Superampman
AK Member
I came across a thread here some time ago that suggests tubes don't present the amp killer issues that ss does on these. I was wondering if anyone has corroborated this yet? Also that quite low, like 20wpch tubes will work?
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Tubes best with Kappa 9s?
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swechsler
Frog Whisperer
I believe people have used tubes for the upper section when biamping, but the woofers really need a lot of power, like 200+ watts per channel. You'd be into serious bucks for a tube amp with that kind of power. Also, they still drop down to a very low impedance in the bass, which would not be pleasant for a tube amp unless it had a 2 ohm tap.
Superampman
AK Member
The Kappa 9s are relatively efficient. I gathered they actually are not a difficult load for a tube amp in general.
Tedrick
Infinity-phile
The K9's are a complex load with crazy impedance swings in the low frequencies that will tax all but the stoutest of amps. You REALLY need a solid state amp on the woofers that is capable of delivering prodigious amounts of current into a sub-2 ohm load to get the best bass performance. Most tube amps will run out of power, with the result being substandard bass performance. As swechsler intimates, the best scenario is to run a horizontal bi-amp setup with a tube amp on the mids/tweeters and a big-iron SS amp on the woofers. In fact, it is said that many of the bigger Infinity's were voiced with just such a setup. My dream system would be a MacIntosh MC275 on the mids/tweeters, and a Threshold S500 or similar on the woofers.
slimpikkins
Super Member
This one might.
Bahamayellow
Super Member
I recall seeing someone had used a small tube amp to power some 9s but don’t recall where I saw it. Maybe another forum or site. Are you thinking of buying or do you have some 9s now.
Infinity4Eva
Member
I would say yes! DC-blocking also blocks phase angles usually associated with running the speaker in Extended mode, which also results in superior bass performance.
Not all vacuum tube amps that can push the base on these are too expensive.
A Conrad Johnson Premier Four can push them quite hard, and a Spark 810 does it as well, considering they are maintained properly.
The trick is more like this: push-pull alone cannot keep up the voltage; it needs a tube with a high voltage swing capability, like the 6SN7 or 300B tube on the input stage, followed by an ULTRALINEAR circuit from the driver stage to maintain proper voltage, even when all power is required.
Not all vacuum tube amps that can push the base on these are too expensive.
A Conrad Johnson Premier Four can push them quite hard, and a Spark 810 does it as well, considering they are maintained properly.
The trick is more like this: push-pull alone cannot keep up the voltage; it needs a tube with a high voltage swing capability, like the 6SN7 or 300B tube on the input stage, followed by an ULTRALINEAR circuit from the driver stage to maintain proper voltage, even when all power is required.
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