RickD Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 My Klipschorns are powered by a McIntosh MA352, a 200watt per channel integrated amp. I am happy with the sound however I wonder if there is a better amp that is capable of a dramatic improvement in sound. My Khorns are modified so I can't just walk in a store and listen to something and expect the same sound. It's not that I am unhappy with the McIntosh, it sounds great but I am wondering if there is something better. Could be I have an itch to spend some money. Suggestions? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Mac tubes? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 18 minutes ago, RickD said: My Klipschorns are powered by a McIntosh MA352, a 200watt per channel integrated amp. I am happy with the sound however I wonder if there is a better amp that is capable of a dramatic improvement in sound. Hard to imagine that another amp could sound better than what you have, but it is possible that other amps might interact differently with the impedance curves and affect parts of the frequency response that might appeal to some ears. That would not be an "improvement" in sound, just a laborious way to EQ your system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iteachstem Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 You can go down a never ending rabbit hole with trying different amps.... and with most good amps you shouldn't hear a huge difference. If an amplifier is doing it's job correctly, it shouldn't color the sound. However, some people appreciate certain signal modifications with their amps. My suggestions are trying room treatments if possible and then different speakers(Another never ending rabbit hole!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 An SET amp is what ye seek, grasshopper… 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK Thom Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 There are some pretty nice high end amps out there, many of them made of unobtainium. The one you have currently is pretty damn good. I think any changes you may hear would be pretty minor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 1 hour ago, YK Thom said: There are some pretty nice high end amps out there, many of them made of unobtainium. The one you have currently is pretty damn good. I think any changes you may hear would be pretty minor. I agree that going from one high powered SS amp to another one might be barely noticeable. But low powered tubes are where heritage klipsch shine. Hence my recommendation. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK Thom Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Good point, I was thinking of a solid state replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 I owned a McIntosh MA 252 and it sounded very good. I auditioned a Primaluna Evo 400 and preferred the sound over the MA 253 so I traded it in for the evo. I am very happy I moved to the all tube integrated amplifier as I love the sound with my Forte IVs 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK Thom Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 I have a friend in town who drives his ProAcs with a Primaluna. Pretty sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkwa1959 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 What mods have you made to your Klipschorns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickD Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 6 hours ago, Shakeydeal said: I agree that going from one high powered SS amp to another one might be barely noticeable. But low powered tubes are where heritage klipsch shine. Hence my recommendation. Like a 300B Amp from Western Electric? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickD Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 The MA352 amp I have does sound pretty damn good. Nvidia has made me some extra pocket money that is itching to be spent. A while back I was certain I needed a different DAC. I borrowed a few big buck dacs from audio dealers but couldn't find any improvement over what I have. The RME. I did a firmware update on this DAC and it sounded better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Sounds like system boredom. Tubes are the way to go for a different sound. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 3 hours ago, YK Thom said: I have a friend in town who drives his ProAcs with a Primaluna. Pretty sweet. I have had my EVO 400 for about 3 years now and have rolled kt150s in and rolled in some preamp tubes and I love the sound of my system more now than ever. I don’t think I will ever go back to solid state amplification. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 I use a tube amp and can switch 6CA7, EL34, 6550 and KT88 and a host of preamp tubes all in the same tube amp. It is not for accuracy, flat responses, room measurements or the likes. I have done all that and only look for my personal enjoyment in the setup of various systems. I have owned McIntosh and heard many of their offerings over the years as well as Moon, Boulder and quite a few other Hi End makers. Switching SS will yield about nil if the the other amp was sufficient. We are questioning a good Mc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the real Duke Spinner Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 I use a QuickSilver FF pre into a Crown Macrotech I can not see me happy with a few Watts. 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 4 hours ago, the real Duke Spinner said: I use a QuickSilver FF pre into a Crown Macrotech I can not see me happy with a few Watts. 😀 You’d be shocked. I’ll bet dollars to donuts you can’t stay in the room with my lascalas at lease breaking levels with 8 watts. I can’t make this amp audibly clip on any source material. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 On 4/1/2024 at 9:37 PM, the real Duke Spinner said: I use a QuickSilver FF pre into a Crown Macrotech I can not see me happy with a few Watts. 😀 Duke, you know I used to say the same years ago. I had a Microtech 1200. I sold the old stuff a while back. I recently bought KHorns with an Onkyo M504 165 wpc amp. The amp has meters. I was surprised to learn what 20 watts sounds like. To put it in perspective, I play drums with the volume significantly lower than that. 20 watts will drown out my drums. Either that, or my amp's meters are wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I have an amp with meters. When the meters are indicating 15 to 20 watts, the peak indicator 150W RMS/channel LEDS will flash with the music. Of course it is a rare occasion with Klipsch Heritage speakers, but the point is that music is very dynamic and it is good to have enough power available when the need occurs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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