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
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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! |
@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! |
- 31 posts total