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Amps for KEF Blade 2

I am looking for advice from owners or dealers of the KEF Blade 2 loudspeakers. I am concerned my current pair of amps will not be sufficient for the B2s because of an article written about the original Blades published on July 5, 2013 in The Absolute Sound:

"The Blades have a nasty kick in their crossover that will suck an amplifier dry quicker than a student downing free tequila shots ... Just don’t be tempted to cheapskate on the driving amps, or you’ll live to regret it. Tube amps at least have an output transformer to hide behind, but when the Blades suck out a solid-state design, they celebrate by spotlighting their tweeter something chronic. To give you some idea of the lengths required, the otherwise excellent Rowland 625 [550 watts into 4 Ohms] wasn’t up to the job, it taking a pair of the 725 monoblocs [650 watts into 4 Ohms] to restore order. "

Are the Blade 2s just as demanding as the original Blades in terms of amplification? I would guess not due to the smaller 6.5 inch woofers, but this is just an uneducated guess. I own a pair of Benchmark AHB2 amps, which according to the manufacturer produce “a little over 500 watts into 4 Ohms”. Will this be enough?
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Showing 2 responses by dbphd

dbphd
1,632 posts
 
I've been planning for Blade 2s when I consolidate my two setups.  I plan to keep either the new Ayre VX-5 Twenty (175@8Ω, 350@4Ω) or the Parasound JC1 monoblocks (400@8Ω, 800@Ω) and use an integrated for the LS50s.  Will either of those amps have trouble driving Blade 2s?  I use the VX-5 with a KX-5 Twenty preamp and the JC 1s with a JC 2 BP if that's relevant.

db
dbphd
1,632 posts
 
yysantabarbara,

I was disappointed with the Parasound A23 driving the LS50s, but the A21sounded very good.

I replaced a Proceed HAP 2 with JC 1 monoblocks to drive KEF Reference 107/2s.  The improvement in sound wasn't subtle.  The JC 1s really made the 107/2s sing.

Without too much trouble I could try the Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp with the JC 1s and 107/2s, and it's something I should do.  OTOH, perhaps I should just keep my beloved 107/2s and forget the Blade 2s.

db
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