Amplifier reco for My Krypton TL bookshelf speakers

[koushikp]

Hi,

After a long time of meeting other financial priorities I acquired TL bookshelves (I bought the Kevlar cone version) :yahoo:...and since then have been trying to get the rest of the gear in order...currently my setup is :

Rasperry Pi with Volumio accessing Flac and High res music from my NAS>Audinst HUD mx-1 DAC>Indeed Hifi TA2020 based Class D amplifier..

Now speakers are high sensitivity..I think 91 db or something, correct me Hari if I am wrong, so the Indeed Hifi Amp has no problem driving it, I usually keep the Audinst at 100% volume to take some load off the amp, and drive the amp at 11/12 o clock position for a fairly loud sound in the home environment..

Problems with the current state of the setup is two fold:

Problem 1: The Audinst DAC: now some of you who have heard Hari's speakers and others who have read about them, the speakers are very refined, the bass is tight even from the crappiest of sources and high frequencies are smooth even when I have heard them directly from Hari's old dvd player with no DAC in between...The Audinst has a slightly laid back mid range, the speakers dont need it as I mentioned, as the sound signature anyway is smooth and fatigue free...I feel I losing losing clarity as a result of using the Audinst...

I hope I have solved it by ordering the Odac today.. which everyone unanimously says has an extremely neutral sound signature...will write on it after it reaches me in 2-3 weeks (ordered from Epiphany Acoustics UK).

problem 2: The Amplifier. I acquired the Indeed TA2020 amp as a stop gap amp before I buy something better...Now enough is there in the forum about the TA 2020 based Tripath class D amps.. I acquired it for about 6k post duties, and for the price it sounds simply amazing. It beats the hell out of my Onkyo 609 AVR sound quality...vastly superior in midrange clarity. The problem is with the bass...Hari's speakers go down to almost 30hz, and I have heard the Vashi meet CD many times at his place and the indeed amp clearly lacks the low end tight thump that Hari's vintage sony amp provides in the chinese Drums track, and although the overall setup still sounds amazing I cant get over the fact that I am missing that low end power..

I had sold my PM6004 in the forum as I thought I will acquire something better but I simply don't have the time to audition amps...Now I think I jumped the gun a bit...But then I don't know whether the Marantz is the right choice because it also has rolled off highs...I want the Amp to be also on the neutral side...I hear all kinds of music at my home but if I have to classify it'll go like this: classic rock 30%, Hard Rock 20%, old hindi music 20%, new hindi music 20%, classical/Jazz 10%...

So I was wondering which are the brands/amp to look for when looking for the ideal amp for these babies? As I said as the speakers are refined, feel the amp should be on the neutral side and stay as true to the source as possible...My budget is open...but definitely not over 75-80k...I have been eyeing Capt Rajesh's for sale thread for the Dared amp but right now I dont have any way to keep a 40kg tube amp at home, also have a small child so its kinda risky, he may touch the tubes when they are hot/may also break em while playing...so rulling out Tubes for now...

 

[srinisundar]

Looks like you you are in the same boat of AVidyarthy.. Sorry not compared the specs of AVD speaker and the present ones of Krypton.

AVD is very happy with Krell 400xi, why not try the same route? You can borrow in your hometown to try for few days if anybody is having the similar or lower version.

My 2 cents.

Regards

... Remembered now he is having FS..urs is BS.

 

[prem]

Hi Koushikp

Kanwars new design could be a good bet. If you are not into DIY, you need to check if you can get an assembled piece from him. In my experience TL speakers need a clean amp.

 

[koushikp]

Looks like you you are in the same boat of AVidyarthy.. Sorry not compared the specs of AVD speaker and the present ones of Krypton.

AVD is very happy with Krell 400xi, why not try the same route? You can borrow in your hometown to try for few days if anybody is having the similar or lower version.

My 2 cents.

Regards

... Remembered now he is having FS..urs is BS.

Well Srini the problem is I dont know too many of the fms here personally, so I guess trying to borrow high end gear will be bit outside my comfort zone...my work involves long hours and I am yet to attend any of the meets despite each time intending to...Hari is the only one with who I have interacted with and have become good friends...actually borrowing from a dealer with the possibility of a subsequent sale might be more feasible for me, it may also be ideal as I can then compare things at my home for a few hours..that's why I was thinking why not start with a shortlist of brands and then approach the dealers for a home demo...

 

[mpw]

i dunno.. but i would be looking at a good vintage amp..

costs less and works as good.. if you get the right piece.

maybe our FM kurivilajacob / hemantwaghe can help here..

this may be a different take.. but try it.. it may work for you.

there was a kenwood amp i think from kolkata for sale on this forum sometime back..

mpw

 

[koushikp]

Hi Koushikp

Kanwars new design could be a good bet. If you are not into DIY, you need to check if you can get an assembled piece from him. In my experience TL speakers need a clean amp.

Thanks Prem, can you elaborate? I am not aware of this amp, a website link would help or a number..

 

[prem]

Hi Koushikp

I read about it here. You can send a mail to Kanwar and get more details. Since Hari is using a Kevlar cone I would personally prefer a solid state amp to a tube amp. I would also prefer a modern amp to a vintage amp since Kevlar is a modern speaker material and requires an amp with a preferably high damping factor. If it were a paper cone a vintage or a tube amp may have been a good option

 

[mowgli80]

There is a Cyrus amp for sale in the sale thread which might suit your needs. From what I have read, Cyrus amps are slightly bright and pair well with laid back speakers like yours.

 

[jai1611]

If you're looking for neutral with bass slam, try one of Kanwar's amps. If you are in Bangalore, I can lend you mine to try out. Note that I have never heard the Krypton speaker so this is based entirely on your description and my experience with the amp.

 

[koushikp]

No jai I am in Mumbai. I will contact kanwar and check out his stuff...

The Cyrus has greatly piqued by interest but I am unsure after reading the reviews whether it'll be the right match..

 

[omishra]

If are in Mumbai then contact fm td150/vktarun. You can listen to diy ACA (amp camp Amp). That's 5W, fairly loud class A SET Amp.

 

[Hari Iyer]

You can check them with my 300B tubes later. They are just 9w + 9w.

 

[ESP]

TL speakers need an amp with good head room to make them shine. Don't waste your time with some piddly crap as you will not be happy in the long term. Run of the mill amps available in the market in the entry level budget by the well known brands are not upto the mark. They are severely short changing the customer with these offerings.

Take your time to hunt for a good amp.

Best Wishes

 

[sonosphere]

Hi Kaushikp,
I would recommend Norge Power amp + Prometheus passive preamp. Since you are in Mumbai you can audition this power amp at Norge factory. Prometheus may still be available here >> http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/49969-promethius-passive-pre.html.

Regds,

 

[efernand1]

Go for the Marantz PM 6005 or PM 8005 I am sure they will do good justice....

 

[koushikp]

After a lot of reading about the sound signature of different amplifiers I realized that there's no way but to try things and decide and take the monetary losses on the chin on that road... I decided I'll start with NAD after reading a lot about the NAD sound..

I guess when you decide to walk the path the path shows itself... Out of the blue a NAD c356 turns up in Mumbai OLX at an amazing price...I picked it up without blinking as I knew in case I didn't like it I can still sell it in a day at a slight discount... The price that i paid was that good .. the seller in fact turned out to be a HFV member who couldn't put it up for sale in the forum as he didn't have enough number of posts to his name... Talk about luck!

Happy to say I am very very happy with my first NAD amp... finally the kryptons are singing like they are supposed to... Open, detailed and refined... The slightly forward midrange of the c356 has gelled with the refined kryptons very well...

I am so happy with there sound of the NAD that now I am becoming greedy and thinking whether to try the c375 on offer in the forum... I hope somebody picks it up quickly otherwise I won't be able to resist for too long

 

[denom]

After a lot of reading about the sound signature of different amplifiers I realized that there's no way but to try things and decide and take the monetary losses on the chin on that road... I decided I'll start with NAD after reading a lot about the NAD sound..

I guess when you decide to walk the path the path shows itself... Out of the blue a NAD c356 turns up in Mumbai OLX at an amazing price...I picked it up without blinking as I knew in case I didn't like it I can still sell it in a day at a slight discount... The price that i paid was that good .. the seller in fact turned out to be a HFV member who couldn't put it up for sale in the forum as he didn't have enough number of posts to his name... Talk about luck!

Happy to say I am very very happy with my first NAD amp... finally the kryptons are singing like they are supposed to... Open, detailed and refined... The slightly forward midrange of the c356 has gelled with the refined kryptons very well...

I am so happy with there sound of the NAD that now I am becoming greedy and thinking whether to try the c375 on offer in the forum... I hope somebody picks it up quickly otherwise I won't be able to resist for too long

Hi Koushikp,

Congrats! Glad you are enjoying your music
As for the thoughts on the 375, it is a different sound compared to the 356, so advise you to have a listen before thinking of going for it.
BTW, what is your source???

As for the 375 amp on sale, it has the added bonus of having the MDC DAC on board so if you are looking for an all in one solution then yes, by all means go for it. FYI, the seller is a genuine person & looks after his gears very well.

Best Wishes

 

[koushikp]

Hi Koushikp,

Congrats! Glad you are enjoying your music
As for the thoughts on the 375, it is a different sound compared to the 356, so advise you to have a listen before thinking of going for it.
BTW, what is your source???

As for the 375 amp on sale, it has the added bonus of having the MDC DAC on board so if you are looking for an all in one solution then yes, by all means go for it. FYI, the seller is a genuine person & looks after his gears very well.

Best Wishes

Normally I use a raspberry pi with volumio connected to the odac. But recently when I was playing some really old manna dey for my aunt in the system I found the odac to be too punishing to the old recording. So my impressions are based on the analog out of the oppo 93. Intend to connect and test through the odac also... but that's after another 2 weeks as I am out of town...

Yes I have read that the 375 sounds different to the 356... it's basically more laid back right? Since the seller is in pune I would pay a visit after I am back if it's still available.