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Ken Pachkowsky
03-20-2009, 03:03 PM
I need some low powered high quality amps for my new system. Power requirments are:

Tweet = 20 watts a side
Horns = 60 watts a side
Mid Bass= 100 watts a side

I have a Crown K2 for bottoms.

Ken

timc
03-22-2009, 04:44 PM
Hi Ken.

I have not tried them, but what about Quicksilver tube amps? They are reasonable priced and have recieved good reviews. The chief constructor of QS also likes Vintage JBL :) Maybe a plus


I would also change the K2 for a Xti amp. I have owned both, and the XTi beat the hell out of the K2 when it came to precission.



-Tim

jbl_daddy
03-22-2009, 07:26 PM
Check out a pair of Crown PS-200's, for the money and qualiy they are hard to beat.

Baron030
03-23-2009, 10:47 AM
Hi Ken.

I am very happy with using Crown D-75a amps for my HF and UHF drivers.

In stereo mode, they will put out 40 watts/channel @ 8ohms.

And in bridged mono mode, they will put out 110 watts/channel @ 8 ohms.

And they are a good match for the Crown K1 and K2 that I use for my bass and mids.

Baron030:)

stevem
03-23-2009, 11:04 AM
I really like Bryston amps

majick47
03-25-2009, 10:03 AM
Ken I'm still very much enjoying your L300. I'v progressed thru a few amps over the years and I'm now useing a Threshold S500 series II (250 watt x 2) amp to power the L300 which beats every other amp I'v tried so far. My second system JBL 4301B are powered with a Threshold SA3 (50 watt x 2) class a amp which was rebuilt by Jon Soderberg of Vintage Amp Repair in CA. Jon worked with Nelson Pass at the original Threshold Corp and does superb work restoreing vintage Threshold/Forte equipment. Prior to purchaseing the Threshold SA3 for the 4301B I used a Forte 1a (50 watt x 2) class a amp which sound wise was very close to the Threshold SA3 but without the high quality cabinet found in the Threshold line. The Forte products are very reasonably priced and with the Jon Soderberg upgrades are well worth looking at. Much like your Westlake speakers it wasn't unusual to find Threshold amps in serious production studios that put quality over cost.

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 10:31 AM
Ken I'm still very much enjoying your L300.

Majick

Thats great, glads to hear it. You got a smokin deal on those :)

Thanks for the amp suggestion.

Ken

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 10:41 AM
Thanks for all the suggestions.

Have any of you had any experience with Monarchy Class A amps?

I just grabbed 5 of them over the last few days. Very positive reviews on them.:blah:

3 x SM-70 Pro's

One in Stereo for the 2403's 25 watts a side

Two in Mono for the 2426J's 75 watts each

2 x SE-100's

Two in Mono for the 2122H's 200 watts each

Those combined with a K2 on the 128H-1's.

Now, what the hell are you going to do about the crossover Ken!!!:blink::blink:

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 10:46 AM
Hi Ken.

I have not tried them, but what about Quicksilver tube amps? They are reasonable priced and have recieved good reviews. The chief constructor of QS also likes Vintage JBL :) Maybe a plus


I would also change the K2 for a Xti amp. I have owned both, and the XTi beat the hell out of the K2 when it came to precission.
-Tim

I am exploring Quicksilver...

I will look into the Xti

Ken

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 03:47 PM
I would also change the K2 for a Xti amp. I have owned both, and the XTi beat the hell out of the K2 when it came to precission.
-Tim

Tim

The XTI's are sure affordable.....and you say they spank a K2/K1 for low frequency performance? Can you be a little more specific on the sound characteristics?

Not only that, they have built in DSP xover and delay. I wonder if it can be modified to supply a 400hz filter?

Ken

grumpy
03-25-2009, 07:39 PM
The software to configure the XTi series is pretty flexible.
I see that there are preset freqs, but I -think- you can also
go in and tweak it via the software interface (not via front panel).
It's been too long, and I no longer have the amps in-hand, or
I'd try it for you. A call to Crown should answer that question.

Didn't A/B vs a K-series, but beat the crap out of a
XTi-4000 driving 4 18" drivers doing industrial noise simulation work, and
the amp was quite robust (sound quality wasn't exactly the point). No B-stock
units were used though, so no comment there.

Point that -may- make a difference: K-series -> no fans.
I can't honestly say I ever heard the XTi fans... was
wearing protective headgear ;)

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 07:51 PM
I don't thing you have to modify anything. The software to configure the XTi
series is pretty flexible.

Looks to me, from reading the manual that you can set the xover point to one of the following:

90hz, 100hz, 1.2k, 1.5k, 2k

I sent a request for info to Crown.

grumpy
03-25-2009, 07:55 PM
Yep... then there's "custom" :)

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 08:47 PM
Yep... then there's "custom" :)

Ahh....thought that was for 2-Channel Sub settings only.

I just dl software from Crown.....will check it out.

Ken

boputnam
03-25-2009, 09:01 PM
Ken I'm still very much enjoying your L300.

Thats great, glads to hear it. You got a smokin deal on those :)Yeah, me too!

We should run a "Ken's Legacy" thread - how many of us out here benefit from your undeniable audio habit! Not only from your sales, but from your reports! It's GREAT!


Have any of you had any experience with Monarchy Class A amps?

I just grabbed 5 of them over the last few days. Quintessential Ken. Asks for advice but is way out front of us and outpacing our suggestions! Now we gotta research his! :rotfl:

Lemme see: Monarchy.com something or other... :p

Ken Pachkowsky
03-25-2009, 09:12 PM
Yeah, me too!

We should run a "Ken's Legacy" thread - how many of us out here benefit from your undeniable audio habit! Not only from your sales, but from your reports! It's GREAT!

Quintessential Ken. Asks for advice but is way out front of us and outpacing our suggestions! Now we gotta research his! :rotfl:

Lemme see: Monarchy.com something or other... :p

Hmmm, yes......point taken Bo:D

Ken

boputnam
03-25-2009, 09:24 PM
It's GREAT! I meant it, man. Your contributions are important to many - you are out there doing things we likely will soon follow... ;)

Ken Pachkowsky
03-26-2009, 09:23 AM
I meant it, man. Your contributions are important to many - you are out there doing things we likely will soon follow... ;)

Well, thanks Bo, I am obsessed, thats for sure. Your priv message re XTA was great. Will keep you posted.

On that note, I have read quite a bit about the XTI series of Crown amps this morning....The DSP functions are fantastic but appear to have plenty of bugs to work out. I have read plenty of posts saying the display fails. Some complaints re sound quality as well. To bad, could have been an affordable solution re my single Deqx problem.

Ken

timc
03-26-2009, 10:35 AM
I have not have any trouble with my XTi's, so not sure what is supposed to be the bugs.

The X-over can be set to whatever Hz you want :)


Compared to the K2 it sounds leaner, and tighter. The K2 sounds more full-bodied, but a bit sluggish as well. It is much easier to hear the contours in the bass playing with the K2.

You are not able to borrow one for evaluation?

The I-tech is my reference for bass performance though. Regardless of price. I have not auditioned similar models from QSC and LAB.


-Tim

allen mueller
05-12-2009, 06:00 PM
Ken,

Have you had a chance to test out those Monarchy amps yet? I was looking at some and was wondering if you've had a chance to test them out.

Any one else with experience with them?

Allen

Ken Pachkowsky
05-12-2009, 07:11 PM
Ken,

Have you had a chance to test out those Monarchy amps yet? I was looking at some and was wondering if you've had a chance to test them out.

Any one else with experience with them?

Allen

Allen

As a matter of fact I have...but only a small amount. Give me a few more days to voice an opinion.

Ken

spwal
05-16-2009, 01:47 PM
Hi Ken,

I have really enjoyed the First Watt series. There are very affordable DIY versions out there. I am not sure if they will meet your power requirements, but if you can get by with 20-30 watts, they are sublime.

The alephs as well.

both of these support what Majick has said -- Nelson does great work.

The first watt is the culmination of decades of audio revolution by mr pass and caters directly to the low watt junkies out there...