Jump to content

B&K amps?


Njpurvis28

Recommended Posts

Hello all, newbie here to the forums. Is anyone else running B&K amps? I have an ST125.2 paired with my RF3s and I really enjoy it. Woke the speakers up a lot and I feel helped with the brightness. Curious as to why they went out of business? I’ve seen the new website but they clearly state they don’t support the older B&K, so is it still the same company and same quality/sounding amps? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Njpurvis28,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

My first outboard amp was a B&K Reference 4430 and I used it to drive my RF-63s/RC-64 LCR.  Liked the combo so much I added an EX4420 to drive the pair of 63s while the REF 4430 powered the RC-64 and surrounds.  Eventually moved on to Acurus but my time with B&K was very enjoyable.  Also owned a couple of PT-3 preamp/tuners and they were rock solid as well.

 

16 hours ago, Njpurvis28 said:

I have an ST125.2 paired with my RF3s and I really enjoy it. Woke the speakers up a lot and I feel helped with the brightness.

B&K uses(used) mosfet outboard transistors which tend to add a "warmness" to the presentation where bipolar transistors are a bit more transparent.

 

16 hours ago, Njpurvis28 said:

Curious as to why they went out of business?

I don't think they were a big player in the business and got pushed aside when the likes of less expensive Emotiva, Outlaw Audio, etc. solidified their market share.  Hard to compete with the internet direct companies when they(B&K) rely on a network of dealers to peddle their goods.  B&K build quality was never an issue as well as their product support.  They may have just lost their way.  ATI scooped them up but don't think they really supported them the way they deserved.

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@willland the gentleman I purchased it from had moved up to Krell, said he worked as a B&K dealer back in the day. Definitely was babied and there’s not a scratch on it! 😀 makes sense with the presence of e-commerce. 

 

@Shakeydeal this is my first power amp so I don’t have a lot of say on comparisons. Definitely outdid my Yamaha AVR though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Njpurvis28 said:

@willland the gentleman I purchased it from had moved up to Krell, said he worked as a B&K dealer back in the day. Definitely was babied and there’s not a scratch on it! 😀 makes sense with the presence of e-commerce. 

 

@Shakeydeal this is my first power amp so I don’t have a lot of say on comparisons. Definitely outdid my Yamaha AVR though!


Oh I’m not surprised at that. I had a Yamaha receiver about the same time period and the B&K amps were like a breath of fresh air compared to that thing.

 

Shakey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve been running B&K amps and preamps for a very long time. I love them. I’ve probably been through 10 other amplifier combinations and keep coming back to B&K. I’m not an audiophile so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I haven’t found anything that I would replace either of my amps with. The only gripe I would have is that they seem to soften the high end section a bit compared to other amps I’ve owned. I compare it to how I think Marantz softens the highs on klipsch speakers. I’m running a 4420 reference and Pro-10 pre right now and every set of Klipsch I’ve paired them with sound fantastic. I even ran that setup with a pair of La Scala’s and it sounded excellent. I owned a pair of Chorus II and preferred a Yamaha M-85  with those. The B&K sounded fine on them, but the Yamaha took them to another level. I started out with their most well known amp the ST-140 about 15 years ago. I had always heard to stay with their older stuff. That is simply not true. Very hard amp to beat for the money. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, nickyboy6100 said:

The only gripe I would have is that they seem to soften the high end section a bit compared to other amps I’ve owned.

It's not a gripe for me but I switched to Acurus because of their more neutral presentation.  I did really like the way the PT-3/EX4420 sounded with my Heresys.

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@nickyboy6100 I’d far from consider myself an audiophile. But sure do like this amp. I looked at getting an ST-140 prior to getting the ST125, read great things about it, however found the ST125 locally which made a bit more sense for me. Looked up specs on the 4420 and that’s a beast! I have very limited points of reference when it comes to audio equipment other than my own system. Don’t know other people around me with the same hobby! That being said I did have an old Marantz stereo receiver I ran for awhile with several pairs of Klipsch speakers and I’d strongly agree with the softer high end. On an unrelated note, I’m here in the Hoosier state as well!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Njpurvis28 said:

@nickyboy6100 I’d far from consider myself an audiophile. But sure do like this amp. I looked at getting an ST-140 prior to getting the ST125, read great things about it, however found the ST125 locally which made a bit more sense for me. Looked up specs on the 4420 and that’s a beast! I have very limited points of reference when it comes to audio equipment other than my own system. Don’t know other people around me with the same hobby! That being said I did have an old Marantz stereo receiver I ran for awhile with several pairs of Klipsch speakers and I’d strongly agree with the softer high end. On an unrelated note, I’m here in the Hoosier state as well!

Another Hoosier! That’s great!  I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a ST-125 either. I’ve experienced a very similar sound with the newer BK amps as I did with my ST-140. I’ve never had any reliability issues out of any of their gear. If you get a chance, try pairing it with a BK pro-5 or pro-10. I like both of those preamps. The pro-10 is far superior but they usually fetch a lot more money than the pro-5. I’ve looked at trying the pt-3 and pt-5, but haven’t got around to that yet. They both have remotes which would be a plus for me. As for the softer highs, it’s not much of a problem for me. Especially when paired with the La Scala’s. They really sounded sweet!! I think you will be hard pressed to find a better amp for the money. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...