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Amp Options - Infinity Kappa 9s

Hi All,

I recently made my first foray into some upgraded speakers and settled on the Infinity Kappa 9s. Being a novice to the HiFi game still, I didn’t have a full appreciation for just how hard these things seem to be to find an amp/s for!

I’ve spoken to a few people and been given different paths. I’m just hoping to get some advice on a few different options. Any input would be much appreciated as I start to build my knowledge. The 3 amp options I’ve been presented are below. Would any of these run well in either/both of the Normal/Extended modes for the K9s?

Cheers,

Ash

 

Mcintosh MC352

https://audio-database.com/MCINTOSH/amp/mc352-e.html

Pair of Xindak XA8800MNE (200W, Class A Monoblocks)

From what I can find, these are only rated down to 4Ohms but he had them driving Infinity RS4.5s which seem to have similar issues to the K9s. 

http://www.xindak.com/en-us/product_detail_info.aspx?ProductID=265

Pair of Emotiva XPA-1 (Monoblocks)

 

schmerly92

Showing 1 response by verdantaudio

verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio
1,515 posts
 

Kappa 9s have a min impedance of about 1 ohm.  This is one of the most notoriously difficult speakers of all time to drive.  I had the first edition Kappa 8s which were bad enough at 1.7 ohms.  I blew a lot of fuses. These are worse.  That said, they are actually extremely efficient and you don't need a lot of topline power.  50w into 8 ohms that will double to 1 ohm is far better than 1000w into 8 ohms if it is not stable at 1 ohm.  

Whatever amp you choose needs to be stable to 1 ohm and these speakers are forward so a warmer tonal profile is important.  For new you could look at any of Naim's power amps.  AGD is surprisingly capable at low impedances.  The Tempo is a good choice.  I use it with 2.4ohm Vivid Kayas and it sounds great.  

Can't speak about most of the the other options here.  

 

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