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Driving my Kappa 8's

Hello Audiogon experts please allow me to draw upon your knowledge. I currently enjoy a pair of kappa 8's with an adcom 550 preamp and have amplified these speakers with an adcom 555 driving the lows and a carver 1.0t driving the highs. Personally i found a minimal difference when I biamped and it seemed an aweful waste of power. I currently have the carver driving them alone as the 555 was getting hot so it needs servicing apparently.

Time to upgrade on a limited budget.... I am looking at either an audio research ls7 or a conrad johnson pv10al they both run around 6-700$. Any other tube preamps I should be looking at?

Also amp wise I am looking to get into either a pair of adcom 565 mono's, a sunfire 300 x 2, have looked at the rotel 1090, parasound hca-3500 but they are a bit spendy for me right now ugh....
Knowing the difficulty to drive these kappa 8's, Im looking for some opinions on the matter. If it would pay off to spend the money for these items I would do it. Input to give these speakers what they need to live up to their potential is welcome. Thanks folks.
grapple54
5 responses Add your response
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
I've owned K8's and wouldn't trust their 2 ohm dip and phase angles to tubes. Sloppy bass. In your budget, look at an old Aragon 8008 (BB being slightly better than ST) or McCormack DNA series.

I know that Infinity used an ARC tube amp for reference/voicing but not for the Kappas.
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,610 posts
 
Do you have the Kappa 8 or 8.1? The 8.1 is much easier to drive.
grapple54 OP
3 posts
 
I have the Kappa 8 not the 8.1. Wouldn't trust the kappa 8's with tubes? You mean a tube amp and not a preamp correct because I am looking at the tube preamps. I know the K8's love alotta power.
driver's avatar
driver
750 posts
 
I had a pair of the original Kappa 8's & used the 565 mono blocks. In 8 years I never had a problem, except that when I purchased the amps I got an Adcom pre with them. I don't remember the model # but it didn't last a month. I wound up w/a Luxman tube pre then moved to a Cary pre, both w/phono.

I purchased these on the advise of my dealer, as the 9's are the one's that are hard to drive.

If I were to do it now, the 565's would be fine, as long as they have been recapped & "tuned up", since these are from the 90's. I'd like to try a variety of amps ranging from Crown to Bryston & Pass.
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Correct.

Don't have any suggestions for preamps other than finding one with XLR to, at least, allow you to explore that option.
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