The Ultimate KHorn Amplifier .... Is there one?

[Wrench722]

Well Wrench, if you're being serious...

I've had MC amps on my stuff and can find NO fault with them at all. I'd venture to say that anything you've heard about them would be accurate.

I will also go on to say that after having heard various amps (Wright 2A3, MC-30's, MC-2102, Transcendent SE-OTL, Crown K2, dbx BX1, dbx BX3) in my system...

The ONE amp that I keep thinking about (sort of like a fond memory of an old girlfriend and how everything she did was just a bit different and per perhaps faulty memory, "better" than any current girlfriend)

Anyway, the amp I keep thinking about were the Transcendent SE-OTL's. I've sold the Wrights, MC-30's, BX1 is on the way out and I keep thinking I might pick up the SE-OTL's (since I'm biamping) or maybe their larger brother since I'm a volume nut. I don't know for sure if I could live with the 4 wpc two bridged SE-OTL's would give me for the times my wife isn't home....iffen ya know what I mean.

Heck...I'm not even sure the larger T-16 would have enough oomph for those times.

For the SONIC sound though, the OTL amps stay in my mind as something different and in my mind, it was a GOOD difference. Even my wife and her sister happened to (ironically?) make comments about how nice the sound was and interestingly, the ONLY time they've ever made that unsolicited comment is when I had the SE-OTL's wired up. For them to make that comment (they hate anything larger than bose cubes) was a real change of gear for them because their ONLY comments are usually "those are big teenager speakers that are passe' and NO ONE buys things like that anymore"

I'm wondering if I'm evolving into an OTL fan... [:^)]

I am being serious. I am new to tubs and I am on the hunt for a good Amp. or two mono blocks for a set of Khorns with Bobs 15" and the ES crossovers from Alk. and 511B with the PD-5VH and JBL 2404. I am too a volume nut. But on the other hand I am a clarity and true to life type of guy.

[Coytee]

I am being serious. I am new to tubs and I am on the hunt for a good Amp. or two mono blocks for a set of Khorns with Bobs 15" and the ES crossovers from Alk. and 511B with the PD-5VH and JBL 2404. I am too a volume nut. But on the other hand I am a clarity and true to life type of guy.

OK then...I'll say something else that will probably get me into trouble... (this is all "IMHO")

There will be many many many amps that will give you the clarity you seek. There will also be many many many amps that will give you the volume you seek.

If I were you and knowing what I now know... I would have wanted someone to try to 'force' me to quantify just how much volume I might want/need. Meaning, if you are fine with decent toe tapping volume then IMHO, the SE-OTL's were the best sounding of the bunch. They only had 4 watts.

If however, you (more like me) like to ALSO shake & boogy the roof on the house every now & then... I guess the complexion changes a bit.

Can you bi-tri amp?

It drives me nuts not being able to really audition this stuff and I'm not fond of having to pay several grand to bring a piece home to 'see if it works'. Unfortunately, I think that's the boat I'm personally in.

I don't care for the cost of the McIntosh amps. I like their sound but I have begun to wonder if the OTL's might sound at MINIMUM just as good and for less price. (again, in my opinion). I love LOVE the look of the MC-2102 but every other day or so, I look at it and see a pile of $$ sitting there putting out great sound and wonder if I could put a less expensive amp there (probably OTL) and get equal to possibly better sound.

There IS indeed a small voice in the back of my head that says given my experience with the SE-OTL's, that this is probably true (for me)

To tell you the truth, I once heard the Crown XTi 1000 ($500 amp) and was VERYYYY impressed with its sound. Slap 2 of them into your system and you could split your woofer out with a direct line to the amp and the sqawker/tweeter going to the other channel. The amp has EQ'ing inside it if needed for the woofer and your passive could deal with the HF? A very nice bang for the buck I think.

(I don't have an XTi, but I DO have a K2 working my bass bins)

[Wrench722]

I am being serious. I am new to tubs and I am on the hunt for a good Amp. or two mono blocks for a set of Khorns with Bobs 15" and the ES crossovers from Alk. and 511B with the PD-5VH and JBL 2404. I am too a volume nut. But on the other hand I am a clarity and true to life type of guy.

OK then...I'll say something else that will probably get me into trouble... (this is all "IMHO")

There will be many many many amps that will give you the clarity you seek. There will also be many many many amps that will give you the volume you seek.

If I were you and knowing what I now know... I would have wanted someone to try to 'force' me to quantify just how much volume I might want/need. Meaning, if you are fine with decent toe tapping volume then IMHO, the SE-OTL's were the best sounding of the bunch. They only had 4 watts.

If however, you (more like me) like to ALSO shake & boogy the roof on the house every now & then... I guess the complexion changes a bit.

Can you bi-tri amp?

It drives me nuts not being able to really audition this stuff and I'm not fond of having to pay several grand to bring a piece home to 'see if it works'. Unfortunately, I think that's the boat I'm personally in.

I don't care for the cost of the McIntosh amps. I like their sound but I have begun to wonder if the OTL's might sound at MINIMUM just as good and for less price. (again, in my opinion). I love LOVE the look of the MC-2102 but every other day or so, I look at it and see a pile of $$ sitting there putting out great sound and wonder if I could put a less expensive amp there (probably OTL) and get equal to possibly better sound.

There IS indeed a small voice in the back of my head that says given my experience with the SE-OTL's, that this is probably true (for me)

To tell you the truth, I once heard the Crown XTi 1000 ($500 amp) and was VERYYYY impressed with its sound. Slap 2 of them into your system and you could split your woofer out with a direct line to the amp and the sqawker/tweeter going to the other channel. The amp has EQ'ing inside it if needed for the woofer and your passive could deal with the HF? A very nice bang for the buck I think.

(I don't have an XTi, but I DO have a K2 working my bass bins)

I am not a rich man But I dont mind spending the money if it is worth it. So you have a Mc-2102? And you realy dont like it? I love the way it looks. So if I can bi-tri amp. What do you have in mind?

[Coytee]

I am not a rich man But I dont mind spending the money if it is worth it. So you have a Mc-2102? And you realy dont like it? I love the way it looks. So if I can bi-tri amp. What do you have in mind?

I DO have a 2102 and bought it because it really was love at first sight. I think that has GOT to be one of the nicest looking amps I've ever seen (and is clearly the nicest looking amp I've every owned)

Please don't let me infer that I do not like it in ANY way because that would be misleading.

For me it is as much the sound as it is the dollars. Meaning, if I can find another brand amp that sounds as good or better than the McIntosh for LESS money, now it becomes a matter of asthetics. Do I like the Mac enough to keep it even though it costs more than a (potentially) better sounding amp?

I've had bouts where I say "yes, I like the looks of it SO much that I WOULD keep it" and I've also had bouts of "Though I love the amp and its looks, if I could find a better sounding amp for LESS money, I'd be a nut to not go for the better sounding amp for less"

For me...if indeed I've found that amp, it would probably be one of the OTL amps. Question is, since I'm biamping, can I live with 4 wpc on the K402 horn? My guess is I would not be happy with "just" 4 watts even though since they're not pushing the bass bins I'd have a bit more headroom in them than I had with my Khorns (running full range on 4 watts instead of 500 HZ up on the K402).

Too bad you're not closer... if you ever DO get this way, you'd be most welcome to listen some of the amps I've got.

[PrestonTom]

I am confused where the notion came from that clipping is not audible. Is this for ultra-short durations or cases where the amount of clipping is minimal?

-Tom

[DrWho]

That's the point. It IS audible. Finding ways to quantify it is a totally different topic.

The analogy proposed about ABC amp measuring poorly but sounding good should be considered impossible (especially when presented as an analogy). If any measure does not correlate to real perception, then the measure itself has been interpreted improperly.

[sunnysal]

Assuming you McIntosh's caps have not dried up (you might want to get that taken care off, nice caps make a difference) you have great amplification for your k-horns.

k-horns love tubes, you've heard it before and it's true.

that is not to say they cant sound good with SS, the second best amp I ever heard on my k-horns was a Krell that a friend brought over for one of my "shoot-outs".

Enjoy the music! if you begin to feel something is missing from the music then begin to compile those thoughts and look to fix it by looking for the culprit, in the following order:

1. improve room acoustics

2. refresh or change to another model your crossover

3. assure your electronic components are top quality

4. tweak your accesories (cables, A/C, isolation)

5. change the khorn drivers (this can make a big difference but it is a hell of a lot of work and, in the end, if you need to change out drivers then perhaps you should change the k-horns for another speaker).

YMMV, IMHO, etc.

warm regards,

Tony

[Mike Lindsey]

Good to see you posting, Tony... don't be a stranger. []

Mike

[3Fates]

All of my equipment is up-to-date (the MC-240 was overhauled a couple of years ago) and I have a specially constructed listening room with four dedicated circuits. The only thing I plan to investigate are crossover options for the KHorns. I have read of at least 3 gentlemen here who offer crossover modifications. I guess my next task will try to determine which crossover would be a good match for my particular situation (room, listening position, amplification type, musical preferences, listeing volume, etc.,etc.). I will also slip in my ICE amplifier when I have some time as well to see how the latest technology stands up to the classic McIntosh.

[sunnysal]

thanks for the welcome back mike. I have been visting less than before, mostly due to my complete enjoyment of my current system. I used to drop around here looking for tweaks, etc. now...well I am pretty happy with the music in my house! best regards, Tony

[NewMount]

I'm more than happy with my Accuphase A-45 Class A power amplifier. I use a Linn Kolektor preamp and a Sony CDP-XB740 CD player with it. I would describe the sound as an iron fist in a velvet glove (to use a cliché). It gives you all the details (the transparency is breathtaking) without ever sounding harsh and has all the punch you need. Some say it sounds "sweet".

[Guest " "]

3Fates

 

Where in Jersey?