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Just acquired KG4s and was wondering about amps. . .

Facie

Facie

New Member
So I've just entered this world . . . err addiction. . . when my wife got me a TT for Christmas. I picked up a gorgeous pair of KG4s today from a nice guy who was downsizing gear. I have nothing other than a TT and the new KG4s.

I know people say to use tubes with these bad boys. What other recommendations for amps and integrated amps? Specifically, has anyone used the Cambridge Audio CXA80, the NAD C 388 or the Marantz PM7005/8005 to drive these speakers? I realize all of those choices are SS and that people's ears differ. I mostly listen to jazz and lighter rock.
 
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if you don't want to use a tube and you are set on using a SS amp you would really be better off finding a pair of H2 or H3 as that's what they were designed to run with. You can find H2 for the same kind of money as a Heresy so it just boils down to a choice.

Please let me apologize for misreading your post. I answered thinking you were running a set of Heresy which will generally perform better with tube amplification where the H2 and the H3 were designed with SS amplification in mind. Your KG4 will offer you more latitude than the Heresy will so I would say that any good sounding amp will work well with them. I do think though that it would be in your interest to audition some tube amps that fall within your intended budget so that you know what they have to offer.
Also worth noting is that when comparing components like amplifiers you should be prepared to re position your speakers to obtain best results. Simply swapping out amplifiers and leaving the system the same is not necessarily going to provide the best results so be prepared to experiment a little the benefits can be most rewarding.
 
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As said before, any of the receivers you are looking at will work. The KG4's do not need a ton of power and in my opinion sound good with even a mid-range 2ch receiver. I currently have my pair of KG4's hooked up to a Denon DRA-685 multi-room receiver that I picked up at the GW for $20. Again, this is just my opinion but they sound great, warm, and accurate without being harsh. It is my favorite 2ch setup for far.
 
Keep the KG4s about 10" from the back wall, and raise the fronts up about 2". I've used mine with both my Sansui AU417 and AU719, both with excellent results.
 
Mine sound great with my mid 90's Pioneer Elite VSX-59 but WAY better with my Magnavox console pull... IMO
 
There great speakers and will sound great on almost anything I've had them on a Sherwood 7200, sounded awesome, pioneer sx1010
 
As you have a Klipsch product you won't need boatloads of power. If you want to dip your toes into tube products you might try PrimaLuna. They can be found at Upscale Audio. They make separate preamps and amplifiers, as well as integrated tube amps.

The problem with asking others what to use is that they will always mention whatever receiver or preamp/amp they are currently using. This normally doesn't help you at all. I don't currently own PrimaLuna but they work well and have a auto biasing circuit for the power tubes, making it easy on anyone new to tubes.
 
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I run mine with a Sansui 9090DB, Pioneer SX950, and a more modern Onkyo A9050 amp. Each sounds really good - with the 9090 having more bass, the SX950 smoother, and the 9050 very solid overall. As mentioned above, these don't need a ton of power to get moving.

I've updated my KG4's with the Crites titanium tweeter diaphragms and crossovers. Much smoother and tighter bass as a result. Very pleased with the results.
 
First congrats on your acquisition. No experience with any of the one you mentioned however the trick to SS is to find the sweet spot with the volume level. From personal experience if you decide to expand your choices I'd recommend any of the Sony STR 70xx series. They have excellent bottom end don't sound hard up top and just gives you a full well rounded sound.

If you want forward and a bit of an edge I'd recommend the Yamaha Rx 777.
Somewhere between those would be the Denon 3803 & Realistic 2100D which is a bit softer allowing you to listen to endless hours of music as the highs aren't as harsh as the Yamaha but not as well rounded or as much bass as the Sony naturally.
On the latter you can give it a go fairly affordably and see how you like it.
Good luck and best wishes with future Klipsch gear.
 
Here's my experience. I have a set of KG4's that I replaced the crossovers with Crites parts. And upgraded the tweeter to the Crites tweeter. No huge difference with the crossover, but the tweeter had a decent improvement.
I've tried running it on an older yamaha power amp with adcom pre-amp. They sounded o-k.
Next I tried a Harmon Kardon PM660. This sounded pretty good, but my left channel would cut in and out. So I hooked up an early 2000's Denon AV receiver. Sounded slightly less warm, maybe a little more detailed, but I was very happy with it.
I also tried the inexpensive tube amp from mono-price, that sounded kind of muddy and dull.
Then I picked up a Mcintosh mc2105 and C32 combo for a good price, and I was absolutely blown away. I couldn't believe these were the same speakers. The treble sparkled, and I could hear every little detail in the bass. The sound stage really opened up there was sound from places I had never heard sound from before.

I have them in corners about a foot from each wall and slightly tipped in.
 
tubeampking said:
I'm finding that the KG-4s are very versatile and mate well with a lot of amps. Right now I have my newly acquired Dynaco SCA-35 hooked to them and it's a great combination.
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I guess so the SCA35 is a really fine amp. Get a source that sounds as good and you will have decades of blissful enjoyment.
 
I've had 4.2's since new in '91 and have run them on various amps and receivers. The best they ever sounded was on a homebuilt 40wpc SS Class A amp at an AK gathering. Really astonishing. Unfortunately that was not my amp. :bye: Second best is a Pioneer SX-1250, which sounds so good because it was a good receiver in the first place, and was completely gone through and updated/upgraded by EchoWars. So anything good quality that is performing up to spec is going to sound good. HOWEVER I can't recommend highly enough 1) replacing caps in the crossover (I have not tried the entire Crites crossover, but a recap of the originals did make an improvement), and 2) spend the $60 or whatever on the Crites titanium horn diaphragms. Those will make a huge difference in the horn. That Class A amp I mentioned was auditioned shortly after the diaphragm upgrade and it really sounded sweet.
 
I've used mine with AV receivers Yamaha RX-V2092/2095, R9 and amplifier M-65. No issues with the sound. I've also used them with a Sony STR-D5300ES, Denon AVR-3300, NAD 906, Emotiva XPA-5/Mini-X, Onkyo TX-906 stereo receiver. Although they've never sounded bad, they did sound better on the Yamaha, Emotiva and Denon gear.
 
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