bridging option for WD88

[john & Jake the dog]

Hi Phil,
My trouble is I've grown up with Isobariks and though my systems have changed I always come back to them.
Dark and brooding is addictive for me.
The clarity of valves though was enlightening.
I will have to bite the bullet though and sell the Isobariks, clarity is addictive.
Just need to be sure to find a speaker that has midrange clarity coupled to dark and forboding bass.

Hi Mike,
Your amp seems a good match for the Isobariks, it even civilised the midrange colouration a bit, hence my willingness to explore avenues in a bid to use /keep them.
They need power though and my system went a different route when I bought the Kel, front end is sorted just need to find a willing partners for the 84.

[Shian7]

Hi John,

Yep I understand. Your KEL84 sounded mighty fine with my Castle's though, which are a fairly easy load. I wonder if these might be of interest to you?:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Castle-Inversi...QQcmdZViewItem

Best wishes,
Mike.

[soulminer]

Originally Posted by john & Jake the dog

Hi Mike,
Your amp seems a good match for the Isobariks, it even civilised the midrange colouration a bit, hence my willingness to explore avenues in a bid to use /keep them.

John. This may sound silly, but surely the easiest route now is to sell the Kel and simply buy a WD88 kit if you know they drive the 'bariks well and you like the sound?

[john & Jake the dog]

Hi Phil,
sorry I didn't answer your question.
I haven't tried big modern speakers with the 84, had an extremely brief listen to it with Mikes, so couldn't form an opinion.
I have tried rega Alyas, which really shouldn't be call Hi Fi, so they are now either side of the tele.
B & W 601's were too ponderous in the bass, sending me to sleep with not a dynamic in sight.
My little Clydes do really well and I think they have spoilt me a littl, but they just aren't big enough.
Isobariks are a bit cultish, if people haven't heard them extensively, they generally don't like them, but if you live with them, then nothing comes close.
But, as you say an adjustment may be needed.

[john & Jake the dog]

Hi Lee,
I get very attached to items that get the job done and generally stay with them, hard to believe I know
I am very attached to the 84's midrange and feel that it has bass aplenty given the right speakers.
I don't know whether I would get the clarity of midrange with the 88 or not, with the combinations that were tried when I swapped with Mike it was impossible to tell.

The 84 being the newer kid on the block I am loath to ditch it, in fact I have started on the mods road, so in the near future The Bariks will have to go

[Shian7]

John!

Your KEL84 would be brilliant with these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Castle-Inversi...QQcmdZViewItem

[john & Jake the dog]

Originally Posted by Shian7

John!

Your KEL84 would be brilliant with these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Castle-Inversi...QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry Mike, meant to reply first time,
I bought my Isobariks after a dem at Lintone Audio
They may be a little bit more than I can persuade Alyson to let me use my flexible friend on
I feel simple may be the way to go with the 84, a WD kit, a DIY quarter wave design full range driver, maybe.I just have to be sure regarding bass quality.

[Shian7]

Hence the 'extended listen' invitation!

Wanna swap speakers for a weekend?
Or maybe I could invite you and family for a curry or BBQ one day? I'm a pretty formidable cook you know!

[Phil Y]

Hello again John, one other thought comes to mind. Rather than bridging you could simply tie both channels together on one stereo power amp. By this i mean plug the input into both channels and then tie both left and right speaker outputs together, + to + and - to -. This would give the same voltage output but twice the current drive. What this would sound like in practice i don't know though and you would need 2 stereo amps to try it. Having said i'm still of the opinion that new speakers are the way to go. I did hear a pair of Isobariks many years ago, i fancy i would find them rather slow and lacking life now, but as i say, it was a long time ago. If you are enjoying the clarity of the valve amp it suggests that this is the path to follow, you just need to find the right speakers for you. The thing about [u]good[u] modern speakers is that you can have all the detail and life that tends to come with efficient speakers but the low colouration that came with big complicated, difficult to drive speakers of the 70s/80s

Cheers, Phil.

[Shian7]

Hmmmm.....interesting idea. But, would that not be the same, or very similar to, bi-amping?

Cheers,
Mike.