a pair of ClassD amplifiers (Midgard audio) rated at 250w/8Ohm and doubling to 500w/4Ohm. Manual say 2 ohm as recommended limit so i hope it will be ok to start with. I found some threads where classD is recommended for Apogee so it will be nice to try out before getting the right guy for the job.
Aron