Best amplifier for klipsch heresy 3 speakers.


I am looking for suggestions on a power amp or integrated for the klipsch heresy 3 speakers.i would prefer a solid state amp over tubes.I need an amplifier on the warmer side,also considering a pro amp like a crown or qsc but have no experience with pro amps.My room is a 12x12 with wood floors.MY Source is a an oppo bdp 83 dvd/cd player.my music taste is mostly rock.Im looking for an amplifier with good power but tame on the highs.
curiousgeorge

Showing 3 responses by mechans

I missed that old thread so I will add my 2 cents here. I own Heresy Is I guess you would call them, vintage 1976 before numbering. For reasons unknown, I found as do many others, that McIntosh power amps are synergistic with Klipsch speakers.
From the tenor of your post it doesn't sound like you have a budget in line with a new or even recently used Mac amp, so that would leave you with only the older Macs which is just fine, actually. I use one of there oldest and least expensive models the MC 2505. The best option might be a clean MC2105 which puts out over 100WPC, I know you don't need all that much juice for the Heresys, my amp is only a 50WPC piece. The tone of the amp is most important and since you have eliminated tubes, you have taken out a lot of amps with a warmer than standard tonality. Other choices might be- a used again low output class A amp. The other thing to consider is using earm cables, I like Cardas but they are expensive, Use good copper if Cardas is too much, leave out silver in any form.
If you are really uncomfortable with the sound of the Heresys then perhaps the better part of valor would be to sell them and start over. I realize that you may not recover all your funds but the money you'll spend trying to get them to "sound right" may add up fast.
I never gave up myself with my JM Labs Electras and eventually found the right combination of gear to make them sound great.
I started by telling you that you may want to get some used Cardas cables, that had a big impact on tone. I eventually found that Tube power amps did the trick in combination with a specific type of tube pre amp. But it took 5-6 years to figure it out and to budget enough money to do it.
There are a lot of inexpensive tube integrateds out there that you should keep an eye on. As mentioned Cayin. Jolida, and I will add Prima Luna amongst others, but I thought you said no tubes? An older British tube amp from Quad might be the right thing. You will only know if you actually try it in your system, there is no really quick cure in most cases of "Trebelosis extremis".
Do some homework over on the Klipsch Forums as suggested for more ideas and advice. BTW I have my LaScalas attached to my old small SS Mac even though I have several tube amps I could easily use instead!
I kid you not, the best synergy between my original Klipsch Heresies and amp, was to use a McIntosh amp. This is not my opinion alone. The combination has been extoled for decades and my experience was no different. If you insist on using a tube amp (most of my gear is tube) I would opt for an older Conrad Johnson unit most importantly the use of a CJ tubed Preamp, if and only if you can't get a McIntosh amp. I know I have owned Klipsch Heresy speakers for nearly 40 years. Not all of those years were happy ones. Nonetheless I went on to buy LaScalas amongst many other non Klipsch speakers. Even now I still own both pairs of my Klipsch speakers after forced downsizing.
Really try a McIntosh amp with you Klipsch, even an old inexpensive one (relatively) will work, my 2505 did.