@dekay I don't know for sure that there would be hum with RCA connections. There has been in the past, with different equipment. I know that it is absolutely silent with all the balanced amps I've used, and I don't like to have any background noise in my small bedroom (not even mechanical transformer hum).
Best Amplifier for LS3/5a
Happy New Year All! Seeking advice from LS3/5 enthusiasts! I have tried a number of these speakers (Graham, Harbeth, Falcon and KEF LS50's (if that counts)) - and to me the Falcon Gold Badge really stood out. It's been a while now since I did the comparison, so I don't remember all the details - but I felt that the Falcons were the most musical, engaging, open and did NOT have bloated bass (important for a small room)! I've held on to a pair for my bedroom system, but I don't think that my current bedroom amps (AGD Audions, which I love with my current Raidho XT-1 monitors) are the best match for them. I get a bit too much sizzle on the top and some associated sibilance.
Herb Reichert (Stereophile) seems to love these speakers, and his review notes that the Parasound A21+ was too dry with these speakers, but he really liked the Line Magnetic LM-518 IA. That's not going to work for me! In this bedroom system I keep the amp(s) under the bed and generally leave them on 24/7. If possible, I prefer a balanced design, as I want NO HUM in my bedroom and my DAC/Pre (Weiss 501) has both balanced and RCA outs.
Based on the intended setup, I think balanced solid state would make the most sense. Amp selection might be influenced by the speakers having 15 ohm input impedance.
Any suggestions? Thanks, Peter
Showing 10 responses by peter_s
@clio09 Yep. I guess my question is how do threads show up in the general feed rather than getting stuck in a specialty forum. Perhaps it's number of people who have responded. |
@rdschicago Thanks for the suggestion. I like the fact that it's balanced and that VTV offers a 30-day audition. I'm not intimidated by it being Class D - because my current amp (AGD Audion) is Ganfet Class D. I think that the AGD is an amazing amp. So my question is - is there something special about the Purifi that would beat the AGD ganfet? Definitely the Audion is less power (170W, 4ohm (>30A max current capability)). Thoughts? |
@celtic66 thank you for your input. I noticed that several of the Sudgen amplifiers do have balanced inputs… But seem maybe either too big for my bedroom or not powerful enough for the speakers in question. The reason I gravitate towards balanced connections is because I want absolutely no noise in the bedroom, so I figure I have a better chance of not getting hum with balanced over single ended. Any thoughts about the sapphire model, and whether 40 W of class a would be enough to run these speakers? Thanks! |
Thanks All. I agree that a Class A amplifier left on 24/7 under my bed is a bad idea! The bedroom is small, and mostly I'm trying to TAME bass nodes. That's a benefit of the Weiss 501 - I am able to use the built in DSP for that purpose. With my current Raidho XT-1's, I also tune the bass by adding a small KEF subwoofer. I would like to also be able to use my LS 3/5A's in the bedroom system. I think they sound very good with the AGD Audion (that's why I kept them), but I am dealing with a little bit of sibilance. So the question is: is the sibilance a characteristic of the Falcon Gold Badges or is there something about the amp/speaker combo that can be improved (no sibilance with the AGD's driving my Raidhos). I was thinking that maybe it is the impedance matching, or maybe the LS 3/5A's were designed for an amp with less high frequency extension. @celtic66 - you nailed it. Small bedroom, lots of bass reinforcement... don't need much output. Perhaps that changes the amp matching discussion just a bit... @mijostyn if I ever use these speakers in a "normal" sized room, your approach sounds good. Right now my room is 8x12 - pretty small. But the theme here is very consistent - lots of current needed! |
@dekay I'm not sure if this is a bonehead idea, but I'm curious whether the Quads can be bridged into monoblocks and whether bridging can be used to convert them to balanced. |
@mijostyn I'm currently using a KEF KC62. To quote the promo "it’s connection options allow it to be used with almost any audio system, with KEF SmartConnect and speaker level inputs eliminating any connection issues. Line output with High Pass Filter (HPF) allows for exceptional fine-tuned integration, and KC62 is also compatible with the KW1 for simple wireless compatibility." With my current system configuration, I'm using the speaker level inputs sourced by my AGD amplifiers. I can't put a high pass filter in front of the AGD's, because it would also affect the subs. I don't believe I can feed the subs with a line level from the Weiss 501 (I believe its "smartconnect" is proprietary). So with my current system, I don't see a way to employ high pass in front of the Falcons. Maybe with another setup - I'm sure I'll be playing with these speakers for a while. Unless you have another suggestion.... Thanks! |
@sumaato Thanks for that. I am definitely interested in trying out the quad amplifiers. |
@dekay in my experience, a balanced cable has been useful and eliminating or reducing hum that I get with a RCA cable. Because I want absolutely no hum in the bedroom, that’s why I would go with balanced. But these amps are inexpensive enough that I could try it out and see how it goes. |