Little Wolf Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Hi guys! Just picked up a pair of Klipsch KLF-20 (I love them!) and would like some info on trying a tube amplifier for these. What kind of tube amp do you recommend? EL34 or KT88? Push-pull or single-ended? I like rock music (no metal): progressive rock, classic rock, etc... (Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Police, etc..) Also I love female voices (Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Tori Amos....) Thanks, Ralph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 From you music choices, I would guess you like to shake the walls from time to time. My suggestion would be a push pull KT-88, maybe a nice pair of NOS Valve VRD's......Very nice. Basically push pull 50wpc will driver them nicely. The KLF-20 however is a fairly forgiving speaker and will play nicely on a variety of solid state amplifiers as well. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Try to borrow one, find a dealer who will let you bring something home for audition, or find a nearby forum member who can bring one to your place so you can actually hear it in your system. There's a big difference in sound between single ended and push-pull, as well as between triodes and pentodes. You need to experience the sound first hand- no one can tell you what you need to have! The size of your room and its furnishings, how closely you sit to the speakers when listening, and how loudly you listen will determine how much power is needed. No point in buying a high power amp if your loudest peaks only require 3 watts/channel (kind of like buying a Vette to drive down Main Street at 25 mph.) Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I think SET might be out. You never said anything about your budget - a big factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Wolf Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 My room is about 100 square foots, I listen 9 foots away from my speaker. My budget is 2,000 euros (abuot 2,600 USD). I really like Unison Research little SE amp (for example Simply Two Anniversary: http://en.unisonresearch.com/371/simply-two-anniversary/). What do you think? Ralph ps sorry for my poor english, I am an italian Klipsch fan! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 With a 100 square foot room it is unlikely that you will need a huge amount of power, especially with KLF20s which are quite efficient. So, the 10 watts/channel of the Simply Two Anniversary should be more than enough power. Is there any way you can bring one home to try? As mentioned earlier, the only way to know if you will enjoy it is to listen to it in your system. And your English is fine Ralph! Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzannucci Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Judging from your music selection, it still sounds like a kt-88 / 6550 based amp would be in order. The klf-20 will drop fairly low impendance wise so if use of a stronger / low impedance drive tube amp (or possibly tube mid/high and SS bass) would be in order. Especially for Pink Floyd... Caveat: in the smaller room may change some dynamics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.