2. amps-preamps
  3. 1054615304

Are monoblocks the way to go?

I'm upgrading my system piece by piece. I recently bought an Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CD Player and an Eastern Electric MiniMax tubed Preamp. I would next like to upgrade my Adcom Amp to a tubed Amp and I'm considering going with Monoblocks. While auditioning Preamps, I was very impressed by a pair of Quicksiver 100 Mono's - exceptional build quality and value. I had originally been leaning towards the Cary Rocket 88. I have vintage Klipsch Heresy speakers that I plan to keep. My goal is to create a system that is very transparent with a lifelike 3D soundstage. I need no more than 25 wpc since the Heresy's are 96db/1watt/1m. Any opinions on Mono's vs single amps? Thanks.
mootsdude

Showing 2 responses by mootsdude

mootsdude OP
51 posts
 
Gthrush1,
I'm not familiar with the Coincident speakers. I'm assuming that horn driven speakers tend to be less transparent and hold their strength in dynamics and speed. I've had the Heresy's for 20 years and have grown to like them but after hearing a pair of Vandersteen's matched with Quicksilver Mono 100's, it became evident of the Heresy's weaknesses. By the way, I am thrilled with the Ah! Tjoeb CD Player and Eastern Electric Preamp. Check out this Pre - there's quite a buzz on the net over this little gem.
mootsdude OP
51 posts
 
Marco,
Thanks for the in-depth response. I certainly will experiment with the Heresy mods you've come up with. Quicksilver now makes Horn Monoblocks specifically designed to match with horn driven speakers. They're also 25 wpc and retail for $1595. Presently, I have 60 wpc with my adcom amp and can't bring the volume knob much past the 9:00 position. The Eastern Electric preamp has 20db of gain so I need very little power from the amp. Sounds like you're impressed by Quicksilver amps and Klipsch speakers given the components of your two systems. Thanks again for the advice.
Happy Listening,
Mike
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