KEF 104/2 Amp Pairing - Rotel RA-1570 vs. Harman Kardon HK 3490 - Seeking Advice

Those are great speakers and are real classics and a great choice

will reward you 

I would find a good power amp and separate preamp set right off the bat

you find plenty of help here

rogue makes some great tube bases stuff

hint

Yes, the Rotel can handle 4 ohm speakers, but only one pair of speakers at a time. If using both A/B then all the speakers need to be 8 ohms.

The Rotel puts out 100 watts at 8 ohms. It's only going to be more (probably 150-200W) at 4 ohms. You're totally fine there.

I have 104/2 speakers as well. I've run them with a Dynaco ST-70 tube amp, which is only 35 watts, and it sounded wonderful. But you are correct in that they really come alive with more power. I currently use a Mark Levinson 27.5 power amp which puts out 200 watts into 4 ohms and it's way more than enough; preamp volume knob never really needs to get above 9 o'clock.

As for HK, I wouldn't shy away from that either. SQ is always great from that company in my experience. I don't think you can go wrong with either. But if it was me, I'd go Rotel. Just make sure they have the inputs you need if you're going full A/V with it all.

I had a 3490 for a number of years and it was quite nice for the price. I would call it very good mid-fi or entry level hifi. However, a grid issue a few years back hit it hard and I lost it. It would not turn on without defaulting into protection mode. I finally got rid of it to a electronics collection dump. I have heard the Rotel you are referencing and I think it is overall a better unit with cleaner power, more current and a better power supply. It sounded pretty neutral when I heard it so it might go well with the Kefs. I have Kef 300s and they benefit from more power too or at least more current.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! After doing some more research, I picked up an Integra DTC-9.8 for $180 today and will likely be adding a Rotel RMB-1075 on Sunday for $500. Hopefully, they’ll pair well with the speakers. Either way, it’s sure to be an upgrade from the soundbar and sub, and I’m really looking forward to getting everything set up!