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I'm often asked about which speakers go well with a an updated Stereo 120, a GT-101, or a GT-102 stereo power amplifier. The quick answer is that it's a good match to most speakers out there. The few exceptions might be very low efficiency speakers or speakers with impedance on the low side of 4 Ohms. Still, I thought it would be helpful to survey customers to ask about the speakers they were using. So I surveyed the mailing lists, and received more than 100 responses. The survey was taken in August of 2019. The responses are tabulated below.
There was a wide diversity in the responses. Dynaco A-25's were mentioned most often, but then so were KEFs, and speakers built from kits. Speakers are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, then by model number. The quanity of responses reporting a particular model is denoted by a bracketed number after the model number.
I've now added a review of the pairing of Quad 57's with the amplifier. Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share about the way your speakers sound with a GT-102? Send it along!
One of my customers, Randy, is a long-time fan of the Quad 57 electrostatic loudspeakers. He contributed this very positive review of the pairing of Quad 57's with a Stereo 120 using Updatemydynaco modules. The GT-102 has essentially that design with just a few more upgrades: a speaker muting relay, a slightly higher current power supply, and bigger heatsinks. Here's what Randy had to say:
.I have been using a rebuilt pair of Quads 57 speakers (from Quads Unlimited,now out of business from what I can tell) with Dan's Update My Dynaco ST120 for about two years. (Editor's note- the GT-102 uses a somewhat upgraded version of this design and technology). I built four of them for a project that was never completed and have used these updated 120 amps as well as several other brands of amps.
The first thing I noticed was the resolution and detail was well pronounced but was not hard or edgy. Often solid state amps will have problems with driving Quads but that was not the case with Dan's amp. The sound stage was well produced, giving an image much wider than all of the other amps that I have tried except for the very expensive Jadis JA80 tube amp.
Quad owners are a very discerning (fussy) bunch of listeners valuing quality over quantity so these nuances are important to this group more so than most. (I know that sounds elitist but true). Often while listening and grading other amps I wonder if this is worth the effort as I am quite content using the 120 amp. My room limits depth of sound more than I would like. Often using other amps there is only a flat sound stage, but the 120 amp goes as far back as any amp ever has.
Most solid-state amps show high frequency problems driving the very low impedance of the 57's. Above 10 Kilo Hertz the curve shows approx 2 ohms. The result for many amps is they present a confused hardness to violins that is tiring, something that for whatever reason is absent when using the 120 amp.
I have tried Dan's amps as stereo amps as well as using only one channel on each speaker and finally as true mono amps with the two channels paralleled. While I could measure a difference when driving resistors on the bench there was little or no difference in sound quality although the parallel amp drove a friends Acoustic Research LST four ohm speakers well, most do not.
Back to the Quads, it is pointless to try and describe the bass as there is nothing below 70 hertz. What is there is well controlled. Male voices do not take on a chestiness as some amps do on these speakers giving a dark coloration to an orchestra that at times is comical and entertaining but inaccurate.
I am pondering on how to conclude this as I am not an audio reviewer so I will say that there are amps that have some qualities I like but none of the other amps I have listened to on the Quads, including the 63's and 989's I have, presented a more accurate yet relaxed sound quality. For a little as these amps cost it shows how far amp design has come over the last years. To get this level would have cost much more back in the 80's and before.
Cheers.