You may want to try a pair of Spatial Computers Velocity Bridge 1 (VB1). They are a new product with a new approach for reducing RF/EMI noise and speaker driver/cable impedance leveling. My experience with them has been so positive. I'll go as far to say they have been transformative in my system. They are only $200 for the pair! |
Have you thought about rebuilding the crossovers on your speakers? That can make a huge change in to sound. |
@ English210,, Thats great news!,keep us informed. cheers! |
Deb, I'm definitely enjoying myself! I was in the biz 25 years ago, but had to give up my 'crack habit' as I call it. Now I'm able to start again, building on what I had. The Odyssey amp I just got is my first 'real' piece of good gear, and I'm blown away by the leap up from my old Yammy amp. My Infinity Kappa's have NEVER sounded so good. So I'm happy, except for that overly-bright top end that still rears it's head when I get heavy handed on the volume. Don't get me wrong, it's HUGELY reduced compared to the old amp, and the bass extension and output is an added benefit I didn't expect. So I'm enjoying myself, just researching ways to squeeze that little out of what I have.. ;) |
Awesome! I don't use the sub for music at all. Bass extension defies logic, so the sub is now movies only. I have now heard the Kappa's reach their limits, which I've never experienced before, even back when I sold them new. A test track with organ notes caused them to cry uncle. The air and openness is there, notes 'hang' in the air with what seems to me to be untruncated delay if the recording has the information. I could pick nits, and I do wonder what 'more' there is available, which is why I asked about cables/wires. I do feel the ribbon Emit tweeter is a little hot for me at high volumes still. I'm not quite sure if I'm getting all the expanse of sound stage that might be available, but this weekend I'm a bachelor, so hopefully there'll be time for lots of experiments...:) |
2 english210, you still around?,, how is the amp sounding? |
@ deebarnes,, come on over to the thread,the taralabs the one versus the 0.8EX,, you will enjoy that thread! |
@ deebarnes,, I just recommended a tara 0.8EX i/c for a member here on the gon,he put it between his analog pre-amp and the pre-amp,, needless to say he loved it so much he took my advice again and bought a 5 meter 0.8EX to go from his pre-amp to his amps!,, we have alot of tara fans on the thread here on the gon called taralabs the one versus the 0.8,,, on the cable threads, I have got 3 people to buy the taralabs cables and they love them,, all recently, just on that thread!,you are welcome to come there and chat,Its seems that they made me their Taralabs go to guy,I really know alot about all there products very well!,we also talk alot about eanything analog there too,if you have questions about that and tubes,we have a couple of go to guys for that there as well! Happy listening! |
Audiolabyrinth,
I agree that Tara's are the best!
They opened up the vinyl playback, and the more I layered them, the better the sound got.
We have Tara lab the 2 and 0.8 in set up for IC and phono wires.
Someday--Tara lab speaker wires.
We spent our big money on vinyl playback.
It is music therapy for my husband who is in pain every day. It relaxes him like crazy to listen to vinyl.
I was cautioned that Tara's are so revealing that you don't want them if you haven't already optimized your hardware because they will reveal weaknesses in the system and set up that you may not like hearing! Haha!
In reality,for us with the mufi kw 500 and the arc ph3se, the vinyl sounds so great, it is hard to quit once we start for the evening. We have had way too many 3ams! Our TT is a clearaudio Revolution with strad cart.
But our Hifi gurus tell me there are more neutral amps than mufi out there.
And our speakers get us maybe 90% of the $25k speakers we have heard at shows. There is always another level! Haha!
I hope our friend finds his audio nirvana with some good wires and settles in for music fun soon!
Deb |
@ english210,, If you ever want to know about Taralabs, let me know,I have bought there cables since they have been in bussiness!, I now have cost no object top of the line cables by them!,they are among the few as best available! cheers! |
English, set your budget and stick with it. If $200 is your IC limit, there are great used ICs out there worth several times that that will make your system sing.
I get your point with the older speakers. But read up on the amp. You may find some synergy info from the pros out there. Ask the guy you bought your amp from what ICs and speaker wires he used. Find out what speakers/wires other Gon-ers use w their identical amps.
Read up on ribbon tweeters and what ICs pros or Gon-ers used with them.
By the time you do all that research, you will have saved for some great wires. Haha!
Call your speaker manufacturer and ask what brand of wires they recommend.
Ask your Hifi guy to demo some wires in your price range. Do not stretch above your price limit because you won't want to let them go! Haha!
I did that with AQ and found I definitely did not like silver with my Yamaha amp. Great extension, but too hot.
I REALLY like MITs interconnects with my OPpo 95.
When I jumped into MITs, I bought a spool of their 4-conductor wire used in high end home theater installations. My future son in law terminated them. I still use them for my rears in my audiophile setup, and they sound great. Even that wire beat $200 monster speaker cables for linearity, extension and neutrality. Monster bloats the mids and sounds "warmer", but I had to turn my knobs down because so much more info was coming from the bass and the highs!!
Once my ear adjusted to a more neutral sound, I knew I was on the right track. Like I said, I found some decent older MITs and picked them up for my fronts and center when I found crazy good deals, and replaced the installation wires. My $200 monsters went into my home theater and I retired the monster 16 gauge wire from the fronts and center speakers there.
If you buy a name brand like kimbers, MITs, nordost, AQ, and stick around the $200 range for used interconnects, you can easily resell anything that doesn't work for you! |
good idea on the reviews, but not useful in my case with 25 year old speakers...unless I go with the 'house sound' theory. Whatever wires they used then are long since discontinued. For the AVR to amp interconnects that should be doable.
I do get the diminishing returns bit. $600 for a pair of ic's makes me swallow hard, but I get your point. Guess I better keep working to pay for all this, huh?
Thanks |
English 210, in your shoes, I would go read reviews on your amp and speakers. When there is a great review, note what interconnects and speaker wires they used.
There is a diminishing return on cost/fidelity. Set your budget and stick to it. For our system, I put our finest Tara interconnects in the vinyl setup.
Our second tier still sound mighty fine for DVDs and CDs.
A shoot out in my kids' system gave the MITs interconnects an edge over Silnotes for linearity, and extension. He has a cary tube amp and a sony bluray player. Silnotes will close down the top a bit, which might be just what you want. I bought mid-tier Silnotes when he offers them on super sale on the Gon($100-200 each). His highest stuff is crazy good but prices are wayyyy up there. A matter of system matching.
I searched eBay and Gon for MIT interconnects used. Bought m1s for about $600 a pair. A steal for $1800 interconnects. I was going fir synergy with the speaker wire which i already had. Someday, i will step up to Tara speaker wires.
In your research, find what works with your amp and speakers, then buy them on the cheap. Or buy a generation or two back, if you dont mind not having the latest/greatest. Patience served me well. If you get the Oppo, you will need several prs of analog interconnects, if you are a purist, for sacds.
If you are using the 16 gauge monsters on your front speakers,start changing there!! You might get rid of the glare with a decent set of speaker wires.
Happy shopping. |
Thanks!! I must confess to reticence to dive into the cable abyss. Deb, This all started with a ? about would an upgrade from my old Yamaha outboard amp improve the sound of my speakers. After much talk and advice, I got an Odyssey Stratos used here on the 'gon. The difference has blown my mind! The initial problem has been largely, though not completely eliminated. Hence the follow up about cables and interconnects. Currently the setup is: PS3, Yamaha RXA3010, Odyssey Stratos, Infinity Kappa 7's.
Deb's recommending MIT, Tara, Silnotes as starting points to look at. I guess the next question is how do I sort through the options each brand has. Each step up will have advertised benefits that may or may not provide an audible improvement. Each will claim the last word in accuracy, whereas through forums like this I'm detecting, much like with any other component, that each has a 'house sound' to some degree - the consensus so far is Monster tends to be bright, MIT less so, for example. Acman3 likes the Reality..
No work for me today, have to use that time better by surfing the net for the Holy Grail!! :)
Thanks All.
Acman3 - good point about common sense and rationalization..I'll work on that... ;) |
@ english210,Do not be suprised if the bigger room improves your sound,I am banking on that it will!,you do need better cables!,take your time!,we all buy a little at a time,I am not rich!,I have been building my main system for a year now,and still building it!cheers! |
Ah--your question of choosing appropriate interconnects and cables...
My future son in law who led us back into vinyl after 10 years away, is an avid audiophile. His rule of thumb-- speaker wires should be 15 -20% of the cost of your speakers. If you double the cost of your speakers to minimally account for inflation, you might be looking at $600-800 for speaker wires. Interconnects--his rule of thumb is buy a good name brand used set for $200 or so. That gets you about 80-90% of audiophile wires. You can but cheaper for interconnects that feed your rear speakers.
He likes kimbers, nordost, MIT as his go to interconnects. If you want to tame harsh highs, Silnote interconnects are designed to do that, and have sweet mids. If you stay with solid state, choose copper wires. Do not buy $100 silver wires--your ears will bleed!!
We bought some Tara interconnects for our vinyl setup--superb!!! They are VERY neutral and will show you if there are flaws in your setup. So don't buy them if you don't love your amp and speakers.
We own Tara's, MIT, AQ, and silnotes. I have some monsters in my home theater setup. Just move them away from your front speakers. |
English210, Don't try to use common sense, it just confuses us. I might add that your Rationalization skills will need to improve if you are going to get those $$ interconnects.
I would go for better wire if you can pull that off, and keep your wife happy. It can always be resold. I will let other experts help you with wire recommendations, but I used Reality Speaker Cable when my system was bright, and Audioquest Type8 was really warm to me. Also Anti- cables worked well on one system and were terrible on another. The cable abyss. |
Wow, with all that change going on, I think I would concentrate on getting your Oppo and 5 pr of decent interconnects to hook up proper analog sound from the Oppo to your amp. I had a flagship for its day Yamaha rxv1 that still plays my center and rear speakers in my set up. Your Yamaha amp should suffice for home theater. The ps3 is great for movies and Internet connection, and doesn't have to be replaced by the Oppo--depends on you! We use a ps3 for our mid-Fi home theater set up and are fine with it. But the Oppo should kick its butt on music playback--superior drivers all the way around. We reserve our Oppo for the separate audiophile setup/music playback.i
Once your Oppo is in place, your "source" 2.1 playback will be about as good as you can get. If there is still harshness, then a 2.1 amp would be my next purchase. Because speaker wires work in synergy with amps and speakers, I would upgrade them after your amp or speaker purchase. If you find your playback greatly improved with the Oppo and are almost there, then keep your amps and speakers and grab some better quality speaker wires for your front two or three (center) speakers. If harshness remains, save for a decent 2.1 amp.
I am no expert. But that is what I would do. Start with the source and work outward.
Btw, I use an hdmi cable from my Oppo straight to my tv for picture for my music DVDs. I use analog cables from the Oppo to my Yamaha and from the Yamaha thru my kw500 for fronts. Sounds heavenly.
When we bought our Yamaha, we bought some laid-back Vienna Acoustic speakers to tame any harshness. Worked pretty well. But the tube amp made them reallllllly shine. I have seen vienna acoustic mozarts go for crazy cheap prices on the Gon. If you get viennas, I can vouch that MITs are a crazy good synergy. My VA Beethovens do well. Someday I will upgrade from there, but for $500 for used MIT 750s I get $2k in performance. I am not ready to spend the $3k to better them yet.
Btw, for our rear speakers in our midfi TV room, we still use the 16 gauge monsters!! But if you find some better speaker wires super cheap, you can always grab them for your front right and left. Buy a brand name used that you know you can turn around and sell later. It will improve your sound. Don't buy cheap silver interconnects or speaker wire with the Yamaha. Your ears will bleed!!!
My two cents!
Deb |
I do get the potential issue being the source (material or player). Right now I'm using a PS3 through my AVR - Yamaha RXA3010. An Oppo 103 is on the shopping list. I know (now) that Yamaha is notoriously bright, so that certainly could be the issue, but it is relatively new, and the processor for movies, so I'm loathe to replace it. I'll have to verify which i/c's are going to the Odyssey - I was using AQ, but they are made in such a way that the terminals won't spread far enough part to connect to the amp, so I switched them with the ones I'm using on the sub, and have to see what those are. Speaker wires are old Monster cable from when I got the speakers. Can't remember which ones though. All I can say is that the actual wires are about 16 gauge, wrapped around a central conductor, then insulated and the plus+minus are then wrapped again. I use bare wire, and trimmed back for 'new' wire connections.
Some of the material I notice the harshness on is off Pandora, (but by no means all), which is using the ARC on the HDMI.
There is an 'itch' for new speakers, emotionally based as so much of this is, however the $$ isn't really there...the wife says it's her turn, and has a long list ;) (and to be fair, she's right).
It does bring up the next point though...Given that perfection is a moving target that can never be acheived, at some point each of us has to say 'enough's enough' and be content. Fine tuning to get the most out of what we have is also important, and the synergy of course - $5K total can sound better than $50K worth of equipment - Having said that...I think it makes sense to me to have an eye on where I may go with speakers in the future to prevent wasting money in the short term. Also, one of the items on wifey's list is taking out half the back wall behind the listening position, making it open to the kitchen. The room is currently 19 long, but opening up that wall will make it 36. To picture the layout of the 'new' back wall, it would be open except for a false header full width, down 1' from the ceiling, and from left to right, a half wall 3 1/2' high, 7' wide, leaving 5' open. the room itself will go from carpet to wood floors with area rugs. (so brighter yet). So, the environment for the speakers will change their sound as well.
Should I wait til all that's done and see how big the problem is then? Perhaps (unlikely) the room qualities will ameliorate the problem, or conversely (and most likley, given Murphy's position on my back most days) make the problem too great to be 'solved' with cables-I/C's. Or is the change in the room not likely to be so great as to render changes I make now in cables-I/C's pointless? How do I determine a realistic budget for 20 year old $1600 speakers, a $2K AVR bought cheap, and a $1500 amp bought used for less. I know I could easily spend that sum on one pair of interconnects and speaker wires.
Thanks!! |
@ Acman3, I agree!,yes,the cable abyss!,I believe given the right equipment and cables his infinitys would sing!,ribbons can sound real good,if you know what you are doing!,hes going in the right direction,cables can and will fix his ribbon issues.,I also agree with everything else you said as well.cheers! |
Audiolabyrinth, The only reason I left it open on the speakers was that ,if English WANTS new speakers, ( we all know how that is) he should go ahead now and get them.
There is a Manley Shrimp and a Quicksilver preamp, on the Gon, but the source may be the biggest problem.
Then there is cable abyss. |
@ Deebarnes,well said!,awsome,cables is what I recommended could be the problem,thanks! |
English 210, I jumped into the audiophile fray a couple of years ago and have learned a lot. As my ear has improved, I have learned a good deal about synergy of systems, etc!
Before spending more on speakers and amps, you might want to check on what you are playing your CDs in. We upgraded to an Oppo 95 last year from a Yamaha DVD player. I was astounded by the huge improvement in smoothness and imaging. My kids $300 bluray player sounded harsher and thinner by comparison.
Also, trying different interconnects made big differences in my speakers' perceived character. I tried very high quality Audioquest silvers that made my fast, but musical vienna acoustic speakers sound harsh on the top end. Low quality copper wires collapsed the soundstage and dulled both bass and treble extension. Everything affects the output!
Speaker wire upgrades--I stepped up from $150 monster cables to MITs. I bought OLD generation mIT 750 series2 with cvt speaker wires and had them professionally reterminated so that age and oxidation didn't interfere with my sound. MITs were a bit darker and more transparent and linear than the monsters were. They are reputed to roll off highs a bit, though I have not seen any issues with the sound I am hearing from my setup. That roll off however "could" help with your harsh highs issue.
I am not familiar with either your speakers or your new amp, so I cannot speak to their characters. However, synergy is an issue. If the amp is one you like, then take it with you if speaker upgrades are your chosen path.
When we first shopped for our system, we chose an amp we liked, then tried speakers with it till we found a set that sounded right with vocals, tympani and horns. Few speakers did justice to all three, but fewer still did a great job with vocals.
Good luck!! Have fun with the process!!!!
Deb |
@ English210,The problem you described can be fixed for sure with cables!thats were I would start,please do not go chaseing the cat by the tail by mixing different cables,I have friends on the gon that do that,seems they are never satiesfied with their sound!,I do not believe you need other speakers,I agree with acman3 with what he said,but with the exception of keeping the speakers you have,It appears on the most part that the aquaired amp you just got is working out good for you,excellent!,cables useally become an issue when we change a componet,the synergy has to be matched,their are plenty of cables that will fix the ribbons sound that you have,If you want a basis for recommendations for cables,and your desired pricepoint,let me know,cheers! |
Sometimes ones dissatisfaction is in the recordings themselves and not necessarily with the playback system. |
It sounds like you want new speakers. Don't expect any of us to stop you. ;)
If anyone is going to be of help, we need to know what source, and cabling you are using. Your current problem can possibly be solved with a preamp, cabling, or source, but maybe you need new speakers to start with???
|
Well, it just keeps getting better. Sound stage focusing up nicely, sub is turned off for two channel, and the bass output is amazing. I am still stunned at the difference the amp made.
But...there's always a but...the extreme highs are still too much, and not accurate. Most noticeable on piano notes for me. There's a shrill-tinniness that I can only ascribe to the ribbons-style tweeters (or to my ears).
Audiolabyrinth, I am somewhat surpised to hear that, since the PSB's sounded great to me. I am also thinking that the environment they were in at the store (large open room, no boundaries to the side) would make them sound worse than in my 'real life sized' 12X19X8 room. As I've said before, and hence my quandary, the Infinity's don't give much away to the PSB's (except as the differences in room would effect the PSB's), but they don't sound as good. It's just that I don't hear $3500 difference in price, so it's a hard leap to make.
I may try the tissue-over-the-tweeter trick I read about here and elsewhere. But I would be open to other recommendations, either of speaker upgrade or other tricks-n-tips. There's no doubt the Odyssey is bringing out the best in the Kappa's, but they are hardly the last word in sound. Given that I like the sound of the PSB's, and the size works aesthetically, bass extension isn't critical since I do have a sub, and $$ aren't unlimitted, what do you all think???
Thanks |
@ english210,psb's thats funny!,I respect your infinitys way more than those 2 dimensional sounding speakers any day!,your speakers are capable of alot with the right equipment that is very exspensive!cheers! |
Ok, thanks. Last night was better than the night before. It's on all the time. I was concerned about popping when I turned the system on/off, leaving the amp on, but there wasn't any, so that's good...I'm a happy camper..:)
But in the back of my mind there's that little niggle...how much better might the PSB's sound..?? :) |
@ English210,your amp may or may not need 200 hrs to settle in,I gave that answer because after that many hours the amp would have no excuses for the sound it is providing being a used amp,a new amp would require 500 hrs to be sure of break-in.happy listening! |
Does it still need that much time, being used? Not that I care, honestly, it's such an improvement over what I had, anything more is gravy. I haven't got serious about listening, just hit it with a couple of pieces I'm very familiar with. |
@ English210,I'm here,reading your evaluations,the amp may need alot more time to settle in,maybe a couple of hundred hours,if the amp is used,and if I recall you did buy used,so I would give it more time.Happy listening! |
O great, thanks!! :)
The problem is, I agree. :)
I still don't get how much more bass information I'm getting. It's not volume, it's like the old amp just didn't reproduce the notes! I did reach the speakers limits on one 'test' with organ notes...a definite woofer excursion distress sound. But even before that there is just more bass information getting to the woofers than before, that's the only way I know to describe it |
Time to start looking for that Preamp and cabling? ;) |
In answer to the original question, I'll have to say I need a few days for it to warm up, but so far....happyhappyhappyhappy!!!
The initial impact was in the bass. I guess that's where 'pact' is, but you get my meaning. I went to straight two channel, no 'sub out' from avr. I've checked three times so far, the sub really is not on. I've never heard these speakers put out bass like this! My wife in the other room even commented, positively.
Volume levels are increased, and highs are better...not as smooth as I'd like, maybe, but let me give it time. I am hearing more material..almost to the level of some new 805 Diamonds I listened to a few months back. That was 10K worth of amps and speakers. Yes, there is still a little too much brightness...but it is better, and I know it takes a few days for this amp to sound right..
More later, gotta change discs |
@ English210,Man-o-man do I know were you are coming from with waiting for that delivery!,I am a kid at christmas my self when it comes to that!I will be waiting here to hear what you have to say about the amp,damn,now you got me excited!,LOL,its not even my amp!cheers and good luck with this amp!,happy listening! |
OK, thanks. The Stratos should be here tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. Klaus said I paid 'about right', and offered to do whatever may become necessary to upgrade it if needed. He told me to start by leaving it on for a couple of days, and make sure it's warm to the touch, but not hot. I'm like a kid at Christmas, waiting for the Fedex truck...:) |
@ english210,I would not wast my time on eany Kav seperates!the intergrateds are as good,If you want to go seperates I would do the ole kas models,fpb full power balanced models,an fpb 200 is used market $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 and well worth the money!,and the KAS model amps are older than fpb but sound good to for the budget we are tring to work with here.,there really is not alot of difference in volume between 150 watts a channel and 250 watts a channel,thats why I said the intergratededs are a better deal,you also get a good pre-amp built in!cheers! |
Audiolabyrinth, OK, thanks again. Talking to the seller on the Odyssey, he echoed what i've heard/read, so I should be all set. Looking forward to finding out.
Since you know Krell, what about the KAV250a? It has been on my radar as well, and certainly has the power, as long as it has the sound... |
@ English210,There is alot of amps out there that have alot of power that sounds like crap!,The design of the amp really matters!,the particular sound of an amp may not be for the infinitys you have,even thou it has power to spare!,unfortunally,Its a gamble!,look,Krell makes a older intergrated called the 300I that you would be able to buy for $800.00 to $1,200.00 that would be great,unless your speakers are below 4 oms,that I believe they are not!,this krell intergrated amp is 150 watts per channel!,research the awards this ole amp has,and the user feedbacks,you will be surprised!,if the amp you just bought does not work for you,this is the best value in the used market that I know of!cheers! |
Me too! Very curious! Thanks again. If this used Odyssey hadn't come along right when it did, I probably would have gone with one of the Krell's, since I've known about them forever, and like many, listed after one...this way though, my theory as to 'fixing' the issue with my kappas by giving them 'real' power can be tested with less $$ risk. If it doesn't work?....well, that's the fun of the hobby, right?? |
@ English210,congradulations!,keep us posted on the sound of the amp you obtained with your infinitys!,I am currious of the match!thanks!cheers! |
Well, my offer was accepted on the Stratos. Worst case, I can resell for less of a loss than if I bought new, best case, it'll cure what ails the Kappas. I'll report back in a few days. I needed to try something, and this is a less expensive way to put the theories to the test....thanks, all. |
I tend to agree with Audiolabyrinth. Some how Krell has gotten an underserved reputation for being bright (at least IMHO), at the very worst they can be perhaps a bit grainy in the treble, but not bright. If anything Krells might be a touch dark. Krells usually have lots of power and amazing dynamics, both micro and macro, which may or may not explain this unfair (IMHO) reputation. Or could be that they've been victimized by their own success?
I also find that their intergrateds don't have the same composure that their separates do when asked to work 4 Ohms and below. YMMV. |
Krell KAV250 2-channel for $1200
Odyssey Stratos Plus $750
Krell 400xi - $1600+
Debate please....I am leaning toward the Odyssey for $$ reasons, but would that be short sighted? |
Ok, there's an upgraded Stratos on here, but it keeps telling me invalid username/password when I try to ask how old it is, etc....anyone else had issues like this? |
Runnin, I agree, and being in sales, I'm not unmindful of Klaus' bias :). It seems supported by what I read. I also agree that many brands could accomplish my goal. There have been a half dozen at least in this thread alone, and none were subsequently followed by argument from another poster, so they all seem like good options. It also seems that SQ overall can be improved in this upgrade, within my budget too, so that's where my research is taking me now. I probably don't have enough ear-time with enough variety of systems to be sure, but I'd guess my preferences lie toward a warmer sound, but the air around instruments is important to me too. I respond to that decay and echo in recordings of wind instruments and strings, the way notes hang in the air. That requires detail and resolving ability, but too much is too harsh....
I'd be surprised if my choice now was the 'right' one forever, as I'm likely to hear new things that need improvement, as is the nature of this hobby, but I plan to get it as close to 'right first time' as I can.
Thanks Audiolabytinth for the clarification of what vintages to avoid/aim for. There is one on fleabay I'm watching... |
In truth, there are probably many brands that would warm up your Kappas. Klaus sounds like a true fan of audio but also a good salesman(not knocking him). I am in a similar situation as you and I plan add to my Halo A21 a NAD pre-amp(known to be on the warm side). The A21 did stop the sibilance I was experiencing, but I want to experiment with the warm side of things.
I ordered a tube pre amp kit (3 tubes) and I'm looking forward to the tinkering! |
@ English210,there are no bright krell amps from 2006 and down at all!the newer krells are wide banwidth amps that are very,very,resolving!you need warm non analitical treble cables on those amps,thats all!cheers! |
Oh I will. Got my wife involved in some listening last night, on a variety of material, including some piano that was really interesting in that the staging was like a big piano, panning right (right hand) to left (left hand), listening for cohesion between the drivers, trying to discern changes, without being able to, which is good.
As I said, I'm not discounting any of the suggestions except ones I just can't afford. The point is well taken that the 400xi is not like other Krell's that can be bright, so if the right deal passes my way, I'm open. Klaus is familiar with the Kappa's, and swears his amp will make me hear them in a whole new way, so those are the front runners.... |
