amp system for khorns

[p.dow]

newbee here. what a great site.

i am wanting to acquire a set of klipschorns in the near future and would like build my system in advance.

looking to see what those with the khorns are happy with.

i have no current preference for tubes vrs. ss

amp/preamp or integrated.

need phono tuner and cd recomendations too if possible.

thanks for input.

paul

(florida)

[seti]

I would find someone in Florida that has khorns and listen to them. You might try to find an audio store that at least has heritage klipsch this could help you if you could listen first.

I would read some of the threads on this forum and look at peoples system profile you will see everything from flea tube power amps 3.5 wpc to 60 tube wpc to solid state.

A great resource if you don't know about it is www.audiogon.com . It is like ebay but for audiogear. I have bought some great gear there.

Good Luck

I would recommend some rebuilt Dynaco mk III's I heard Dee's at last years Hope gathering and everyone was impressed!

[Daddy Dee]

You don't have to spend alot of money, that's for sure.

If you wanted to start out with a Crown D45, about 20 wpc and available used on Ebay for $125.

[PrestonTom]

Paul,

I agree that you should listen to a pair of K-Horns in advance (making sure that they are properly positioned in the corners of the room).

The speakers are very efficient and do not present a very low impedance to the amp. As a consequence you need not worry about an amp that is high powered (loads of watts) or that is high current (for low impedances).

However, you need to find an amp that has a very clean & undistorted sound at low levels (less than a couple of watts). Also the unit/system must be free of any hiss or hum. The K-Horns are very revealing - they can be ruthless with mediocre electronics.

These above criteria are not easy to discern from the manufacturers specs. Additionally what works with a friend's less efficient speakers may not correlate with the K-Horns. You really need to borrow and test a variety of amps.

As for the tube vs solid state issue: they are both good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately there is also a great deal of religious fervor on this topic.

Good Luck,

-Tom

[p.dow]

thanks tom - after reading through- dope from hope -( i down loaded from another post on this site) - i am beginning to get the picture regarding the needs of the khorns.

i think i want to try tubes (it would be my first experience with tubes).

been looking at used cary (V-12 , cad 808 .... ) available on audiogon. ok choice ? do you think.

question ... how much will my preamp selection interact with this ?

thanks

paul

(florida)

ps still trying to audition the khorn.

[Colin]

Welcome!

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In your profile, please specify your system: # of channels now and planned, amps, subs, room size, acoustic treatments, EQ, music source (iPod, PC, DVD, etc.), your age, music and movie preferences, percent of movie versus music listening, preferred volume level, musical instrument experience, must have features, etc! That way, the thoughtful posters here can provide answers tailored to your situation, not just simply spout off their preferences for their own situation.

Colin (in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Tampa)[H]

[PrestonTom]

thanks tom - after reading through- dope from hope -( i down loaded from another post on this site) - i am beginning to get the picture regarding the needs of the khorns.

i think i want to try tubes (it would be my first experience with tubes).

been looking at used cary (V-12 , cad 808 .... ) available on audiogon. ok choice ? do you think.

question ... how much will my preamp selection interact with this ?

thanks

paul

(florida)

ps still trying to audition the khorn.

Paul,

I would take Colin's advice. Your choice will be determined by the levels that you need. One of the issues is how to avoid distortion and this is in turn will influence how large of an amp you will need. You are also correct to bring up the issue of matching the amp to the pre-amp.

Since you bring up the possibility of a Cary, it sounds like you are willing to spend some money. There are a number of choices out there.

However let me suggest a different prioritization. There are many amps that will be more than adequate. When you get into the more expensive stuff, then the differences will become more subtle. Let me suggest that far bigger gains will be realized by paying attention to issues of speaker positioning and room treatment. There the differences are very real and very noticeable. Much more so than choice of amp & pre-amp (assuming you are at a baseline of decent equipment)

Good Luck,

-Tom

[p.dow]

thanks for the welcome and pointers.

rm. size 10x22x36 all open living/kitchen/dine - and a hall way and upstairs open stairway. hd.wood and tile floor.

dont watch tomany movies, probably because my sound system is naught. now we have a pioneer 509a/v system listening to fm,cd, through a pair of infinity 425 - nothing special atall.have a old marantz 2265B ,ar / technics / and kenwood turntables in some cobwebs somewhere.

personally i want to build a system to re-enjoy my old lp collection (classic,folk,rock, jazz) and get some life out of the other cd and fm listening we do.

dont like the volume so high like i once did but i do know that some good music is best listened to at close to the volume it was intended. mostly i want a clean pure sound... thanks