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Have Heresy IV, looking for amp suggestions


altec210

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All - I recently purchased a scratch/dent pair of Heresy IVs, and I'm looking for some good amp suggestions. Here is what I currently have:

 

  • RedWine Audio - Deluxe dual mono Clarit-T, sounds really good
  • HK 430 receiver, also sounds really good

 

Amps I'm looking into:

 

  • Possibly a 300B amp, afraid it might be too slow/plodding in the bass, but I love 300B midrange. Has anyone tried one they liked a lot? Trafomatic or Elekit?
  • RedWine Audio Signature 30 LFP-V5, might improve on the ClariT?
  • OTL of some sort - Transcendent?

 

Looking for a big image with in-the-room vocals that will keep the groove going.

 

I had a pair of Heresy IIIs, and this is a different speaker. It has excellent bass and is very tonally balanced. It's the most musically engaging speaker, across all music types, that I have owned. I like my JBL L112 better than many current/modern speakers, but the IV has taken over. I'm just looking for your best suggestions on an amp that maximize their ample strengths. $1,500-2,000 range (used).

 

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!

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Hi Randy - Over the last year, I have moved away from "critical" listening when assessing what to keep or move along. For me, it really comes down to: do voices and instruments have impact, does it sound real (tone), and can I just enjoy the music for what is, even with bad recordings, and finally, do they really fit in my small room. That last point has become one of my biggest keys. If I can listen to field recordings of early Blues and get a chill from the emotion packed into those songs, the system is doing its job. The system transcends the poor quality of the recording to reveal the emotion.

 

The III left me wanting in several areas. I'm in an 6 X 14 X 9 room, and I have enjoyed split Altec 210 and A7 speakers along with La Scalas (old). I knew horns could work, but those systems were moved along due to size. I wanted a speaker that was workable but approaching the same sense of scale that the Altecs/La Scala provided. I tried the III, but I was unmoved by the presentation. I found my mind wandering and wishing my JBL L112 speakers were back in the system.

 

After reading Steve H.'s review, I found a good price on a scratch and dent IV with the ability to return, so I took another chance. Really glad I did. They are everything you have read about or seen in the video reviews. The IVs are balanced, have really good bass, especially upright acoustic, and instruments sound real. I work with live sound on a regular basis, and I need a speaker that can mimic that feeling when a jazz vocalist hits "that" note and the audience hangs on it - it's palpable with everyone in the room. That's what the IVs do for me.

 

I had every intention of boxing these up and sending 'em back. They will be staying - now, to find the "perfect" amp. 

 

Stay safe out there!

 

 

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  I recommend a good solid state. Some of the ones you mention enticingly have flavor. If HIV are uncolored, a linear amp is what you are looking for.

  The most uncolored is Benchmark AHB2. May show up used. They sell faster than Benchmark could build before the virus. Six week wait. No advertising, limited dealer network.

   Also designed and made in US. Like your HIV.

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26 minutes ago, Panelhead said:

  I recommend a good solid state. Some of the ones you mention enticingly have flavor. If HIV are uncolored, a linear amp is what you are looking for.

  The most uncolored is Benchmark AHB2. May show up used. They sell faster than Benchmark could build before the virus. Six week wait. No advertising, limited dealer network.

   Also designed and made in US. Like your HIV.

the Benchmark AHB2 is a remarkable amplifier peerless and the single most quiet amplifier in the world NOTHING else even comes remotely close. I have gone head to head with a 65lbs 200 watt/channel Spectral and was rocked by the power that the Benchmark delivered. The last amplifier you will need to purchase. There are three AHB2 now in my immediate family.

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I've loved my H3's with a Unison Research Triode 25 which is within your used budget. Easily the best combo I've had to date. If you don't listen loud then UR's Simply Italy is another option. I'm considering an upgrade to C4's but need to either rob a bank or win the lottery to be able to afford them.  

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On 4/6/2020 at 11:03 AM, moray james said:

the Benchmark AHB2 is a remarkable amplifier peerless and the single most quiet amplifier in the world NOTHING else even comes remotely close. I have gone head to head with a 65lbs 200 watt/channel Spectral and was rocked by the power that the Benchmark delivered. The last amplifier you will need to purchase. There are three AHB2 now in my immediate family.

Actually, a close 2nd would be the Hypex NC-400, NC-500, and Bruno Putzey's latest company offering. So your comment about "nothing else coming close." Is like saying a Ferrari is not as good a Lamboghini. They both can go above 220 MPH.

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2 hours ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

Actually, a close 2nd would be the Hypex NC-400, NC-500, and Bruno Putzey's latest company offering. So your comment about "nothing else coming close." Is like saying a Ferrari is not as good a Lamboghini. They both can go above 220 MPH.

so far as I can see the AHB2 is at least 9 db more quiet its designer claims more but it is so noise free it cannot be measured and the noise level must be derived mathematically. There is debate between Benchmark and the top two noise measurement companies as to the math involved Benchmark claim more quiet than the stated value of minus 139db.

   Thanks for posting I did not know that Bruno was working so hard.

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8 hours ago, moray james said:

so far as I can see the AHB2 is at least 9 db more quiet its designer claims more but it is so noise free it cannot be measured and the noise level must be derived mathematically. There is debate between Benchmark and the top two noise measurement companies as to the math involved Benchmark claim more quiet than the stated value of minus 139db.

   Thanks for posting I did not know that Bruno was working so hard.

The problem I have with specifications and measurements, is that sometimes we are barking up the wrong tree. How is that TUBES are still hanging around with TERRIBLE specs. vs. an average Solid State amplifier with low distortion of all kinds. The average "Hi Fi" listener NEVER encounters more than a 20 db dynamic range on any recording, with only a 30 db crest factor for live AMPLIFIED music and only 17 db for a live orchestra that traditially has fit just fine with a 70 dbs SNR tape recorder? 

 

I'm not questioning the impressive performance and excellence of the Benchmark, I'm merely questioning it's NECESSITY in a world full of really cheap and GREAT sounding amplifiers............especially those that come from Texas instruments chips and  ubiquitous 19 volt laptop power supplies. When the average sensitivity of a horn based loudspeaker is 100-110 db/watt and the insdutry standard listening level is 83 db, that means that ANY Heritage Klipsch speaker, including the new Heresy IV gives you back 99 db  MINIMUM for 1 watt of  electrical input (102 db for stereo). This means that the average power, both channels together is 20 db less than less than that at the industry standard 83 db SPL in the sweet spot, which translates in 1/100th of a Watt. So LOW POWER amplifiers of today are cheap and just as good in the real world than 100 Watt per channel amplifiers that have relatively infinite headroom vs. the cheap chip amps of today. I ran my Jubilees with TAD drivers on K402's and paid only $75 for the 2 stereo amps required, which fit in the palm of your hand. And this was with a 5 db PEQ at 32 Hz. and playing drum recordings with 120 db peaks!!

 

You will never have to apologize for having Benchmark amps or too much power as long as their operating efficiency doesn't require new house wiring, which, of course, horn lovers like us never do. As far as my experience goes, ALL modern amplifiers, regardless of price are dead quiet if the GROUNDING is done right, even on horns which have the most reveal of anomalous noises.

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12 minutes ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

As far as my experience goes, ALL modern amplifiers, regardless of price are dead quiet if the GROUNDING is done right, even on horns which have the most reveal of anomalous noises.

  I am tempted to order an AHB2 to see if the awesome specs improve the playback with LS ii. Everyone who has one reports it will. 

 But Not all amplifiers are quiet enough for me. I want no audible noise with ear in the mid and tweeter horns, not 10’ away. 

   No idea how good an amp is needed for HIV. Suspect the speakers are revealing enough to show minor differences.

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11 hours ago, Panelhead said:

  I am tempted to order an AHB2 to see if the awesome specs improve the playback with LS ii. Everyone who has one reports it will. 

 But Not all amplifiers are quiet enough for me. I want no audible noise with ear in the mid and tweeter horns, not 10’ away. 

   No idea how good an amp is needed for HIV. Suspect the speakers are revealing enough to show minor differences.

Will your temptation cause you to write a check and wait? LS vs HIV is a 5-6 db difference in sensitivity, so the LS would be the one to reveal noise, but the new Heresy is no slouch in this area. Personally, I don't care about hearing thermal noise from a tweeter with my ear on it. I only care about what's audible in my sweet spot. We all have our standards, don't we? Just know that tube power amplifiers have 40-50 db more noise than the AHB2, so I don't see tubes in your future. LOL.

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12 hours ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

The problem I have with specifications and measurements, is that sometimes we are barking up the wrong tree. How is that TUBES are still hanging around with TERRIBLE specs. vs. an average Solid State amplifier with low distortion of all kinds. The average "Hi Fi" listener NEVER encounters more than a 20 db dynamic range on any recording, with only a 30 db crest factor for live AMPLIFIED music and only 17 db for a live orchestra that traditially has fit just fine with a 70 dbs SNR tape recorder? 

 

I'm not questioning the impressive performance and excellence of the Benchmark, I'm merely questioning it's NECESSITY in a world full of really cheap and GREAT sounding amplifiers............especially those that come from Texas instruments chips and  ubiquitous 19 volt laptop power supplies. When the average sensitivity of a horn based loudspeaker is 100-110 db/watt and the insdutry standard listening level is 83 db, that means that ANY Heritage Klipsch speaker, including the new Heresy IV gives you back 99 db  MINIMUM for 1 watt of  electrical input (102 db for stereo). This means that the average power, both channels together is 20 db less than less than that at the industry standard 83 db SPL in the sweet spot, which translates in 1/100th of a Watt. So LOW POWER amplifiers of today are cheap and just as good in the real world than 100 Watt per channel amplifiers that have relatively infinite headroom vs. the cheap chip amps of today. I ran my Jubilees with TAD drivers on K402's and paid only $75 for the 2 stereo amps required, which fit in the palm of your hand. And this was with a 5 db PEQ at 32 Hz. and playing drum recordings with 120 db peaks!!

 

You will never have to apologize for having Benchmark amps or too much power as long as their operating efficiency doesn't require new house wiring, which, of course, horn lovers like us never do. As far as my experience goes, ALL modern amplifiers, regardless of price are dead quiet if the GROUNDING is done right, even on horns which have the most reveal of anomalous noises.

The AHB2 is quite compact and efficient as it uses all switching supplies it runs at reasonable temperatures without any fan. It is so much more than just the worlds most quiet amplifier. In the depths of all that quiet lies much detail.

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12 hours ago, Panelhead said:

  I am tempted to order an AHB2 to see if the awesome specs improve the playback with LS ii. Everyone who has one reports it will. 

 But Not all amplifiers are quiet enough for me. I want no audible noise with ear in the mid and tweeter horns, not 10’ away. 

   No idea how good an amp is needed for HIV. Suspect the speakers are revealing enough to show minor differences.

at 110 db S/N ratio, this one is no slouch at 1/3 the price of a Benchmark. I can attest to the Hypex technology being the best, but the TEAC has a quieter, more robust power supply than most. The key thing about this amp, if you want the lowerst noise possible it to use the XLR inputs!!

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Teac-AP-505B-Hi-Fi-Stereo-Power-Amplifier-powered-by-Hypex-Ncore-technology/153882255618?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D226054%26meid%3D28218ea72c0a45ec8f2c07f8834649cf%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D324131212102%26itm%3D153882255618%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

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13 minutes ago, moray james said:

The AHB2 is quite compact and efficient as it uses all switching supplies it runs at reasonable temperatures without any fan. It is so much more than just the worlds most quiet amplifier. In the depths of all that quiet lies much detail.

No question as to it's excellence, but not necessarity the "best bang for the buck" with plenty of excellence available elsewhere with lot of micro detail too.

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