Kef 103.2 match with Quad 405?

[TellMeWhy]

Dear All,
I have a pair of Kef 103.2 speakers that I love dearly but looking for a bit more quality power to drive them more fully. Currently I have a Marantz 2230 that sounds quite good but a little thin and somewhat weak. Budget for a power amp (fed by the 2230 pre) is limited and I'm looking for detail and soundstage at low volumes rather than heaps of volume. The Quad 405 seems like a good choice, but wondering if anyone here has experience with this combo?

Otherwise I might consider swapping the 2230 for a higher powered vintage receiver or integrated- the Yamaha CA amps look nice. Or Hitachi HMA / HCA combo perhaps?

The Kef's are 8 Ohm, 86 dB / 1m. Also any tips on whether to go for a Quad 405 MK 1 or 2, recapping, and replacing the input Op Amp?

Thanks for any advice- Kef experts- what kind of amps do they sing with???

 

[BilboBaggins]

Well, in my experience with Kef (104aB, 104/2, 105, Chorale), they all benefit from a good high current amp, and the Quad is definitely one of those. I don't think there are any gotchas regarding using the 2230 preamp out stage with it, but that would be my only concern. And possibly the right interconnects between the 2230 and the Quad.

Good luck! I hope to hear about your experiences. The first good system I heard was a Quad 303 driving a pair of JBL L-26s. I was very impressed!

 

[xeizo]

I've had a 405-II. The Quad 405 is not a monster amp that can go extreme loud, but it has very high sound quality with a refined and detailed sound. There is much in the form of soundstage, and the potentail for holographic-like listening experiences, given quality source material. I belive it is auto-Class A in the first 1-5Watts or so, it gets very hot, it do sound the best at low listening levels.

IMO it is a great fit for those more "normal" listening levels. I used my 405-II(which is the same amp as 405 but with improved current driving capability) to drive a pair of Infinity RS3a:s for several months. Those speakers are known for being a very difficult load with a "bad" impedance curve, but it worked well. I could play rather loud without breakup, but there was a level where bass control was lost. I used the Quad 34 preamp at the time, which of course is a perfect match for the 405-II, using something else may differ a lot.

To get my sound experience in perspective, I mostly used Sansuis bigger contemporary 100-130W integrateds during those years(80-89) and the Quad sounded surprisingly similar to those. Same level of detail, the Quad was a bit more dark in tone, and it couldn't play as loud, But all and all about as good

 

[TellMeWhy]

Well, in my experience with Kef (104aB, 104/2, 105, Chorale), they all benefit from a good high current amp, and the Quad is definitely one of those. I don't think there are any gotchas regarding using the 2230 preamp out stage with it, but that would be my only concern. And possibly the right interconnects between the 2230 and the Quad.

Good luck! I hope to hear about your experiences. The first good system I heard was a Quad 303 driving a pair of JBL L-26s. I was very impressed!

Thank you! I will let you know how I get on...

 

[TellMeWhy]

I've had a 405-II. The Quad 405 is not a monster amp that can go extreme loud, but it has very high sound quality with a refined and detailed sound. There is much in the form of soundstage, and the potentail for holographic-like listening experiences, given quality source material. I belive it is auto-Class A in the first 1-5Watts or so, it gets very hot, it do sound the best at low listening levels.

IMO it is a great fit for those more "normal" listening levels. I used my 405-II(which is the same amp as 405 but with improved current driving capability) to drive a pair of Infinity RS3a:s for several months. Those speakers are known for being a very difficult load with a "bad" impedance curve, but it worked well. I could play rather loud without breakup, but there was a level where bass control was lost. I used the Quad 34 preamp at the time, which of course is a perfect match for the 405-II, using something else may differ a lot.

To get my sound experience in perspective, I mostly used Sansuis bigger contemporary 100-130W integrateds during those years(80-89) and the Quad sounded surprisingly similar to those. Same level of detail, the Quad was a bit more dark in tone, and it couldn't play as loud, But all and all about as good

Thanks Xeizo. Yes what I'm looking for is an amp with more detail and presence at low listening levels, baby and all I know the Kef's are fairly demanding, and like high current amps, but I wasn't sure if "current dumping" equated to high or low current. I guess the step up of going from the 30W of my Marantz 2230 to 100W of the Quad will ensure a lot more current, whatever the amp design...

 

[xeizo]

Yes, a Quad 405 is way more powerful than what you have, but I would go for the 405-II if you can find one. It do have more juice than the vanilla 405, especially under difficult loads.