Initial impressions of Ashly FTX-2001 "pro" stereo power amp

[Boomzilla]

So today I hooked up the Ashly FTX-2001 Series III power amplifier for my first time. This unit has a conventional power supply, all class-A voltage-gain stages, and a MOSFET output stage. The amp came from a theater (the brand is apparently a popular one for that use), and is fan-cooled (more about this in a minute). The amp is very heavy (60# shipping weight) and is designed for rack mounting with front-panel handles to assist with moving the thing. Specs are as follows:

8 ohms = 300 WPC
4 ohms = 500 WPC
2 ohms = 675 WPC
(all measurements at 0.1% THD / 1KHz)

So what does it SOUND like? First off, the cooling fan runs continuously, and it is LOUD. I didn't measure the SPL (yet), but it's clearly audible from the listening position. In a theater or live sound environment, it wouldn't matter, but for home use, plan on changing the fan out. For the first 10 to 20 minutes or so, the amp is warming up, stabilizing, and has a slight channel imbalance - not in level, but in frequency response. One channel sounds more harmonically thin than the other. Once the warm up is over, both channels sing in harmony.

I recently wrote a review on the Secrets site about the Audio-gd preamplifier, and how it seemed to expand the soundstage ( hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/audio-gd-he-1-stereo-preamplifier-review/ ). What the Audio-gd was to preamplifiers, the Ashly is to power amps. The soundstage on this thing is HUGE! I suspect that the MOSFET output has a bit to do with that, but I'm purely speculating. Using the little Klipsch RP-600m speakers and the Emotiva Airmotiv S-15 subs, you could close your eyes and swear that you're hearing planar speakers in the room. Now the highs do sound a tad (or more) soft with this amp, but I think that a bit more toe-in on the speakers may solve that issue.

Based on the initial listen to this amp, I'll be ordering a quieter fan ASAP and look forward to writing a lot more about this one once I don't have to hear it over the roar of the cooling fan.

Boomzilla

[405x5]

Mar 7, 2020 20:20:51 GMT -5 Boomzilla said:

So today I hooked up the Ashly FTX-2001 Series III power amplifier for my first time. This unit has a conventional power supply, all class-A voltage-gain stages, and a MOSFET output stage. The amp came from a theater (the brand is apparently a popular one for that use), and is fan-cooled (more about this in a minute). The amp is very heavy (60# shipping weight) and is designed for rack mounting with front-panel handles to assist with moving the thing. Specs are as follows:

8 ohms = 300 WPC
4 ohms = 500 WPC
2 ohms = 675 WPC
(all measurements at 0.1% THD / 1KHz)

So what does it SOUND like? First off, the cooling fan runs continuously, and it is LOUD. I didn't measure the SPL (yet), but it's clearly audible from the listening position. In a theater or live sound environment, it wouldn't matter, but for home use, plan on changing the fan out. For the first 10 to 20 minutes or so, the amp is warming up, stabilizing, and has a slight channel imbalance - not in level, but in frequency response. One channel sounds more harmonically thin than the other. Once the warm up is over, both channels sing in harmony.

I recently wrote a review on the Secrets site about the Audio-gd preamplifier, and how it seemed to expand the soundstage ( hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/audio-gd-he-1-stereo-preamplifier-review/ ). What the Audio-gd was to preamplifiers, the Ashly is to power amps. The soundstage on this thing is HUGE! I suspect that the MOSFET output has a bit to do with that, but I'm purely speculating. Using the little Klipsch RP-600m speakers and the Emotiva Airmotiv S-15 subs, you could close your eyes and swear that you're hearing planar speakers in the room. Now the highs do sound a tad (or more) soft with this amp, but I think that a bit more toe-in on the speakers may solve that issue.

Based on the initial listen to this amp, I'll be ordering a quieter fan ASAP and look forward to writing a lot more about this one once I don't have to hear it over the roar of the cooling fan.

Boomzilla

Sounds like a good amp for commercial use but not even of interest in a house

[Boomzilla]

I've listened to the Ashly FTX-2001 Series 3 amp most recently with a pair of Magnepan II speakers. Each item by itself is fine, but this combination is not a happy one.

The MG-IIs have, over time and as most Maggies are prone to, lost some of its treble response. The tweeters in these are famous for needing periodic rebuilds, and my pair obviously didn't get the memo.

With a slightly brighter amp, this might not be so noticeable, but the Ashly is, itself, a bit rolled off in the treble. I attribute it to the famous "MOSFET mist" coming from the output stage. With brighter speakers, or even neutral speakers (like my Emotiva T2's or my Klipsch RP-600m's) the slight treble softness of the Ashly isn't too bothersome, but with the MGII's, the Ashly combo is a MAJOR problem. Sounds like "no treble at all." In theory, I could compensate with a click or few on the treble "tone control" (cough, cough), and I may yet try that. But with everything set flat, "flat" is exactly how the rig sounds.

And as to 405x5's comment about "not even of interest in a house," there is some truth there, but I still think that the amp shows enough promise with its sound staging that it's worth trying some equalization to see if the lack of treble can be overcome. I've solved the fan noise for the moment by just disconnecting the fan, and for short listening sessions (1.5 hours or less), this seems not to generate any significant heat. There may be no significant heat generation for longer periods either, but I haven't yet tested that theory.

But I definitely want to thank fellow Lounger and generous soul, Mr. Chuck Miller for being gracious enough to gift me this intriguing amplifier. I'm having a TON of fun with this thing, and will continue to post my experiences with it.

Boomzilla

[Boomzilla]

With some equalization, the MGII speakers sound pretty good with the Ashly amp, but it isn't a long-term solution. The fault is none of the amplifier's but rather the tired tweeters in the speakers.

Today, I'm taking the MGIIs off line and reinstalling the Emotiva T2s (until the review pair of LRS Maggies arrives). I do note that one channel of the Ashly runs a bit hotter than the other. Probably to be expected with an amp this old...

[Boomzilla]

Today, I plugged in my Oproma NuForce DDA-120 digital integrated amplifier. Comparing and contrasting it to the Ashly amp is quite instructive.

The NuForce (a class-D amp weighing slightly more than a deck of cards, to my hands) produces only 75 WPC while the Ashly has 500 wpc available @ 4 ohms. Playing into the Emotiva T2 speakers, the NuForce is lighter and cleaner, but the Ashly is more expansive with its soundstage and sounds harmonically richer, not to mention MUCH warmer. That said, the diminutive NuForce has the tighter bass of the two, and maybe a tad more of it.

Now all the above comments are for volumes of less (and in some cases, much less) than 90dB. If one wants to crank it up, I strongly suspect that the Ashly will quickly walk away with that contest.

More to come - Boom