Which Integrated Amp for Klipsch RB-81?

[soundcrew]

I am thinking about getting the "RB-81 Bookshelf Loudspeaker" but having trouble finding an Integrated Amp that is suitable. I want something half decent, i'm on a budget of about 400 dollars(Canadian) max.



RB-81 Specifications:
frequency response - 46Hz-23kHz +/-3dB
power handling- 150W RMS / 600W Peak
sensitivity - 97dB @ 2.83V / 1m
nominal impedance- 8 ohms compatible
high freq crossover- 1800Hz
high frequency drivers- 1" (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver mated to 90x60 square Tractrix- Horn
low frequency drivers- 8" (20.3cm) Cerametallic™ cone woofer

[JohnMichael]

Any NAD integrated amp within your price range.

[soundcrew]

Am i correct to assume that i want something with 150 watts or more?

[IMHOAudio]

Hey Soundcrew …
I agree with J.M.; the NAD Integrateds at that price range are quite good; as well as the lower end Cambridge Audio stuff. If you are at all interested in tube gear (not USUALLY my forte’), we are utilizing a Yaqin (rebadged as Vincent for North America) VK-2100 I our “Home Office” testing room with GREAT results …. high wattage, well under $400.00, but runs a BIT hot … we’ll have a review of that amp published soon…
Enjoy & Happy Listening!

[bobsticks]

Tough call and kinda depends on your goals. With that kinda sensitivity tubes have to be a consideration. The Yaquin menytioned has gotten solid reviews in that price range and for 4beans you can get alot of very nice vintage pieces. Names like Dynaco and Bogen come to mind. Hhmmmm....hey look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jolida-SJ-502A-I...d=p3286.c0.m14

That amp kicks ass for a 4 hundy unit. Of course, this all assumes that you want to be a bit active in the hobby and tubes can require some maintenance and general kerfutzing.

If brand new and shiny-in-the-box is what ya want I like JM's suggestion of NAD.

In any case, good luck and have fun.

[soundcrew]

Hey Soundcrew …
I agree with J.M.; the NAD Integrateds at that price range are quite good; as well as the lower end Cambridge Audio stuff. If you are at all interested in tube gear (not USUALLY my forte’), we are utilizing a Yaqin (rebadged as Vincent for North America) VK-2100 I our “Home Office” testing room with GREAT results …. high wattage, well under $400.00, but runs a BIT hot … we’ll have a review of that amp published soon…
Enjoy & Happy Listening!

so your saying any NAD system would do me good in this price range?

[soundcrew]

Another question to toss in on this one. How are the speakers I have chosen? I know they have got some good reiviews, any one have experience?

[markw]

Am i correct to assume that i want something with 150 watts or more?

With a sensitivity rating of 97 db, those speakers are incredibly efficient! It doesn't take much power to make a lot of noise with those speakers. You'll have ringing in your ears for days, possibly forever, if you push a steady TEN watts through those things.

You'll be coasting on maybe one watt (most likely less) 99% of the time and any additional power will be called upon only for momentary peaks.

Just because a car's tires are rated for 180 mph doesn't mean that you must drive at that speed at all times. It's nice to know the capability is there when you need it, but you don't need all ot it all the time.

Even the little NAD 315 will pop your eardrums with those.

As for the speakers themselves, well, to each his own. They are well built and the company has a solid reputation but, as always, I suggest you either listen to them before buying and/or make sure the dealer has a liberal return policy.

But, in either case. take this little lesson about speaker sensitivity to heart;: The higher the number, the less power it takes to drive them. And, this number is no indication of how good or bad a speaker sounds.

[soundcrew]

With a sensitivity rating of 97 db, those speakers are incredibly efficient! It doesn't take much power to make a lot of noise with those speakers. You'll have ringing in your ears for days, possibly forever, if you push a steady TEN watts through those things.

You'll be coasting on maybe one watt (most likely less) 99% of the time and any additional power will be called upon only for momentary peaks.

Just because a car's tires are rated for 180 mph doesn't mean that you must drive at that speed at all times. It's nice to know the capability is there when you need it, but you don't need all ot it all the time.

Even the little NAD 315 will pop your eardrums with those.

As for the speakers themselves, well, to each his own. They are well built and the company has a solid reputation but, as always, I suggest you either listen to them before buying and/or make sure the dealer has a liberal return policy.

But, in either case. take this little lesson about speaker sensitivity to heart;: The higher the number, the less power it takes to drive them. And, this number is no indication of how good or bad a speaker sounds.

According to the Klipsch website:
"Invest in Enough Power

While Klipsch speakers are highly efficient and don't need a whole lot of power to drive them, you still need to purchase an amplifier/receiver that's relevant to the system you choose. After all, one of the most common causes of speaker damage is not having the right electronics to support it. "
https://www.klipsch.com/how-to-buy-a...nvestment.aspx

[markw]

According to the Klipsch website:
"Invest in Enough Power

While Klipsch speakers are highly efficient and don't need a whole lot of power to drive them, you still need to purchase an amplifier/receiver that's relevant to the system you choose. After all, one of the most common causes of speaker damage is not having the right electronics to support it. "
https://www.klipsch.com/how-to-buy-a...nvestment.aspx

Were you really hoping to get on a lead for a "half decent" 150 wpc amp for under $400 CDN?

You have absolutely no idea of what all those numbers in your first post mean, do you? You don't even know when someone is trying to teach you something to help you understand them, do you?

Do you know how decibles relate to perceived loudness and how "loud" 97 decibles is? You might want to investigate this.

If you disagree with my post, fine. I've stated my reasons for making my statements. now it's time for you to state the reasons for believing I'm wrong. Simply posting a bogus (yes, bogus) link with no supporting facts not only shows your ignorance on this matter but it's also a slap in the face to someone who took the time to compose a well thought out, simply worded and accurate post in the hopes of educating you.

If you had bothered to try to comprehend (or even investigate on your own) what I said in my post, you would have seen for yourself that what the Klipsch site says is straight out of the septic tank.

I apologize for wasting your (and mostly my) time trying to impart some of my 40+ years of experience and knowledge to you. Apparantly, it was pearls before swine

But, don't take it to badly. There's a lot of "professional" web-sites that feed sh!t to unsuspecting newbies who eat it up like fiies devour, well, you know. I guess I can't get too angry for you being one of them who can't tell the difference.

If Klipsch says you must buy an amp rated at at least 150 wpc continious to drive thoser speakers, I'll go out on a limb and say they are pretty effen' stupid because, ya know what? They're fargin' wrong!

If you believe that crap, there's very, very few receivers or integrated amps with which their speakers will work! ...and think about it, they sell their stuff in the big box stores which deal with bottom of the line stuff!

So, believe what you want to believe and feel free to do what you must, but don't depend on what you read on a manufacturer's website to always be the unvarnished truth.

[IMHOAudio]

so your saying any NAD system would do me good in this price range?

Yep. Good stuff. Is that direct enough? Even better if you can take one home for an "in-home" demo .... let us know how you fare!

As for your speaks, this is always a tricky question.... depends on SO many factors and tastes ... the only advice i can give you, is do some reading, some DEDICATED listening (analyze WHAT you like, what you don't like, with certain speakers .... check out our review criteria or other 'zines and reviewers for a start) and decide with your ears and yor heart ... what sounds good to you, IS good . . ..if anyone tells you there is only ONE good speaker they may have an agenda or are a bit ignorant .... it's just so subjective.....
IMHO!
Above all, as always, happy listening!
-Jason

[soundcrew]

Were you really hoping to get on a lead for a "half decent" 150 wpc amp for under $400 CDN?

You have absolutely no idea of what all those numbers in your first post mean, do you? You don't even know when someone is trying to teach you something to help you understand them, do you?

Do you know how decibles relate to perceived loudness and how "loud" 97 decibles is? You might want to investigate this.

If you disagree with my post, fine. I've stated my reasons for making my statements. now it's time for you to state the reasons for believing I'm wrong. Simply posting a bogus (yes, bogus) link with no supporting facts not only shows your ignorance on this matter but it's also a slap in the face to someone who took the time to compose a well thought out, simply worded and accurate post in the hopes of educating you.

If you had bothered to try to comprehend (or even investigate on your own) what I said in my post, you would have seen for yourself that what the Klipsch site says is straight out of the septic tank.

I apologize for wasting your (and mostly my) time trying to impart some of my 40+ years of experience and knowledge to you. Apparantly, it was pearls before swine

But, don't take it to badly. There's a lot of "professional" web-sites that feed sh!t to unsuspecting newbies who eat it up like fiies devour, well, you know. I guess I can't get too angry for you being one of them who can't tell the difference.

If Klipsch says you must buy an amp rated at at least 150 wpc continious to drive thoser speakers, I'll go out on a limb and say they are pretty effen' stupid because, ya know what? They're fargin' wrong!

If you believe that crap, there's very, very few receivers or integrated amps with which their speakers will work! ...and think about it, they sell their stuff in the big box stores which deal with bottom of the line stuff!

So, believe what you want to believe and feel free to do what you must, but don't depend on what you read on a manufacturer's website to always be the unvarnished truth.

Okay so first off, just like to say sorry if you took my other post the wrong way, I didn't mean to question your knowledge. I posted the link from klipsch, more so questioning klipsch, because i know big company's like that are pretty much just in it for the money trying to screw the consumer.
So your saying that with the sensitivity of the speakers i'm looking at i don't need to much power. And under powering won't screw up my speakers at Klipsch claims?
I'm going to trust you on this one Markw.

[markw]

Okay so first off, just like to say sorry if you took my other post the wrong way, I didn't mean to question your knowledge. I posted the link from klipsch, more so questioning klipsch, because i know big company's like that are pretty much just in it for the money trying to screw the consumer.
So your saying that with the sensitivity of the speakers i'm looking at i don't need to much power. And under powering won't screw up my speakers at Klipsch claims?
I'm going to trust you on this one Markw.

Basically, yes.

As I said earlier. most times you're listening at levels that need less than one watt. When peaks come into play, it puts more demand for power but they are generally short-lived and a good amp (NAD, for instance) can provide for those transients.

Of course, if you're gonna play constant organ or low freq synth tones you're gonna need more power but, then again, that speaker won't do them anyway. You'll want a sub for that. Most music rarely dips below 40 hz, and that includes most organ music.

Perhaps this link will shed a bit more light on watts, loudness and the like as it provides some easy to digest real-world examples of these in action in addition to the deeper stuff. Maybe then you'll see why I rankled at the audacity of the Klipsch site for posting that drek and misleading you.

http://www.audioholics.com/education...-watts-and-dbs

Did you play with that "calculator" link at the bottom of the article? If not, try it.

Of course, you can drive any amplifier into clipping if you try hard enough, but most likely it'll be excruciatingly loud and your ears will tell you when you're approach this.

Just keep in mind audio rule # 1 "If it starts to sound funky, turn it down NOW!"

FWIW, audio rule # 2 is "Always unplug all afected equipment when kerfutzing with speaker cables or interconnects.

And, something else to keep in mind : Just because a speaker can absorb gobs of power without catching on fire or having the cone detach from the surround and shoot across the room, there's no guarantee it will sound good while doing so.

[bobsticks]

Hey soundcrew,

Please remember that this is a public forum and, as such, we get lots of joksters and trolls around. Not saying you're one of 'em by any means but it can get kinda frustrating with peeps that show up asking a question and then pick a fight. Clearly that wasn't your objective...sometimes it's not always readily observable.

FWIW, I agree 100% with markw. As you age in this hobby you'll start to see that audio site recommendations are sometimes based just as much on opinion as in any other hobby. The high sensitvity of your speakers makes 'em an "easy push" meaning there's not alot of resistance to current. They will play to very loud volumes with an amp of even moderate wattage.

As for: "Were you really hoping to get on a lead for a "half decent" 150 wpc amp for under $400 CDN?", I still gotta say that the Jolida link I posted is a great deal. If you don't buy it I may.

Peace


---sticks

[Mr Peabody]

NAD and Jolida are both good suggestions and I'd also add Creek. I heard their little entry level integrated pushing some Klipsch bookshelf speakers a few years back and the sound was pretty good.

If you like Klipsch after hearing them, then go for it, but you should listen to some other brands to compare and see what appeals to your ear.

[soundcrew]

All of you are suggesting that I listen to the speakers to see if i like them, however this proves to be very difficult for me, Because i'm from a small rural town in Newfoundland Canada.
I'm not aware of any dealers for this stuff, maybe some of you guys might have other suggestions, or maybe know some stores in St.Johns, Newfoundland.

[soundcrew]

replying to my own message there. that was not intended to be negative towards your suggestions, because honestly i would love to be able to get into a store and test it all out, but that's very difficult for a 14 year old living in a rural community.

[Mr Peabody]

What type of music do you listen to? I am not a Klipsch fan but they would be the deal for most typical 14 year olds. As stated they will play very loud with not much power. This would have been my criteria at 14. The combo I mentioned, Creek/Klipsch was the most tolerable sound I've heard from Klipsch. I did hear one other system that was pretty good, it was a pair of Klipsch floorstanders bi-wired with Adcom amp.

I wasn't going to get into the prior conversation but while I'm on a roll, the Klipsch website was misleading. I brought some of their floorstanders home, a pair with two 10" woofers and a horn. They were going to be for a second system. For fun I hooked them up to my Krell integrated, a very conservative 150x2 into 8 ohms. the bass was not low or deep and those horns were horrible, when I shot the power to them the sound was loud but it just became noise. Trust me, it wasn't the amp.

My suggestion for your situation would be to do research as you are, read reviews here of potential speakers and buy from an internet retailer who will allow you to return them if not happy. Here are a couple, these offer 30 day return, I've never looked into whether they ship to Canada but I'd assume so.

www.amusicdirect.com
www.acousticsounds.com
www.crutchfield.com

These guys aren't as liberal with the return time but they are very good to deal with and have decent buys under "demos, close outs" link: www.spearitsound.com

I do like Paradigm who is still fairly sensitive yet to my ears sound a lot better and offer speakers in the same price range as Klipsch.

[soundcrew]

The types of music I listen to are, mainly rock, some metal, indie, and alternative stuff. Quiet a broad range.

And to be quiet honest i'm not overly picky about sound quality, main reason being, I can't afford to, I'm just looking for a "good" system that will give nice sound. Sound that is far better then what i am currently getting form my 40 dollar walmart surround sound system(what was i thinking)
In a nutshell I'm looking for good sound at an affordable price

thought i'd just point that out.
and also thank you to all for your help, i am looking into what you all have to say, your help is being greatly appreciated

[Mr Peabody]

For the music you listen to and the benefit of sensitivity the Klipsch is probably not a bad choice. Pro audio speakers like at concerts use horns, Klipsch brings this to a home version so you get a similar raw lively sound. You can find NAD integrated amps at a great price just not an inflated power rating. These little amps would mate well with the Klipsch, sound very good for the money and be warm enough to keep the horns from sounding too harsh. I think you'd be quite impressed with this set up from what you have now. What ever you decide don't forget to let us know what you choose and how you like it.

[Mike, Still listening]

Hello I I am very new on here . Its was only used a couple of times still New !


Mike I tried to send you a private message but you are not receiving them. If you have anything for sale you are welcome to list it in the classifieds but not in the Forums. Thanks