Shindo Montrachet with Snell Type A speakers - impedance

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montaldo

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Hello! I have a Shindo Montrachet EL34 amp (LOVE IT) and Vandersteen 2wq subs that cross at 100hz with passive first order MP-5 crossovers. I either need to sell the amp or sell my Quad ESL-63 speakers, which I also love, because the authorized Shindo dealer tells me the Quads could damage the Shindo (it is really designed for higher efficiency 16 ohm Shindo speaker loads). I believe the Quads drop to 3.5 ohms or so in the bass and rise quite high in the treble.

I cannot afford Shindo speakers right not but I have an opportunity to acquire an old friend -- Snell Type A speakers. I would bi-amp them with the Vandersteen subs. I am not worried right now about the Shindo's ability to "drive" the Snells in terms of power/dynamics. But I am concerned that the Snells could also present difficulty/danger for the Shindo due to impedance. The Snells have a minimum impedance of 4 ohms, but I do not know the nominal impedance, the maximum impedance or the full impedance curve. I'm trying to find out, if anyone knows the impedance curve.

Does anyone know if the Snells would be safer with the Shindo than the Quads are? Does the fact that the Snells are a dynamic speaker and not an electrostatic inherently make it easier for the amplifier to stomach?

Thanks for any thoughts. Again, not looking for sound quality advice or speculation. I will be able to listen to the Snells before buying. But I don't want to endanger my Shindo amp.
 
I'm not sure where the major dip in impedance occurs with your Quads (perhaps it is published somewhere online) but the crossovers used with the Vandersteen subs cut the low frequencies below 100hz (although with a shallow 6db slope) therefore easing the load on the amp. Are there multiple output speaker taps on your amp? If so, changing to the highest setting may help to correct any impedance differences.
 
In a 1989 Stereophile review of the Quads is an impedance plot of your speakers along with reccomendations of using the 4 ohm taps on your amp. Perhaps a reading of that article may help you with some of your questions. These speakers do impose a very interesting load.
 
Ideally and in a prefect world, it would nice to keep both the Shindo amp and Quads. Of course that would require both an amp suitable for the Quads and a speaker suitable for the Shindo. Pricey but way cheaper than a Shindo speaker. If the Snell mentioned is that big floorstanding 3-way from the 70's, probably not a perfect match either. If it would have been one of the old Snell 2-way designs, you'd be good to go. If you're set on retaining to Shindo amp, look for an efficient design that presents an impedance curve that stays at 8 ohms and above.....for the most part anyway. 2-way designs from Devore ( see Katooner below who uses Devore O/96/Shindo) and Audio Note are the first that come to mind. FWIW, twin single driver designs from Omega can be wired as 16 ohm loads. I have a friend who has used dc10 speakers for years with Shindo amps. So there are a lot of possibilities at various price points. Just depends on your budget.
 
Perhaps an e-mail to Tone Imports, the North American distributor for Shindo, would answer all your questions.
The one thing to note is the use of the Vandersteen crossovers which attenuate the frequencies below 100hz thereby relieving the amplifier of the demanding duty of trying to power those low frequencies.
 
Thanks all, for the advice. Several people have warned me away from using the Snells with the Shindo. I am going to stick to the Quads long term because it is very difficult for me to find speakers I like. So I have the Shindo up for sale and am considering replacement amps.
I appreciate everyone's advice.
 
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