The best PSAudio amp/amps for Eminent Technology LFT-8b planar hybrids

Audio Components Amplifiers
1

Hi All,
I am looking at the Stellar S300 and also the Stellar M700 monoblocks.
My Speakers: Eminent Technology LFT-8b (magnetic planar hybrid).
Recommended min. watts: 50wpc
max. watts: 200wpc
sensitivity: 83db

ET LFT-8b graph
ET LFT-8b graph1138×786 298 KB
ET LFT-8b graph2
ET LFT-8b graph21172×762 158 KB

I’ve included a couple of graphs from the E. T. website; concerning the LFT-8b.

My Preamp: Schiit Freya S

Would the Stellar S300 amp. be matched-up well with the LFT-8b speakers?
Or should I look more to the Stellar M700 monoblocks?

I don’t listen at “concert level” volume; but I do “turn it up” to a decent volume
( If that makes any sense…)
What do y’all think?

Any input is welcome; also even if I should look into somthing else maybe.

Thank you for any input, be safe out there,

RT from Greenacres, FL

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Just as a purely interested party I would go with the M700’s just due to the 83db speakers. Having some headroom is always a good thing.

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ET’s website actually says 75 watts minimum.
The M700 monoblocks sound great in my system, though the BHK Preamp and the Sonist Audio speakers have a bigger influence on sound quality. I would go with the M700 because of a cleaner and more opened up midrange and killer sounstaging.

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The E.T. website was a little confusing on the recommended minimum watts.
One area of the website states 50 watts minimum, another section states 75 watts minimum.

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5

Thanks for the quick replies and advice.

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6

My 3 Bose 901’s agree with Baldy’s comments. Cost will double but so will your happiness !

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7

Since I’m “coloring” the sound with the MiniDSP EQ curves. They are my biggest influence on these sealed box Wonder’s. It’s funny how the Class A input stage feeding the ICE Amps warms the sound but it’s never “mushy”. I don’t understand the hate for Class D. When implemented correctly, they are a joy to listen to ! Jealous of the M1200 Beta Testers, but they are beyond my budget at the moment. Even if I trade in all 3 of my M700’s.

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When I first heard about the M1200’s, and how they came to life (@DarrenMyers), I knew right then that these were going to be something special (especially from living with the fantastic BHK Signature Preamp and M700 monoblock combination). Add in the positive comments from multiple people already, the M1200 may be a truly special amp.

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Maybe AFTER we buy a home this year, I’ll think of it as a 2021 purchase. Limiting myself to one PS Audio Trade-In/Purchase each year…LOL !

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Thanks again for all the input.

Concerning the Stellar M700; Up to how many watts will the M700 operate in Class A, before switching to Class D?
Or does it switch-over at all?

Thanks for any input
I’m new to the “hybrid” designs, if you will

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M700 is only class D. There’s no bias crossover.

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Thanks for the quick reply,

I know the input stage of the M700 is class A.

Scrap that last question I asked earlier. I know the answer, LOL!

I was thinking of some of the class A/B amps; they operate in class A up to so many watts (low volume), then they switch as the (Watts) volume increases.

Have a great one, Be safe!

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Sorry I didn’t see this thread earlier… Curious what you decided.

I’ve had various Eminent Tech models since the mid 1990s with a number of other large planars starting in 1980. My 1st pair were LFT-VIs which I orignally ran with a very modified (think crazily-rebuilt) Counterpoint SA-12. That sounded ok but I got much more liveness and dynamic jump with SA-20s and later those rebuilt into NP-220s.

After a move and storing the LFT-VI’s in 2006 while we got settled, I got a steal on a pair of LFT-VIIIAs to use as temporary speakers. I again started out with the SA-12, but soon moved to a pair of the B&0 Icepower -based Class D amps from www.tweakaudio.com with his custom build and mods. Going from a roughly 110 wpc amp to monobocks that put roughly 700 wpc was ear-opening. I didn’t feel let down in any way by those amps through 2011.

I transitioned to a pair of the Hypex NCore NC-400s again with tweakaudio.com’s implementation tweaks and while they on paper had roughly 1/2 the power, they sounded a bit more powerful… what gives? Dunno, never worried about it too much.

Besides implementation tweaks suggested by Ric Schultz from www.tweakaudio.com, another thing that pushed the NC-400s above the tweakaudio ASP1000’s was my first PS Audio P10 Regenerator. I could not have lived with those amps long-term without those implementation tweaks and that P10.

Late 2017 I moved to a BHK-250 powering the LFT-VIIIAs with a nice jump in SQ overall… of course $800 or so DIY’d amps versus the $7,500 list BHK-250, I expected that and heard it in spades.

I also now have a 2nd setup running with LFT-IV’s driven by another BHK-250. Based on my experience with these three Eminent Tech models, while they will play with the minimum-recommended power, they really come alive with 5x-10x more. I’d get BHK-300s for each system if I could both afford them AND for the smaller setup, actually had a place to put the 3rd chassis of that size (P15 + BHK-250 currently).

So again, curious on what you decided and how you felt about it. AND how you are liking the LFT-VIIIBs. I know that while I’ll be doing various configuration, mechanical and crossover tweaks to my various ET speakers, I believe these are my last-buy speakers.

Greg in Mississippi

P.S. I’ve written a bit about my ET and overall planar speaker experiences on the Planar Asylum on AA and more recently on the Audiogon forums here:

On both forums like this one, my handle starts with ‘gstew’.

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Hi,

I was originally using a Class D Audio SDS470C to power the ETs; It seems the SDS wasn’t a good match for them, using my Tortuga LDR300.V25 passive Pre.
I purchased a Freya S to start a second system; that Pre allowed the SDS amp to match-up better to the ETs.
Ultimately, the SDS470C will be used in my second system.
What I’m currently using with the ETs is:
Tortuga LDR preamp,
Parasound A23+,
single-ended Audio Envy interconnects.
The ET LFT-8b’s really Shine in this setup, I’m very happy!

The Tortuga is staying.
If I was to get the upgrade “itch”;
I would upgrade the amp to a Belles amp or an Odyssey amp.

Class A/B amp in one system; and Class D amp in the second system.

I’m still pondering the thought of selling the Freya S Pre.