Klipsch Pallidium 17b amp suggestions

[Kalifornian]

Purchasing a pair this week. My current setup is a Marantz SR6007 running preouts to a Jolida Tube amp (35w) to La Scala's (wife exiled and sold).  My question is would it be beneficial to add a SS amp and biamp the Pallidiums using the Tube amp for the highs and the SS amp for the lows?  Would the Jolida be enough on its own? Maybe just run straight from the Marantz and not use tubes? Thoughts? 

[Bubo]

The LaScalas are 104db or 105db @ 1W/1M

 

What are the specs on the palladium and what are all of the specs on the Jolida, which model?

 

Off the top of my head, there isn't much out there that sounds better than the LaScalas, I've been looking for 35 years since I purchased mine.

 

I would try the Marantz for a day or two, then insert the Jolida and listen to the same tracks. Ronstadt Skylark tells me everything I need to know in less than one minute.

 

You can get the CD or vinyl for little money

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzNmG_lpNw8

 

I just looked at the Marantz, at best it appears to be an OK surround receiver with Audessy which gets panned quite a bit, It also appears to be class D. IMHO the Marantz should be headed for the basement TV room with some OK speakers.

 

At the recent AXPONA show, not a controlled environment, most of the tube amps sounded just OK. Apparently it's easier to make a good sounding Solid State Amp at a reasonable price.

 

I assume this is the Living Room System?

 

Also what are you using for a source Digital what or Vinyl or both??

 

 

[Kalifornian]

Thanks for the info! It's the main living room and is for HT and stereo listening (dual duty). I'm all digital using FLAC music files from a PC to the Marantz via HDMI. I'm not opposed to moving to full SS I just know that with the La Scala's they were too bright on the SS gear I had but sounded great on the Jolida (JD202). They are 50w per channel on the Palladium's (4ohm). 

 

The specs for the Palladiums are: 94dB @ 2.83V / 1m

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 51Hz-24kHz +/-3dB LOW FREQUENCY EXTENSION 40Hz HIGH FREQUENCY EXTENSION 30kHz POWER HANDLING 150W continuous / 600W peak RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER POWER 50 - 350W SENSITIVITY 94dB @ 2.83V / 1m NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 4 ohms MID-FREQUENCY CROSSOVER 600Hz HIGH FREQUENCY CROSSOVER 3400Hz MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT 115dB (2 speakers in-room) HIGH FREQUENCY DRIVER 0.75" (1.9cm) titanium diaphragm compression driver mated to 90° x 60° Tractrix® Horn MID-FREQUENCY DRIVER 4.5" (11.4cm) aluminum diaphragm compression driver mated to 90° x 60° Tractrix® Horn LOW FREQUENCY DRIVER 7" (17.8cm) high-output, aluminum / Rohacell® / woven synthetic fiber hybrid cone woofer ENCLOSURE MATERIAL Constrained layer MDF (medium density fiberboard) ENCLOSURE TYPE Bass-reflex via rear-firing port HEIGHT 19.9" (50.6cm) WIDTH 9.2" (23.4cm) DEPTH 13.5" (34.3cm) WEIGHT 30 lbs (13.6kg

 

 

 

.....Was honestly contemplating going dual SS for Bi-amping. Maybe a NAD or Rotel

It's a tough battle for me because my setup has to handle both HT and HI-FI Stereo listening.  What brand model would you recommend I look at for a receiver? 

Edited May 19, 2016 by Kalifornian

[Bubo]

Paladiums are 4 ohms??

 

Do you run home theater as Stereo only??

 

An EQ can fix any bright spots in the speakers, I use them to great effect.

[Bubo]

Just looked at the spec sheet on the Paladiums.

 

I would run them with your existing gear, your surround decoder should have and EQ built in and possible an attenuation curve you can apply since the surround amps have a way of making things sound shrill. Pioneer Elites have what they call the X Curve, which rolls off the high end as a fix to the Known phenomenon.

 

Until you have exhausted all your options and tweaks with your existing gear, don't buy anything, too many variables.

 

I run my surround receiver as pre out on everything and use 3 TOTL 1990s Yamaha MX 800 amps with the center bi-amped in 5.1, rocks even with the inexpensive Synergy speakers. You can keep the front 3 all the same speaker, and even add 2 more to the rear later if you don't wait too long. See how you like the first 2 Paladiums before shelling our more cash.

 

Used quality SS amps are very inexpensive, you may end up with a rocking 3.2 system.

 

Where ever the Paladium guys post on here, ask if the are using Autoformers to make the Paladiums look like 8 Ohm loads???? Apparently, most amps are optimized for 8 Ohm loads and may not like the greater current draw. Quality 8 Ohms amps are plentiful used.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Bubo

[Ski Bum]

I just looked at the Marantz, at best it appears to be an OK surround receiver

 

You need to look closer.  I own one of these, and it's actually quite good in all the ways that actually matter, it just happens to be an AVR and thus lacks audiophile snob appeal.  Excellent as a pre amp too if the OP wants to throw the tube amp in the mix. 

[willland]

Just a little something to look at when you consider an amp to drive these beauties.

 

Klipsch Palladium P-17B loudspeaker Measurements

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Sidebar 3: Measurements

My estimate of the Palladium P-17B's voltage sensitivity was a little lower than the specified 94dB/2.83V/m, at 90.7dB(. However, this is still significantly higher than average; the P-17B will work well with relatively low-powered amplifiers. Its impedance (fig.1) varies widely: averaging 14 ohms above 1kHz, it drops below 3 ohms between 128 and 265Hz, with a minimum value of 2.6 ohms at 170Hz. There is also an amplifier-frightening combination of 4.5 ohms and –50° electrical phase at 104Hz, a frequency where music has high energy levels. So while the Klipsch will play loud with a low-powered amplifier, that amplifier will still need to be able to deliver goodly amounts of current. The shape of the impedance trace suggests that with amplifiers having a high source impedance, such as classic tube designs, the midrange and bass responses will be a little shelved down, emphasizing the speaker's treble. While the shape of the P-17B's impedance trace is very similar above 1kHz to that of the larger, floorstanding P-39F, which Wes Phillips reviewed in June 2009 (see fig.1 in its measurements), its average value in the treble is higher. As the horn arrays appear physically identical, this suggests that the P-17B's midrange and tweeter are potted down with series resistors to better match the lower sensitivity of the single woofer than are the P-39F's three drive-units.

 

image: http://cdn.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/510K17fig1.jpg

Fig.1 Klipsch Palladium P-17B, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)

Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/klipsch-palladium-p-17b-loudspeaker-measurements#DuoHBlO6F8J7hTJJ.99

 

 

 

Bill

[Kalifornian]

Great info guys! Thanks. I'll start with using the preouts to my Jolida (has 4 ohm taps) and tweak the eq from there or tube roll as needed.

[LittleWonder]

P-17B's drivers impedance are all rated at 4 Ohms. That means in order to get the full potential and dynamics of the speaker you need a high Current, high Dumping Factor SS amplifier capable of 'move' the drivers fast and very efficient. The is no better recommendation and match to a Bryston 3B in this case ( SST or SST2 series ) which is rated at 150 W @ 8 Ohms, 250W @ 4 Ohms and capable of drive effortlessly loads as low as 2 Ohms. Holy Grail match for P-17B would be the Electrocompaniet AW2X120-M with max. current capability > 100 A

[jjptkd]

1 hour ago, LittleWonder said:

P-17B's drivers impedance are all rated at 4 Ohms. That means in order to get the full potential and dynamics of the speaker you need a high Current, high Dumping Factor SS amplifier capable of 'move' the drivers fast and very efficient. 

I owned a set of these at one point and those little 7" woofers will not load a room on their own even a small room best off to run these with a sub or two. 

[wuzzzer]

1 hour ago, LittleWonder said:

P-17B's drivers impedance are all rated at 4 Ohms. That means in order to get the full potential and dynamics of the speaker you need a high Current, high Dumping Factor SS amplifier capable of 'move' the drivers fast and very efficient. The is no better recommendation and match to a Bryston 3B in this case ( SST or SST2 series ) which is rated at 150 W @ 8 Ohms, 250W @ 4 Ohms and capable of drive effortlessly loads as low as 2 Ohms. Holy Grail match for P-17B would be the Electrocompaniet AW2X120-M with max. current capability > 100 A

 

Just curious why you felt the need to offer this advice almost 6 years after it was originally posted.