2. amps-preamps
  3. 1289010464

music hall 25.2 cd/amp + klipschorns = :

i picked up a pair of 1994 klipschorns a little while back and have been running them off of my home theater amp, a onkyo tx sr-805, until i could find a dedicated amp and cd player for them. they are in a room that is 14 x 16 tucked nicely into the corners and have sounded AMAZING just powered off of the home theater onkyo. unbelievable bass and the midrange & treble are very clear and open. after reading a couple of reviews and looking into entry integrated amps and cd players i picked up a music hall a25.2 50 watt integrated amp as well as a music hall cd25.2 cd player. each of these has gotten very good reviews for their price range and so i was optimistic they would sound much better than the onkyo with the klipschorns. after hooking them up tonight and listening for awhile i have very mixed feelings. some of my initial impressions are that the music hall units are very well made and solid pieces. the amp puts out zero background noise which can sometimes be a problem with the sensitive khorns. the mids are very very impressive with clear separation of instruments. thats all quiet good, but on the downside the treble seems too bright for my taste. i wouldnt say its harsh, but when you turn up the volume much, sounds such as cymbals and female voices can best be described as having a sharp edge to them. added to that, the bass that i was used to with the onkyo seems to have disappeared and seems to now simply be mid bass. with no treble/bass controls on the music hall theres no way for me to adjust either of these issues. i am using the basic power cord and low end interconnects that came with the music hall pieces which i doubt help things, but im afraid of putting much more money into this combo if this is going to be its signature sound. i thought about adding a tube buffer to warm up the sound a bit but do not see that improving the lack of bass any. should i simply sell the music hall pieces and look at a tube amp that will not sound so edgy and have more bass or is it worth trying some decent interconnects, power cords, tube buffer first? any input appreciated
msutton

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msutton OP
1 posts
 
"You may not have a good equipment match for these speakers"

im afraid this is more than likely correct. the more i listen to this combo the more i want to turn down the treble a click or two and turn up the bass 3 or 4 clicks. i love how the mid midrange has opened up and there is so much detail in the music, but the bottom end is simply gone vs what was present with the onkyo. i thought about trying better interconnects and power cords but i dont think those items will bridge the gap i have in mind. i suppose i will be selling these and pieces and looking for something else to better match these horns. its unfortunate because the music hall pieces were truly a bargain in price and appear to be very well made. thanks everyone for your input and im gonna do some more research into what others have had luck with that are using khorns.
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