Harman Kardon 430...best speakers?

[zombie1210]

What vintage speakers would be BEST for a Harman Kardon 430?

Thanks

 

[Binkman]

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Harman+Kardon+430

Seriously I don't know.. HK is making a little bump in the restore market for the good stuff. Probably better 92db plus speakers.

 

[cutthroatloc]

I had very good results with my Klipsch Forte ii's. Amazing how that lil receiver can pump out so much music. You shouldn't hesitate to put Klipsch on your radar. Good luck.
CTL

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Here are some favorites of mine with the 430 (one of my favorite receivers, and my favorite series of HK Solid State non Citations)

Klipsch (Heresy and Fortes)
Dynaco A 25
The Advent Loudspeaker
Polk Audio Monitor series

 

[daveg3588]

Jbl l19,26,36, 4301

 

[mhardy6647]

I dunno about best (indeed, I have no idea of "best -- how many zillions of loudspeakers have been marketed since the Magnificent Magnavox* of 1915?), but I can tell you empirically that the hk430 goes very well with the original Polk Audio Monitor Series. I'd choose the Monitor 7A (but any of 'em would be a good choice).

whatmore by mhardy6647, on Flickr
polk_brochure_back_pg by mhardy6647, on Flickr

I'll also repeat a popular internet factoid. Those of (ahem) us who feel that pairing any of the Klipsch "heritage" speaker systems (e.g., Heresy, Cornwall, etc.) with solid state amplification is a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention have taken note of multiple claims that the little hk430 is one solid state exception. I first read of the Klipsch Heritage/hk430 pairing in posts by a guy at the Klipsch forum who used to build the classic Klipsch models.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_L._Jensen

 

[Bkphoto]

you have to use your own ears....lots of people like speakers with horns...Klipsch for example....I personally don't, they hurt my ears after a short time listening....what I like you may not and waste your money...

Polk monitors are cheap, take modding really well and sound great...good place to start...IMO

 

[mhardy6647]

Yup, the "best" speakers for anyone is (are) a very subjective decision, and de gustibus non est disputandum.

Don't discount horns a priori -- although good horn-loaded loudspeakers don't (ever) come cheap... there are some horrible horns (the MR and lower treble of the aforementioned Klipsch "heritage" speakers tends to be awfully aggressive relative to my tastes) but there are some awfully sweet, "flesh and blood" sounding horn-loaded loudspeakers, too. Part of the trick with horn-loaded loudspeakers is that they're almost always very sensitive -- this means that one does most listening at amplifier output levels of a few hundred milliwatts (mW) or even less... and, frankly, most amplifiers don't perform at their best at such very low output levels.

My personal faves (at least in terms of what I can justify in terms of cost), of course, are the Altec Duplexes.

 

[Nordfors]

I dunno about best (indeed, I have no idea of "best -- how many zillions of loudspeakers have been marketed since the Magnificent Magnavox* of 1915?), but I can tell you empirically that the hk430 goes very well with the original Polk Audio Monitor Series. I'd choose the Monitor 7A (but any of 'em would be a good choice).

whatmore by mhardy6647, on Flickr
polk_brochure_back_pg by mhardy6647, on Flickr

I'll also repeat a popular internet factoid. Those of (ahem) us who feel that pairing any of the Klipsch "heritage" speaker systems (e.g., Heresy, Cornwall, etc.) with solid state amplification is a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention have taken note of multiple claims that the little hk430 is one solid state exception. I first read of the Klipsch Heritage/hk430 pairing in posts by a guy at the Klipsch forum who used to build the classic Klipsch models.

* Peter L. Jensen - Wikipedia

Wow. 12 years later........I got myself Polk Monitor 5a's recently and thought they weren't great. Paired a few different recievers with them and, meh. Then I hooked up the HK430. Now I love these Polks. Incredible how the HK completely changed their sound signature and took them from "Oh man, what can I sell these for" to keepers.
Awesome little reciever. Top notch sound and imaging.