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Tri-amping T IV-A's with tubes?

Posted by AkuAnkka (A) on November 17, 2024 at 08:45:52

Hi all!

And greetings from Finland 😊

I'm interested on making my Tympani IV-A's tri-amped with DEQX, preferably using tubes for highs and MAYBE also for mids. I have read this forum (and many many others also) and found a few posts regarding tri-amping true ribbon Maggies, but I still would need some advice, just to be sure I don't break anything... So could someone please help me a bit:

1) All Maggies, Tymps preferably, need lots of power & amps, but of course mostly for the basses. But how much would be "enough" for the ribbons only? I usually don't listen at very high volumes, so would a single ended tube amp with just few watts be enough for them? Or would it be better to go for some bit more powerful one, maybe a push-pull tube amp with 10 or 20 watts of output?
2) How about mids then, do you think that 10 - 20w PP amp would be enough for them, without having to be worried of breaking the drivers etc..?
3) Most tube amps seem to be designed for 4 - 8 ohm speakers. Since ribbons are a bit below 2 ohms, I need to match them somehow for the amp. Many websites say that speaker´s impedance matching should be done with some kind of a (often quite expensive!) transformers etc., but is it actually so in this case with the ribbons (or mids) only? Or could I just add 2-3 ohm series resistor and that's it? If resistor is enough, which kind of exactly?
4) There seem to be two ways for protecting the ribbons when connected directly to the power amp; fuses or capacitors. If I have understood correctly, fuse mostly gives protection for too high volume settings (and thus too much amperes from the power amp), and capacitor for potential DC and quick "snaps" generated by power amps when switched on or off. But what should I do in this case, when connecting the drivers to a low powered tube amps; fuse, capacitor, neither or both of them?

Also, all other tips & trick regarding tri-amping & tube amps with Maggies are highly appreciated! :=)

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