Amplifier for KEF Q900

biswa_124

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Hi,

I am planning to purchase a pair of KEF Q900 speakers. Could you guys suggest a suitable amplifier for these speakers? I have looked at amplifiers like Yamaha R-N602,Yamaha A-S301, Marantz PM 7005 and Audiolab 8200A? All these look compatible from specification point of view.

Could you guys give your opinion on these amps and also suggest any other which will be better suitable? The price range of Marantz PM 7005 is the maximum that I can spare for the amp.

Thanks
 
Hi,

Look for amps which deliver minimum 60watts rms @ 8 ohms load..the speakers can be connected to amps which can deliver 15watts - 200watts rms @ 8 ohms load.

See for Denon 720ae or 1520ae or look at Cambridge audio too
 
KEF Q900 is bright sounding speaker. Better go for Marantz or NAD, but end of the day, it's your taste and your music. So, before taking the final call, audition is a must.
 
+1 to what Amit says.
Q series and R series from KEF can be described as "neutral" tending towards "bright".
In other words they bring the music to you and may sometimes induce listening fatigue.
A "warm" amp will pair well; else look for one that has tone controls.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
I had the privilege of listening to a well broken in Q900 hooked on to Esoteric power amp in a friend's setup in the US. Extended listening, and didnt feel the 900s to be bright. It was in your face, because of the Q drive, but was amazing in clarity. Of course, lots of that credit should go to the power amp, and I felt like a marriage made in heaven. Not sure if you get those here though. And then, budget is another thing.
 
Q900 sounds great with a Denon PMA1520 or Cayin tube amp. None of the marantz be it 7 or 8 series has the drive of the Denon. I owned both. Next choice after the Denon is a Yamaha but atleast an AS701 and upwards. NADs are plain boring to me. Cambridge is bright and unreliable at times. These are my personal opinion others may differ.I f you know even a little bit about amps just take a look inside the Denon PMA1520 vs the rest. It's built like no other.
 
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If I understand correctly, these speakers are quite sensitive. How it will affect the sound when driving them with such powerful amps for volume levels attained with say Yamaha as301?

Also both Denon 1520 and Yamaha as701 are out of budget for me. Will the Yamaha Rx-v681 be more suitable for these speakers; or anything else?
 
Hi,

I am planning to purchase a pair of KEF Q900 speakers. Could you guys suggest a suitable amplifier for these speakers? I have looked at amplifiers like Yamaha R-N602,Yamaha A-S301, Marantz PM 7005 and Audiolab 8200A? All these look compatible from specification point of view.

Could you guys give your opinion on these amps and also suggest any other which will be better suitable? The price range of Marantz PM 7005 is the maximum that I can spare for the amp.

Thanks

Where are you buying these speakers from and for how much? If a store, what are their recommendation?

Could you guys suggest some Marantz/NAD amplifiers which will be good for these speakers?

Check the offers running on marantz amps by HiFi.

If I understand correctly, these speakers are quite sensitive. How it will affect the sound when driving them with such powerful amps for volume levels attained with say Yamaha as301?

Also both Denon 1520 and Yamaha as701 are out of budget for me. Will the Yamaha Rx-v681 be more suitable for these speakers; or anything else?

Hmm I would disagree. KEF specs these speakers at 91db 8Ohms. However, on reading the stereophile reviewhttp://www.stereophile.com/content/kef-q900-loudspeaker-measurements#jTI4Zf1xYiliZFyV.97, you will see the speaker goes down to a low 4Ohm. I would recommend a Stereo amp that can handle 4ohm loads easily giving out a minimum of 80w.

Also, please provide dimensions of your room, listening levels, listening details, etc. Based on that fellow members can provide better suggestions.

MaSh
 
Yes. I just want to understand if it can drive the speakers efficiently or not; so as to get a general idea on speaker sensitivity.
 
@MaSh

I had the audition in profx hyderabad with a Yamaha Rx-V681. They are quoting a price of 1.6L for the speakers+Rx-V681 amp. In ebay it is available for less. Have not decided yet where to buy. The profx guys are recommending either Yamaha Rx-V681 or R-N602. It seems they don't have any of the A-S series.

The thing is I am not sure how the Marantz will sound with these speakers and the guys at profx don't seem to have these amps. And I don't know of any other place where I can have an audition.

As I understand sensitivity, if the sensitivity is 91db @8ohms, then it will require still less power for a particular volume when the impedance is less, say 4db; hence will be more efficient. But I don't know much about this stuff. Just following this link. And all the Yamaha amps atleast, have higher power per channel output when driving 4ohm loads.

The room dimensions and other details are as below.

Room dimension: 20 feet (length) x 15 feet (wide)
Listening levels: I am not sure if there is any standard way to express this, but I would not like to listen it at high volumes. The maximum volume may go upto 60% of Rx-V681 amp.
Listening details: I would mostly listen to english classicals, current bollywood songs, old hindi songs, rock, pop, occasionally heavy metal. But I would like, if possible, to have decent experience across all genres so that if my taste in music changes, I wouldn't have to buy another amp.
 
Look for an amp with 15-20A current capacity. This will suffice. Yamaha, Marantz, Audiolab you have listed are in this range.
Try to audition your amp+speakers and let your ears decide. Don't fret too much about impedance and sensitivity.
Get and amp with tone controls, if possible.

FYI: Marantz PM7001 pairs very well with KEF R300 in my rig.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Q900 sounds great with a Denon PMA1520 or Cayin tube amp. None of the marantz be it 7 or 8 series has the drive of the Denon. I owned both. Next choice after the Denon is a Yamaha but atleast an AS701 and upwards. NADs are plain boring to me. Cambridge is bright and unreliable at times. These are my personal opinion others may differ.I f you know even a little bit about amps just take a look inside the Denon PMA1520 vs the rest. It's built like no other.

It is again depend individual taste. Couple of months back I auditioned Kef R500 paired with Denon PMA1510 (Previous model of PMA1520) along with another two other forum friends and the sound is not up to mark. Somewhat the sound is flat and not up to our expectation for the money.
 
Hi

The RX681 is a AVR which is 7.2.....you are looking for a stereo setup right?

Yes. But since RX681 has more power, I just wanted to understand if it is a more suitable match on that basis.

By the way, I am currently looking at Cambridge Audio CXA60 amp. Although its per channel power output is less, it seems to have good current capacity. I guess it will be a good match.
 
Yes. But since RX681 has more power, I just wanted to understand if it is a more suitable match on that basis.

By the way, I am currently looking at Cambridge Audio CXA60 amp. Although its per channel power output is less, it seems to have good current capacity. I guess it will be a good match.

Biswa, I have used an Arcam A19 with a KEF Q700 for two good years. I would say that, Arcam and KEF are very complimentary to each other in their sonic characteristics. Initially I was worried about the bass slam with the A19 as its only 50 Watts but that skepticism vanished in the first few minutes. Q900 being more efficient than Q700 makes it worthy for an audition if possible.
 
Biswa, I have used an Arcam A19 with a KEF Q700 for two good years. I would say that, Arcam and KEF are very complimentary to each other in their sonic characteristics. Initially I was worried about the bass slam with the A19 as its only 50 Watts but that skepticism vanished in the first few minutes. Q900 being more efficient than Q700 makes it worthy for an audition if possible.

I already had an audition of KEF Q900; but with a Yamaha V681 amp. It sounded good. But since I am looking for a stereo setup, the store guy suggested R-N602 amp. But I don't want all the extra networking features of it. Now I am looking at CXA60. It seems have good reviews on what-hifi. Unfortunately, it is not possible to have an audition with this amp.

Edit: Could you tell where I can get the Arcam A19?
 
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I have a sealed Creek Classic A53 power amplifier with 1 year warranty intact. Warranty starts from the date you purchase. PM me if interested. It drives Dali Option FLRS , Dynaudio Emit 30 , Jade 7 , KEF Q900 with ease.
 
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