To Garrett Hongo,
I really appreciated your descriptive review of the deHavilland KE50A mono amps. So much so that I’m considering their purchase. The system I’d like to finalize by next year centers around the Legacy Whisper XD speakers. The amps I’m considering are the Ayon Titan, EAR 890, or the DH 50As (plus Mercury 3 preamp). The one area I’m a stickler about is the noise of the tube amps. I know the Ayons are reputedly very quiet. Would you be so kind as to offer your perspective on how quiet the amp is, and with the Mercury pre as well? Looking forward to your upcoming reviews.
Regards and thanks,
Bruno
Thank you for your comments! They're gratifying to hear.
The deHavilland KE50A monoblocks are extremely quiet, particularly with the deHavilland Mercury preamp -- my own reference electronics. However, I'm not familiar with the Legacy Whisper speakers you mention, though I've heard other Legacy speakers. I'm somewhat familiar with the Ayon line of amps, as I own a "relative" of sorts made by VAIC/Mastersound in Italy. Of course, Ayon has its own designs and has created some fine amps, exceptionally engineered. But I'm not familiar with one called the Titan. There is an Ayon KT88 amp called the Triton.
I've also reviewed the EAR 890 stereo amp and think highly of it.
It might boil down to a question of power and matching with your speakers. The KE50As are about 40W of output, the EAR 890 70W, and the Ayon Triton 125W.
The KE50As drive my Von Schweikert Audio VR5 HSE speakers (91dB/6 ohm) very well in a smallish 12' x 15' x 8.5' room. If your room isn't too large, I should think this would be an excellent match. Why not contact Kara Chaffee, owner and chief engineer of deHavilland? She's extremely affable, wants her clients to be completely happy, and can perhaps advise you in even better detail than I.
However, if your room is medium to large, you might look at the EAR 890 or Ayon Triton as alternatives. The 890 has plenty of giddyup. I haven't heard the Triton, but I like most all Ayon electronics. Good luck! . . . Garrett Hongo
