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Solid State amps known to sound good with Klipsch


mark1101

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I recently picked up a Sony STR-GX9ES. It drives Fortes very nicely! The sound is so much livelier than with the other amp I was using, I'm thinking that one was running up against its current limts (??) trying to drive the Fortes which are 4 ohms.

 

It's a really neutral, clean sound. Lyrics are particularly easy to understand on this amp.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I used to power a pair of Chorus II's with a Mac C31V and a pair of bridged MC2002's with great results. Now driving the Chorus II's with Mac tubes and moved a pair of Epic CF-3's into that spot - the Epic's really seem to like the 600 watts per channel.

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As a side note my wife called me last week as she listened to the Epic's while I was at work and asked what the flashing red lights next to the word Powergard means. It means 1200 watts in use and you should turn it down a little bit. I was proud she was enjoying our hobby so much.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 3/7/2017 at 0:29 PM, jpc2001 said:

I recently picked up a Sony STR-GX9ES. It drives Fortes very nicely! The sound is so much livelier than with the other amp I was using, I'm thinking that one was running up against its current limts (??) trying to drive the Fortes which are 4 ohms.

 

It's a really neutral, clean sound. Lyrics are particularly easy to understand on this amp.

 

Your Sony in my opinion is one of the best pieces of equipment made for all around performance.  I have 3 of the Sony str GX10es.  I have a backup for my backup. Thats is my impression of them.  Put a small six inch 110 volt fan on top of your sony and then crank away, It is a real workhorse. 

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On 8/20/2015 at 8:44 AM, CECAA850 said:

At the last gathering Roger (twistedcrankcammer) brought an older Nakamichi SS amp and we rotated it in and listened to it for a while.  What a sweet sounding amp.

Just let go of a Nakamichi SR3A that seriously changed the bright Heresy II sound to warmth.

Plus my workhorse Yamaha RX1100 that's doing tv duty since the Trinitron died and flat lcds don't have sound let alone a back firing sub like that Sony did!

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11 minutes ago, djk said:

Those early Nak receivers were built under license to Nelson Pass, a patented Stasis design.

GOOD Stuff, and mine was only 40 wpc, class A dialed up to 3pm without clipping!!

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/30/2016 at 5:54 AM, willland said:

 

I don't have any of the large Heritage(Khorns, Belles, La Scalas, Cornwalls) so take my opinion for what it's worth. 

 

I have the Yamaha A-S1000 driving my RB-75s and bright is not a way I would describe the sound.  Neutral, natural, and detailed are better descriptions.

 

Bill

There is a fist fight coming. Willing to place a bet? 

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Nikko Alpha amps from the mid-70s to the early-80s pair amazingly well with many speakers including Klipsches. With hundreds of watts, the attenuator rarely gets past 9 o'clock with Klipsch.

Vocals are lifelike and crystal clear.

A good Alpha 220 sells in the $200+ range on eBay, Craigslist, etc. rock-solid reliable, too.  Mine have been running for 35 years without issue.

Nikko's top Beta preamps (and top Gamma tuners) are also amazing.  They also happen to be the same vintage as my Cornwalls.


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Photo May 31, 1 27 18 PM.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/6/2017 at 6:43 PM, Alpha220 said:

Nikko Alpha amps from the mid-70s to the early-80s pair amazingly well with many speakers including Klipsches. With hundreds of watts, the attenuator rarely gets past 9 o'clock with Klipsch.






 

 

Nicely designed components. Used to love the rec out selector on my rx1100. Rec cal on the tuner, interesting. Is that calibrate somehow?

 

Haven't seen Cambridge or formerly Cambridge Audio mentioned here much and I didn't like the specs on their affordable range of receivers. Liked the specs on the CX stuff alright and got one after many hours searching and analytical thoughts. Picked it up almost a year ago and never thought about doing a return in that first couple of weeks. Sounds like a combination of the almost "cold clinical" Yamaha Natural Sound but closer to the "warmth" of that Nakamichi I mentioned earlier.

Cambridge should be considered with these sensitive Klipsch speakers.

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27 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

@svberger I'm sure it does..... bet the rest of that equipment makes those Cornwalls sing too!

Closest I'll get to that is McIntosh Music coming in at 320 kbps on my CXN.

 

Ultimately it's about the music. 

(FWIW, I prefer my Dynaco MKIII's tube amps with the CW's, but don't tell anyone:D)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Color me as "easily amused", I suppose...

My vintage (~'77) Heresys sound great - crystal clear yet musical - with defined bass - driven by my new-last-fall Emotiva A-100 BasX 50 Wpc amp fed by an Onkyo C-7030 CDP. My previous variant of that amp, an a-100 mini-X, drives my RB-81ii's in my upstairs hobby/bonus room and is fed by another Onkyo C-7030 CDP. The newer amp has a headphone jack and provisions for lowering it's headphone impedance from 300 Ohms by included jumpers and a SNR of >110 dB. It - like the earlier mini-X version - puts out 50 Wpc (8 Ohms & both channels driven.) @ < 0.05% THD. Not bad spec's for the entry level Emotiva  product.

 

I've been a hifi enthusiast since HS days in the early sixties and my first 'system', which included a Garrard changer, kit built Williamson-style pp 6V6 mono amp, & Heresy-inspired homebrew speaker. I went 'ss' 12/68 with my AR amp and turntable - both replaced years ago by a Philips CD-960 CDP & FA-50 ss amp. I still have the AR turntable, although I started replacing my old LP's with CD's in 1986. I tired of tubes in the sixties - too much maintenance... and I was a TV/radio/hifi repairman after school and in college... then as an ET in the USN. No tubes here!

 

That Emotiva amp was an improvement over the the Onkyo TX-8020 Stereo (2.1) Receiver that preceded it. That receiver, a Sony BRD, JVC 22" LED monitor, a JBL SUB 550P sub, and a pair of K. R-15m's were repurposed as a mini-HT at my electronics workbench in my bonus/hobby room (I don't get much work done...).

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Have a fully restored Marantz 2500 paired to the Bell's and what an amazing pairing. I'd describe the sound as clean, cool and detailed. How they pulled that off I haven't a clue but it's so different from other receivers I've played with. 

On a very quick comparison it's has some similarities to the Carver SGT II amp/processor.

IMG_20170712_192831.jpg

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On 7/12/2017 at 9:44 PM, Rxonmymind said:

Have a fully restored Marantz 2500 paired to the Bell's and what an amazing pairing. I'd describe the sound as clean, cool and detailed. How they pulled that off I haven't a clue but it's so different from other receivers I've played with. 

On a very quick comparison it's has some similarities to the Carver SGT II amp/processor.

IMG_20170712_192831.jpg

 

I owned one of those receivers for awhile and it was a powerhouse.  I'm not sure I ever utilized it too its full potential.  I would get the dial about a third of the way up and that was all I and any speaker I owned wanted!

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2 hours ago, japosey said:

 

I owned one of those receivers for awhile and it was a powerhouse.  I'm not sure I ever utilized it too its full potential.  I would get the dial about a third of the way up and that was all I and any speaker I owned wanted!

Luckily the volume dial can be adjusted in very small clicks. When I have it on one or two clicks or 7 o clock  it's perfect level for late late night listening. So I guess you can say it has finesse on low volume. So at this moment its the best receiver I've ever had.  I'm itching to throw a Mac 4300 receiver fully restored up against it.

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