standuffer
Home of R&R
Sweet... how much were they?
I've been looking for Kappa 8 or 9 or 8.1 or 9.1 around my area but no luck yet.
I've been looking for Kappa 8 or 9 or 8.1 or 9.1 around my area but no luck yet.
Infinity Kappa 9 vs Kappa 8...Pros and Cons?
- Thread starter CarnahanBB
- Start date
MiamiBoy
Active Member
Standuffer, the price I paid is not really relevant because the prices of K9's are all over the place and vary greatly by region. I don't think the moderators like prices and valuation amounts posted in these threads but if you really want to know PM me.
The thing about the K9's is that it is not really practical to ship them because shipping would likely be more than the asking price so your search area is the driving distance you are willing to drive.
I could start a separate thread on becoming a "black belt" in Craigslist. There is also a Craigslist app for Android called CLAPP that is helpful, because being the first to make an offer to the seller is key so you need to be constantly searching and be ready to move fast when you find it.
MiamiBoy
Active Member
My revised impressions after a day.
So...after listening to the K9's for a full day and playing both the K8's and K9's I would like to revise my initial assessment. I have swapped the K8's back in and will most likely keep listening to the K8's until I can find better amps for the K9's. This will also give me time to open them up for inspection and start to make some upgrades to the crossovers like Nailzgun has documented.
When I first listened to the K9's I was overwhelmed by the superiority of the high and midrange over the K8's. At high volume I am getting better base from the K9...but I listen at more moderate volume levels most the time and with my current amp (250w Adcom) the K8's sounds better at moderate volume levels than the K9's. At higher volumes the K9's really start to open up but still the high end seems to be overly driven and bright because likely my amp does not properly drive the lower end.
I have been doing a lot of research on amps to properly drive and bi-amp the K9's so I think I know what I need. But these K9's just came at me out of nowhere and were a 30 minute drive from my home so passing on them was simply not an option. Besides, the shiny black lacquer finish is beautiful.
These K9's will eventually go into a dedicated listening room that I am now in the initial stages of designing and planning. It will be a new addition built onto to my home. By the time it is completed I will have bought adequate amps to bi-amp the K9's properly. The K8's will stay in my pictured living room with Adcom or maybe even an upgraded amp.
So...after listening to the K9's for a full day and playing both the K8's and K9's I would like to revise my initial assessment. I have swapped the K8's back in and will most likely keep listening to the K8's until I can find better amps for the K9's. This will also give me time to open them up for inspection and start to make some upgrades to the crossovers like Nailzgun has documented.
When I first listened to the K9's I was overwhelmed by the superiority of the high and midrange over the K8's. At high volume I am getting better base from the K9...but I listen at more moderate volume levels most the time and with my current amp (250w Adcom) the K8's sounds better at moderate volume levels than the K9's. At higher volumes the K9's really start to open up but still the high end seems to be overly driven and bright because likely my amp does not properly drive the lower end.
I have been doing a lot of research on amps to properly drive and bi-amp the K9's so I think I know what I need. But these K9's just came at me out of nowhere and were a 30 minute drive from my home so passing on them was simply not an option. Besides, the shiny black lacquer finish is beautiful.
These K9's will eventually go into a dedicated listening room that I am now in the initial stages of designing and planning. It will be a new addition built onto to my home. By the time it is completed I will have bought adequate amps to bi-amp the K9's properly. The K8's will stay in my pictured living room with Adcom or maybe even an upgraded amp.
MiamiBoy
Active Member
I received a "like" on my post in this thread about my K9's and it brought this back to my attention. I still have my K8's and K9's. Both are great speakers and frequently come up for sale in central FL area where I live. I completely recapped both xovers in the K9 and corrected a wiring problem with the SEMIT tweeter. I bought a used Cary V12R amp that has twelve EL34 tubes, six per channel, and I use that to push the top end of the K9 and use an Adcom GFA565SE to push the woofers. The K9 is like two separate speakers in one. The top end is fairly efficient and doesn't need that much power or current while the bottom end requires an amp with both power and current.
The way to tame the K9's is to bi-amp them and they are really not that difficult to power. My advice is to find the most musical amp you can afford for the top end and an amp with the most grunt you can find for the bottom end. If you try to find a single amp with both musical sweetness and grunt you are going to have to buy a very high-end current amp or an expensive vintage amp. Finding an Olympic weight lifter that also sings sweet soprano is difficult.
The way to tame the K9's is to bi-amp them and they are really not that difficult to power. My advice is to find the most musical amp you can afford for the top end and an amp with the most grunt you can find for the bottom end. If you try to find a single amp with both musical sweetness and grunt you are going to have to buy a very high-end current amp or an expensive vintage amp. Finding an Olympic weight lifter that also sings sweet soprano is difficult.
I've only recently acquired a pair of Kappa 8's, mated them to a H/K PA2400 and, while I've only driven them to low-moderate levels, they sound fantastic.
The woofers needed refoaming and I looked hard at the crossovers while I was in there. I have no evidence anything is wrong with them yet, but I'm considering a pro-active recap on the crossovers. Any advice or insight you can share about this from your experience doing your Kappa 9's?
MiamiBoy
Active Member
I recapped my K8's and then shortly after a pair of K9's came up for sale locally that I couldn't pass up and I ended up recapping them as well. The xovers of the K8 and K9 are very similar in appearance and design. If you search under my name on this forum you will find some other posts with pictures of these xovers. My advice is that unless you know that something is wrong or see in the xover that there are some bulging caps that need replacing I would leave it alone. These Kappa xovers are a mess. They were not designed to be easily worked on. Many of the component values are different than what is documented in the xover schematic so you essentially have to carefully document everything as you remove it and replace the value found not what is documented in the schematic.
Both the K8 and K9 have a double layer, sandwiched xover design that has to be cut and desoldered just to open it up. I did it because I took it on as a challenge and a learning experience. Refurbishing vintage speakers is a lot like refurbishing vintage cars. It has to be a labor of love and something you would enjoy doing. If not, don't do it.
Excellent. Thanks for the pointers!
Bahamayellow
Super Member
I am really liking my Kappa 9s. Found mine on Craigslist for a really good price from the original owner. They made it from Japan to Colorado in 28 year span as the guy was in the air force. I can't get enough of them. I'm really getting them dialed in with the equipment I have on them. They have a much better sound than my kappa 8.1s and I have them really dialed in. I wish they found me sooner.lol Right now I have 2 Carver Tfm 25s at 225 watts a channel bi amped a small parasound pre and phono amp, a onkyo DVDs player, and technics 1900 with vintage audio technica atn 13 cart. 
I thought I made a mistake picking them up. Glad I was wrong. In the future I will upgrade to a nicer CD player and pre amp for sure. Not sure on the amps. It sounds loud and clear. I may have them rebuilt through hi tech audio and have them set for high current. I am running the switch on the bass in normal position.
I thought I made a mistake picking them up. Glad I was wrong. In the future I will upgrade to a nicer CD player and pre amp for sure. Not sure on the amps. It sounds loud and clear. I may have them rebuilt through hi tech audio and have them set for high current. I am running the switch on the bass in normal position.
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Bahamayellow
Super Member
Those are great looking. The black finish is great. Gives them a modern look. I picked up a set of K9s last October and hooked them up 2 weeks and all I can say is wow. My friends tried to talk me out of them. Glad they didn't. I'm learning a lot about them through the threads.
MiamiBoy
Active Member
You Kappa 9 owners should take a look at this thread I started back in December with some impedance measurements of the K9's that apply to various bi-amp configurations.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/kappa-9-impedance-curves.694580/#post-9287175
I presently own both the K8 and K9 speakers and have done extended listening on both with the same equipment. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I have learned when describing TOTL quality speakers that blanket statements don't apply because so much is dependent on the environment they are in and the equipment used with them that results WILL vary with each unique setup. Every speaker review / opinion of higher end speaker should be qualified with the "in my environment with my equipment" qualifier.
In my environment / setup I actually like the bass better on the K8's but the highs are MUCH better on the K9's. That one extra SEMIT tweeter on the K9 makes a world of difference. One experiment I am going to perform soon is to disconnect one of the woofer drivers from each of the K9's and see if I like it better that way.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/kappa-9-impedance-curves.694580/#post-9287175
I presently own both the K8 and K9 speakers and have done extended listening on both with the same equipment. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I have learned when describing TOTL quality speakers that blanket statements don't apply because so much is dependent on the environment they are in and the equipment used with them that results WILL vary with each unique setup. Every speaker review / opinion of higher end speaker should be qualified with the "in my environment with my equipment" qualifier.
In my environment / setup I actually like the bass better on the K8's but the highs are MUCH better on the K9's. That one extra SEMIT tweeter on the K9 makes a world of difference. One experiment I am going to perform soon is to disconnect one of the woofer drivers from each of the K9's and see if I like it better that way.
bhebbel
Well-Known Member
Wouldn't an equalizer be easier and more flexible?
MiamiBoy
Active Member
I assume you mean easier and more flexible than disconnecting one of the K9 woofers. I am not trying to change the frequency or the volume of the bass, I want to play the bass louder and fuller without it being overwhelming as I can with the K8's. And I have acquired a couple of powerful vintage amps that are rated down to 1ohm but still I like the bass better on the K8's. So my thinking is by disconnecting one of the woofers on the K9 on each I get the best of both, the K8 woofer config with the K9 mid and highs. When I get around to testing it out I will post my impressions.
standuffer
Home of R&R
I took your CraigsList advice and after almost one year of looking and watching, I have a purchase pending for K8's from an 'original owner'.
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/ele/5557498911.html
Now all I need is a van, a friend with two good arms, and "more power" (more current)
Wish me luck!
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standuffer
Home of R&R
Do you have a reason why you are 'bi-amp'-ing instead of switching to 'mono mode' (350W) and having one amp on each side in a 'mono-block' configuration?I am really liking my Kappa 9s. Found mine on Craigslist for a really good price from the original owner. They made it from Japan to Colorado in 28 year span as the guy was in the air force. I can't get enough of them. I'm really getting them dialed in with the equipment I have on them. They have a much better sound than my kappa 8.1s and I have them really dialed in. I wish they found me sooner.lol Right now I have 2 Carver Tfm 25s at 225 watts a channel bi amped a small parasound pre and phono amp, a onkyo DVDs player, and technics 1900 with vintage audio technica atn 13 cart.
View attachment 708170 View attachment 708171
Aren't we always pondering re-cabling sum-thin...
Cheers...
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MiamiBoy
Active Member
I took your CraigsList advice and after almost one year of looking and watching, I have a purchase pending for K8's from an 'original owner'.
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/ele/5557498911.html
Now all I need is a van, a friend with two good arms, and "more power"
Wish me luck!
Those look very nice and the polydomes look to be in very good condition. One thing I did when I transported my K8 and K9 is to find a bowl that will fit over the polydome and tape it over the polydome with packing tape wrapped around the speaker. I use a light weight plastic or tupperware type bowl, one that is light not heavy. Or be very careful and lay them on their back.
Bahamayellow
Super Member
Do you have a reason why you are 'bi-amp'-ing instead of switching to 'mono mode' (350W) and having one amp on each side in a 'mono-block' configuration?
Aren't we always pondering re-cabling sum-thin...
Cheers...
Hi standuffer the carver amps sound really boomy when in mono mode. not a very good sound. Also i asked a few people on the carver forum about putting them in mono mode and they said the amps tend to get very hot. They sound great in full stereo mode.
Bahamayellow
Super Member
Wow would love to hear a pair of 8s. Nice find. Those would probably suit my room size better then the 9s. Happy amp hunting.I took your CraigsList advice and after almost one year of looking and watching, I have a purchase pending for K8's from an 'original owner'.
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/ele/5557498911.html
Now all I need is a van, a friend with two good arms, and "more power"
Wish me luck!
standuffer
Home of R&R
Thanks for the insight, I'd already thought about 'the back side'.
standuffer
Home of R&R
My Carver TFM-35 drives the 8" woofers in my Kappa 6.1's effortlessly and are always "cool as a cucumber". I'm a 'lil surprised that it might run 'hot' in mono mode but, after listening to my JBL 'Century' 100s for 35-ish years, 'boomy' might be OK.
Thanks for the heads-up. 
I wonder which vintage McIntosh amp might drive K8s efficiently?
