New Pair of Kg4s...Need an amp/receiver to match

[dlamin190]

I am looking for a receiver or an amp (whichever is best, and if you could explain the difference?) for my KG4s. My price range is between $100-200.

I am currently using a Sony STR-DH100 receiver I bought at best buy for about $150. I am using it for only music. I feel like the sound quality is not what it could be and the bass response is fairly weak with the sony receiver. And I need to somehow connect my laptop to it to output music.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[willland]

Dlamin,

Welcome to the forum. Where are you located?

If you are using them in strictly 2-channel, here are a few suggestions. NAD is always a good choice with Klipsch for not a lot of $$$. I once powered my KG4's with vintage NAD seperates(1020A & 2150 combo) at 50w/ch and it sounded great.

Very versatile with preouts for adding a subwoofer and an outboard amp later.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatran&1305835104&/NAD-C326BEE-Sparkling.--Free-s

http://nadelectronics.com/products/hifi-amplifiers/C-326BEE-Stereo-Integrated-Amplifier

I think 70's Marantz receivers and 80's Denon integrated amps will shine through those KG4's beautifully also. They can be found on the used market from $100.00 to $900.00 based on model and condition. Plenty of choices out there.

You might need an outboard DAC to stream from your laptop if your laptops DAC's are not very good.

Here are a couple of new items for very little $$$.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKA5VL/Onkyo/A-5VL-Integrated-Digital-Amplifier/1.html#!specifications

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARPM5004/Marantz/PM5004-Integrated-Amplifier-with-45-Watts-X-2-Channels/1.html

Bill

[tube fanatic]

It's not likely your receiver which is causing the weak bass output. Before you spend money on something new, experiment with speaker placement and your listening position (also, verify that the speakers are phased properly. If wired out of phase with each other, the bass can decrease markedly). A detailed description of your listening room would be helpful. Often, moving the speakers only a few inches can hugely increase bass response. Sound quality is another issue, but I'd work on the bottom end before anything else.

[dlamin190]

@tube fantastic: Is there a recommended speaker placement for the Kg4s? I am currently just sitting them parallel and about 5 inches from the wall. My living room is about 15x9 and the speakers are sitting about 1/3 of the way in on the wall.

And what is "wired out of phase". I am very uneducated on a lot of this audio stuff. Thanks guys for all your help. I really appreciate it.

@willand: I am in chico right now. Do you have a recommended model number for the marantz/ denon receivers? The products you listed were a little bit out of my price range, but thanks for your input

What if I were to get a HRT Music Streamer and connect that to my receiver instead of getting a new one.

[tube fanatic]

Phasing refers to connecting the + terminals of the receiver speaker connectors to the + terminals of the speakers (generally these are red in color). If you were to connect one speaker correctly, and the other opposite (i.e. the + terminal of the speaker to the (-) terminal of the receiver or amp), you would get a cancellation effect since the speaker cones would be moving in opposite directions. With the speakers being so close to the back wall you should get some degree of bass enhancement, so I am somewhat at a loss to explain what is going on. Can you post a picture of the room showing the speakers in relation to the furniture and listening position? Is the lack of bass noticeable regardless of how far from the speakers you listen? Does the receiver provide good bass with other speakers? There's no definite "formula" for speaker placement as every room is different. Keeping them close to walls usually increases bass (Klipsch generally recommends corner placement). I haven't listened to KG4s for too many years to recall their sonic characteristics, so perhaps some others can make recommendations. The Music Streamer should work for you since it can be connected to the CD or other high level input of the receiver.

[dlamin190]

Here is a pic of my living room with the speakers. I dont have any other speakers to test the receiver with. I am sure I phased the speakers correctly

http://i52.tinypic.com/bx1qc.jpg

[tom b. 57]

I have found that the KG4's sound very good matched with a Harman Kardon HK430.

You can usually find one in good condition for $100.00 or less.

An HK730 or 930 would work well also.

Tom

[tube fanatic]

Here is a pic of my living room with the speakers. I dont have any other speakers to test the receiver with. I am sure I phased the speakers correctly

http://i52.tinypic.com/bx1qc.jpg

The speaker placement looks fine from a bass standpoint. Do you know if these speakers have been modified, or worked on, by anyone? If they have, you could try reversing the polarity of just one speaker to see if the bass improves (I've seen many modified speakers over the years which were not rewired correctly). Can you tell if the woofers are working by placing your ear against the grill overlying them while playing some bass heavy music (iirc, one of the bass drivers is passive, so be certain to listen to the correct one!)? It would be unlikely that you could have 2 non-functioning woofers, but anything is possible. Where are you located? Perhaps there's a forum participant nearby who could come over to help you check things out.