What are the best tube amps for Klipschorns?
Sounds to me like you are very happy with what you have and are just wondering if there is any way to make it better. You could try Pass if the itch is unbearable. My Aleph 30 is ultra detailed and very musical. Dick Olsher (toob man) once wrote that it was the first SS amp he had ever heard that would allow him to forego tubes. Personally, I'd leave well enough alone. Why tamper with success? |
As Paul Klipsch used to say, "what the world needs is a good one watt amplifier. I do not recall what the efficiency of the Klipschorns are but it is probably over 100db. I was very happy with my 1.56 watt SET 45 tube amp when I had speaker of such efficiency. I am living happily with my 150 watt LSA Statement amp on my 93db efficient speakers, but I still suspect that I would be happier with more efficient speakers and use my 8 watt Reimyo 300B amp. The only low powered ss amp I ever had on my efficient speakers was the 25 watt 47 Labs Gain Cell. |
The salesman that provided me with the Khorns 30 years ago also introduced me to the Levinson amp. To me it's a winning combination. However, every other salesman I know, and every Goner say just the opposite...I need tubes to smooth out and soften the horns. Am I the only one in the world that's right, and everyone else wrong? Something smells fishy. I shared this dilemma with the same saleman. He said that he still recomends the Levinson, but would also recommend the Mac mc275 as a tube alternative. Jaybo provided the same idea. It seems like a solution is beginning to take shape. I'm going to borrow the store's mc275 and experiment with the Levinson and the Mac. Perhaps a combination of the two will work. I have learned a lot today. Thanks for all of your help and suggestions. |
You might also consider vertical bi-amping, keeping your Levinsons on the bass, and purchase some tube amps for your mids and highs. It would be a bit more complex to setup and balance out, but it may give you the results you want. A friend of mine who is a Klipsch authority has recently been trying out some very serious modifications of his Khorns, including the Crites crossovers (I think Boa2 is happily using those as well), as well as the wood horns and Beyma tweeter replacement endorsed by Al Klappenberg. He tells me those modifications have made a very significant improvement over the already outstanding Khorns, and that he'll never go back to stock. He was also a friend of PWK and tells me that Klipsch always wanted to use wood for the mid-horns but manufacturing costs made it impractical. Check those mods out at the Martinelli Website who actually manufactures the horns. The Beyma CP25 is the drop-in replacement for the Klipsch tweeter and will also make a significant difference in pulling out detail. It is larger than the stock tweet so you'll either have to put it on top of the cabinet or do some significant mods to the mounts. Good luck. Marco |
