Need good amp / reciever for Klipsch La Scala...Suggestions? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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TedB
02-10-2006, 09:32 PM
I would like to purchase an amp or possibly a decent AVR that will work well with my Klipsch LaScala's. I'm not an audiophile but would like to build a system that is worthy. I currently have an old Marantz 2330 Reciver and my amp is a yamaha ax-400u. I'm not sure if I need to have a separate amplifier or if a good quality AVR would do the trick? I've been looking at Denon AVR-2106 and 3805.

Seems like almost everyone with La Scala's also have the real expensive amplifiers as well? I'm on a budget but could spend up to $1500 to start possbily adding more equipment later.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.....

ericl
02-10-2006, 09:50 PM
Oh Man, Klipsch La Scalas? Low powered tube amps are an absolute must!! Trust me, I have a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls, and tubes are the only type of amp that does them justice. receivers and such may sound ok, but compared to tubes, well, there is no comparison!! Look for a SET amp or a low powered EL84 pp amp...

Geoffcin
02-11-2006, 03:36 AM
I would like to purchase an amp or possibly a decent AVR that will work well with my Klipsch LaScala's. I'm not an audiophile but would like to build a system that is worthy. I currently have an old Marantz 2330 Reciver and my amp is a yamaha ax-400u. I'm not sure if I need to have a separate amplifier or if a good quality AVR would do the trick? I've been looking at Denon AVR-2106 and 3805.

Seems like almost everyone with La Scala's also have the real expensive amplifiers as well? I'm on a budget but could spend up to $1500 to start possbily adding more equipment later.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.....

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1144614566

Triode/Pentode switchable. 4 KT88's should shake the walls if you want to.

TedB
02-11-2006, 10:06 AM
Ok - I can tell that I have some homework to do. Could you be a little more specific and possibly suggest a good brand name that might also fit my budget? One more catch, I need to incorporate a remote control (its a long story but because of my plasma tv) for volume control. Thanks for your suggestions.....I'm learning.....

Mr Peabody
02-11-2006, 12:42 PM
You said, "maybe an AVR", will you use your klipsch for home theater? If so, I wouldn't use tubes. It would be difficult to use 5 channels of tube amplification and tubes do not mix with solid state for home theater. When I began my search for tube gear one of the criteria was the preamp had to have a processor bypass. I had my home theater and 2 channel systems tied together. Well the processor bypass is now a wasted feature because the Conrad Johnson tube amp I have did not mix well sonically with my Arcam 3 channel I have for HT. So now I have two separate systems.

However, i do agree that tubes would sound great with your speakers. Premiluna has some reasonably priced integrated amps. Cayin also has some and they build some of their integrated amps to mimic the sound of famous tube amps like the Marantz 9 or Mac. Many of the entry level integrated amps also feature auto biasing which is nice for novice tube users.

If you decide to go solid state, I'd recommend something like Rotel that to my ears sound smoother and laid back than many. Much of the electronics I've heard through Klipsch have just sounded too harsh. I have to admit though that I haven't heard the La Scalla or famous Horns.

TedB
02-11-2006, 06:56 PM
Thanks....I'm more interested in music then I am in home theater. Would it be ill advised to mix a tube amp with my current stereo receiver (marantz 2330) or are you saying not to mix a tube amp with 5.1 / 7.1 recievers? If I keep the marantz in the line up then I need to buy an amp with a remote or if necessary I could pick up a reciever with a remote and move the marantz to another room. Today I disconnected my yamaha amp and ran everything through the marantz and the sound quality improved. Seems like the marantz is a decent piece of equipment.

Thanks for the input. Most appreciated..

Geoffcin
02-11-2006, 08:13 PM
Thanks....I'm more interested in music then I am in home theater. Would it be ill advised to mix a tube amp with my current stereo receiver (marantz 2330) or are you saying not to mix a tube amp with 5.1 / 7.1 recievers? If I keep the marantz in the line up then I need to buy an amp with a remote or if necessary I could pick up a reciever with a remote and move the marantz to another room. Today I disconnected my yamaha amp and ran everything through the marantz and the sound quality improved. Seems like the marantz is a decent piece of equipment.

Thanks for the input. Most appreciated..

All vintage Marantz have a similar warm tone to them. Highly collectable & prized by collectors. I have no doubt that it would sound great with a highly sensitive speaker like the LaScala. Tubes are very similar in the respect that you will get a warm tone out of them. They also modify the frequency responce of the speakers, and several speakers were designed specifically to work well with them, your LaScala for one.

Mr Peabody
02-11-2006, 09:26 PM
What do you want to achieve? Are you wanting to add HT or just looking for better sound? I am not a big fan of using a receiver as a preamp because then your power amp is limited by the poor quality of the receivers preamp stage. But as a stepping stone a tube amp should work with your Marantz as well as any. Another option if you just wanted a better power amp, the Conrad Johnson solid state amps are reasonably priced and sound very good. www.spearitsound.com have some on their "used & demos" link. They will also allow you some return time if you aren't happy with your purchase. C-J gear, both ss and tube, have a way of making the music sound very good, they epitomize the adjective of musical.

TedB
02-11-2006, 09:35 PM
All vintage Marantz have a similar warm tone to them. Highly collectable & prized by collectors. I have no doubt that it would sound great with a highly sensitive speaker like the LaScala. Tubes are very similar in the respect that you will get a warm tone out of them. They also modify the frequency responce of the speakers, and several speakers were designed specifically to work well with them, your LaScala for one.
Thanks again for commenting on all my remedial audio questions. Too many choices. The way I'm seeing it is I should either go with marantz 2330 I already have but would need to add an amp w/remote. The question remains would it be unwise to use a tube amp with the solid state marantz receiver? I guess I'm confused about the previous suggestion that mixing a tube amp with a 5.1 / 7.1 solid state receiver would be a bad idea. Would that also apply to my marantz stereo?

From what I have been reading here and elsewhere most people are saying go with a low power tube amp in addition to??????

dean_martin
02-11-2006, 09:41 PM
Hmmm...with those speakers you might consider a tube integrated amp from Jolida or Antique Sound Labs. I got the Jolida 202 in November and I'm loving it. They have some models that are remote control and so does ASL. Check www.spearitsound.com for Jolida and www.audioadvisor.com for ASL. Both are reputable. If you can demo them in person, that would be even better. Spend about $1000 on your tube integrated amp and then about $500 on a decent powered subwoofer for when you watch the occasional movie.

Another option is to continue to use your Marantz receiver and just add the powered sub. You'll save a lot, but you still won't have a remote. There are some specialty gadgets out there that might allow you to add remote volume control to your Marantz - not absolutely sure on that, though.

ASL and Jolida both have models with outputs (from the preamp section) for subwoofers, but a dedicated subwoofer output is not necessary so long as the sub has speaker level connections so you can still use a sub with your Marantz. (You might find that a subwoofer enhances movie watching enough that you can stop there.)

Of course these suggestions assume that you'll be satisfied with a stereo setup (or, 2.1) as opposed to 5.1 surround and there's nothing wrong with that especially with your Marantz and those LaScalas. I think an AVR would be a step backwards unless you're watching movies 75% of the time or more. Don't go too fast. Think about or decide what kind of sound quality you like first, then go from there. The amplifiers in some av recievers tend to be a little harsh or thin and might not match well with your speakers.

Try the speaker forum for sub recommendations if you're interested.

Edit: I just checked adioadvisor and noticed that they don't have any ASL integrateds on their website. Try www.upscaleaudio.com and check out the Prima Luna Prologue integrated tube amps and their ASLs.

Mr Peabody
02-11-2006, 10:06 PM
In my 5.1 set up I had a tube amp on the mains and solid state on the center and rears. With HT you want your sound to be seamless as the sound effects go from one place to another. Due to the big difference in sonic signatures of the tubes and solid state they just didn't mesh for HT. For me it stuck out like a sore thumb but I knew what it sounded like before with my Krell on the mains, some folks may not have such a big problem listening to it that way. With your stereo setup a tube amp would be fine, only 2 channels and they would be the same. No reason electronically they wouldn't mix, just a personal preference in sound.

If you are just wanting a remote, Denon used to put a variable output on their CD players, if the new ones don't have them anymore you might find a used older model. At least then you could control the volume without getting up.

Just because the LaScala's are efficient enough to use with a low power tube amp isn't much of a reason to go low power. The low power tube amps are triode design and some feel they have a special sound. Many of the Cayin integrated amps, and some other brands now too, offer both the triode and ultralinear in the same amp and you can switch to which one you prefer for your application. With a good tube amp a sub should not be necessary for music. You can take a look at Cayin on www.acousticsounds.com and they offer 30 day return policy.

Geoffcin
02-12-2006, 07:28 AM
Thanks again for commenting on all my remedial audio questions. Too many choices. The way I'm seeing it is I should either go with marantz 2330 I already have but would need to add an amp w/remote. The question remains would it be unwise to use a tube amp with the solid state marantz receiver? I guess I'm confused about the previous suggestion that mixing a tube amp with a 5.1 / 7.1 solid state receiver would be a bad idea. Would that also apply to my marantz stereo?

From what I have been reading here and elsewhere most people are saying go with a low power tube amp in addition to??????

It all depends on what your looking to achieve. The LaScala would be a very hard speaker to intergrate into a HT system. I'm not telling you you shoudn't try, but it will be lot easier (and cheaper) useing them for a Stereo syetem. It seems to me that your main complaint is that you don't have a remote. I feel your pain! My Stereo system is also "remoteless" and I'm forced to get up to change the volume (for me it's a small price to pay). But, if your interested in having a remote, and also a tubed output, then there are several tubed intergrated amps available, some of which have been already suggested.

I hate to confuse you further, but if your going that way, you may want to also try a solid state intergrated to see if you like the sound. Before you buy into tubes I suggest you get a feel for how they will sound with your speakers.

TedB
02-12-2006, 01:48 PM
What do you want to achieve? Are you wanting to add HT or just looking for better sound? I am not a big fan of using a receiver as a preamp because then your power amp is limited by the poor quality of the receivers preamp stage. But as a stepping stone a tube amp should work with your Marantz as well as any. Another option if you just wanted a better power amp, the Conrad Johnson solid state amps are reasonably priced and sound very good. www.spearitsound.com have some on their "used & demos" link. They will also allow you some return time if you aren't happy with your purchase. C-J gear, both ss and tube, have a way of making the music sound very good, they epitomize the adjective of musical.
My original intention was to replace the yamaha ss amp, add a remote control, and in the process improve sound quality (bass is a little thin) . I thought that I might be able to do all of the above with denon avr 2106 and take the marantz out of the line up as well .I bought the la scala's primarily for music but I use them with my TV as well. After reading the responses here it's pretty clear that going with an AVR is not going to do my speakers justice. So now I'm thinking about a tube amp w/remote. I recently removed the yamaha and hooked directly to the marantz and although the sound is decent I cant hook all my components into that unit which is a drawback. The marantz doesn't have enough inputs. So I guess where I'm at right now is determining which type of amp will work best with my speakers. Amp needs to include a remote and if I intend to use my marantz then it will have to have some inputs for my eq.