Difference between Stereomour and Paramount?

[Todd R]

So, if I find speakers that I use with a 2A3 amp, what sound differences could I expect between a Stereomour and a 2A3 version of the Paramounts?
Got the itch to build again, but trying to decide what to build.

[Grainger49]

Good question.  This will be an interesting comparison as the iron in both are PJ designs.

Of course there is a difference in cost so this will be a revealing thread.  I bet the Paramount wins out, but I don't know why.

[xcortes]

The Paramount is direct coupled which, in my experience, yields a cleaner sound. There may be other differences but I'd say that's the major one.

[Doc B.]

The Stereomour has a bit more of a "classic" single ended sound but with better than typical SE bass. It has a really nice midrange, great sense of the venue and great representation of the soundstage. It's also delightfully quiet for an amp with AC heated filaments. The Paramount adds a very black background from the common mode choke filtered DC filament supply and increased resolution from the direct coupling between the 12AT7 and the 2A3 (Xavier beat me to the punch on that one by about 30 seconds!). The shunt regulator on the 12AT7 increases the sense of of frequency extension at both extremes. In theory there might be a little better channel separation too, but I suspect in a side by side comparison you would not hear any difference in that respect.

[Todd R]

Hmmm,
I already built Paramounts and Foreplay in the past. Stereomour sounds pretty good as long as I can find speakers that will live on the low wattage and still play pretty loud. Any suggestions?

[balancedtriode]

i use my stereomour with klipsch cornwall MKI`s i never need to turn the dial past half way up
i highly recomend vintage ones if u can budget it in

[Todd R]

I've thought about Klipsch, but had a pair of Forte II and found them aggressive and honky even with titanium tweeter diaphragms and a rebuilt crossover.
Are the Cornwall's any different sounding? 

[balancedtriode]

cornwalls i find very different first of all they are very big so if space is an issue then they wouldent be a god fit
i find the horns to be a great reproducer of piano , obviously any horn instrument, has great bass
but people feel different about different speakers
if u can find a place to give them a test listen i would recomend it
great speakers for jazz, rock, pretty much eveything ive come across they make it sound great(in my expirence)
-c

[Grainger49]

Hmmm,
I already built Paramounts and Foreplay in the past. Stereomour sounds pretty good as long as I can find speakers that will live on the low wattage and still play pretty loud. Any suggestions?

The product page says 96dBW sensitivity.  I use Paramours on 94dBW sensitivity Triangle Zerius speakers in a pretty good sized room (14' X 25') and it gets much louder than I wish to listen to.  

What are you listening to now?  What is the sensitivity?  The gap between the Stereomour and Paramount is not that big.

[Jim R.]

Todd,

I'll second the Cornwalls -- though I have the originals circa 1977, not the II or IIIs.  The cornwalls can be a bit shrill, but rebuilding the crossover (i.e. replacing the caps for the most part), dampening the squaker (midrange horn) metal body, and replacing the tweeter with a Crites tweeter and doing a bit of internal damping and stiffening can make a good speaker into a great one.

I ordered my stereomour amp specifically for my Cornwalls and Doc's description of the sound of the stereomour is music to my ears as that is exactly what I was hoping for to drive a "classic" sounding horn speaker.

They're about 39" tall on their plinths, 15" deep and 25" wide and weigh about 110 pounds each and can really rock the house with very little juice -- approx 100 dB sensitive.  They are some of my favorite classic speakers, and I like them much better than the K-horns, which sound strange in the bass to me.

And I have to agree with you on the Fortes, I hear the same things you do in them -- but some people love them as much as they dislike the cornwalls.  When it comes to klipsch, I'm sticking with the original heritage models - Heresy I (again with some tweaks) Cornwalls, and LaScalas.heritage m

HTH,

Jim

[InfernoSTi]

Additionally, you may wish to take a look at Hawthorne Audio if you enjoy DIY projects.

[Paully]

Don't forget Altec, mine play very loudly on less than 3 watts.  And then there is Klipsch Chorus II, Triangles (oddly enough 3.5 watts seems to be more than enough), Cain and Cain, The Horn Shoppe, various Fostex models, Lowther, the list goes on.  Personally I am no longer really interested in those other models, but point is post where you are and get out and listen!  Post here, the JBL Heritage forum, High Effeciency forum, the Klipsch forum (the guys that hang out there never have less than 3 or 4 models it seems) and other places.  Take your mace and have a listen! 

[Dr. Toobz]

My Heresy III's easily reach ear-piercing volumes on my S.E.X. amp, which probably puts out about 3W with the cathode feedback/gapped Edcor OPT arrangement I have in there now. And not a hint of honk or shrillness to be found - they are almost too neutral, in fact. I've considered building a Stereomour for them myself - might want to check them out.