Speaker suggestions for the KA-9100

[fernarias]

What's this nonsense about high current amps???? Amps run high voltages low amps, ohms law. If an amp doesn't then your speaker wire will warm up and the woofer coil will go poof. Perhaps this new marketing crap refers to an amp (modern amp) that can handle low ohm loads (since most new amps can't). As for the denon, my denon(which died after only 4 years) made my Cornwalls sound like crap (no surprise here since my "115" watt amp wasn't a 115 amp) in stereo which lead me to Audiokarma.

As for the KA-9100, if restored, it will run any speaker 4 to 16 ohm. High efficiency is best and if you want bass at low volume then a subwoofer is a good idea since speakers have little bass at low volume (which is why you have a loudness switch on the Kenwood). Don't be afraid to use the bass knob on the amp, that's why it's there. My 9100, that's been restored, can effortlessly drive my Chorus II. Scared the s**t out of me when I turned it on at full volume, no clipping (I had just cleaned the switches by taking them apart and forgot to reset the volume knob to zero, I'm getting old).

 

[djackman123]

Just purchased one of these amps off Craigslist from a very nice gentleman that worked in hifi equipment for 40+ years. I was originally using an Onkyo 50 wpc receiver to listen to records. The Kenwood is a big time improvement. I currently use the BIC America Eviction Series 3 way speakers with the 15 inch woofers. Rated at 225 watts RMS. According to the tech that sold me the amp, the 90 wpc is considered conservative. It really puts out about 130 watts per channel.

I purchased the KA-9100 in 1977 and shortly after I read a review in Sound Magazine which rated it at 129 watts per channel. The tech was dead on.

 

[Almonds]

I saw that this thread got revived and thought I would chime in as the OP.

I ended up finding a great pair of Cerwin Vega D7s to match with the KA-9100.

I feel it's a match made in heaven. I have all the bass I want without a subwoofer. And between all the power the Kenwood has, and the efficiency of the CVs, I get sound levels and impact that gets very close to the feeling of live music. Drums feel and sound real, even the snare.

I'm a drummer, and I've never heard another system sound as real. I imagine there are better and louder systems, but my ears are not able to discern them.

I feel like I get great imaging and depth from this combo too.

I bought the D7s from a guy on CL and I wonder whether everything is original, because these speakers don't get any love from audiophiles at all, and I think they sound every bit as good as speakers I've listened to in showrooms that cost in the ten thousands. In fact, I feel like the Cerwin Vega bested them. I bought some JBL L100s because I thought I had zeroed in on the type of speakers I like, and it seemed like the L100s were the holy grail of that type of speaker. For me, the L100s (the ones I bought were in mint condition) are nothing compared to the Cerwin Vegas.

I think there is an amazing synergy between the Cerwin Vega D7 speakers and the KA-9100 amp. And the pairing has the potential to get VERY loud.

 

[911s55]

Drummers

 

[Almonds]

haha! I knew someone would say that!

But it's all good right? We all like what we like. I like to feel the music.

 

[turboyam]

Kenwood amps and CV do get along well, they have that BASS chemistry right!

 

[cronie]

You've got some great advice here,I have had a ka 9100 in my amp rotation for years now. The ka 9100 is a well mannered very neutral sounding amp at least compared to my others.I would team it with a speaker with a lot of pizazz such as any klipsch,cerwin vega or even a jbl l100.