Need pre-amp help for Kappa 9 & Adcom GFA-555mkii

Josh, maybe I am simply repeating what some have already mentioned, but the brightness that comes from the Kappas has EVERYTHING to do with amplification issues rather than the preamp. What I have read from some owners, about the harshness issue is that it is often the product of the amp being underpowered from current and wattage standpoint...I have to respectfully disagree with someone who stated that the Adcom produces enough power or about a Carver amplifier with 200 watts.... I own a pair of Kappa 9s and I have to say that you have to avoid Carvers like the plague, had two Mt 4.0 as monos, running close to 600+ watts per channel and they are realistic watts...Be very carefully at shopping for the best # of watts for $$$.

From the practical standpoint, it is expensive to bi amp these beasts with tube amps on top and SS in the bottom

But

Remember that the Infinity Kappa line, until around 1993-4 was designed by Andy Nudel, who went on to found Genesis Loudspeaker technologies (cost $$$$$.) You have a keeper that will beat the pants down ANY PARADIGM, anytime.

Recommendations:

Buy a very heavy current amplifier that can hold on to the Kappas as they attempt to give you slamming bass at 30 hz...Their impedance dips somewhere between 1 and 2 ohms. There are very few amplifiers that are designed to work at that impedance....Not the Adcom or any low amplifier as stated above.

Check out

ARAGON 8008B
ARAGON 400...forgot the designation
SUNFIRE SIGNATURE which gives out 600 watts per channel with up to 2000 watts on demand for short bursts(you can biamp with these, because it has two pairs of speaker outputs)
MACINTOSH SS (heavy, 100 LBS beasts)...can be old, but these output massive amperage to keep the Kappas happy.
PARASOUND Monos.

For the time being, I would be careful overdriving the Kappas with the Adcom. the Emit tweeters WILL be damaged if not given enough juice.

Do not be disincouraged...You have a great pair of speakers, but they need excellent amplification. You can hunt for a preamp later.

An excellent preamp for used prices is the Sumo Athena I or II that can be had for about $150-300.

Damn, that sounds like an overkill, 4 mono Silver 9Ts to control the Kappa 9s. But, I guess if that is what it truly takes, it must sound freaking incredible with those 4 12" woofer hitting you in the chest.

I have a question for you, Mitch, how do the speaker components hold through time and use? Did you have them since the late 1980s or bought them used later? Did the surrounds or any components go bad? I have mines boxed, parked in my mother's garage since the early 1990s and I wonder whether surrounds or what not go bad, even without use.

The Pass Monos will most likely sound amazing...but I wonder whether they will surpass the Silvers.

Yes, I knew that I had the wrong Carver amps, the 4.0s...because they DID indeed overrate their power specs...it was a cheap amp after all, about $799 each, new, but the Silvers, they were different amplifiers all on their own...I cannot remember how much they went for in the late 1980s.

Most Carver corp amps were rubbish in my point of view, except with their reference models. Their advertisement, through seemed very credible. Another amp that makes me think will do a good job running these beasts might be some Sim Audio amplifiers, like the W-5 or W-10 monos. Once again, costly designs.

Thanks for the answers Mitch. The price of a pair of Kappa 9s in used condition, is ridiculously affordable, for the type of sound one gets. Have you done other sort of upgrades to the speakers you have? I do remember people talking about rewiring and getting sturdier stands for them.

Do you have dedicated lines for your equipment?

Have you tried to drive them with other branded amplifications, besides the Silver9s? I have heard from people that Aragons were fine with them, but then, they might have never heard Kappas driven to their limits.

With 4 pairs, you really seem to like these speakers, which other commercial designs did the Kappas surpass?