My Amp is good but probably the weak point

@gochurchgo I would upgrade speakers instead of getting new amp. Just a thought…

But if you are set on getting a new amp and keep your speakers, I would sell i stead of dumping more money into an upgrade.
From solid state, add Pass Labs XA30.8 to your list of amps to consider (used). Within same budget, used ARC Ref75 tube amp is nice as well.
 

I would get a KRELL DUO 300XD over the CODA #8. I owned both the CODA #8 and KRELL DUO 175XD at the same time. I have sold both now. I may take the CODA #16 over the 300XD. Though I need more demo time on the #16. 

I like the top end on the KRELL XD amps more than the #8. Though the #16 is something else. So clean sounding.

The KRELL 175XD and the 300XD gear can be found used near your asking price. 

My next amp will be a CODA #16 or the most powerful a KRELL XD amp I can afford for KEF Blade 2 Meta (so I want power).

Keep the Khartago and give serious consideration to a speaker uograde. That is where you will hear the greatest improvement. The Heresy is frankly a dated design. No tears lost when I sold my pair. 

BTW I have a Khartago in my amp collection. IMO excellent sound quality! Not a weak link in your system.

Apparently you aren't familiar with the giant leap in amplifier technology in the last 2 years- GaN amps. I have a LSA Voyager 350, which is cool running and seamless from top to bottom. Anyone saying otherwise is probably not using quality cables, or some piece of kit upstream is the problem, cause my experience using various cables including; speaker, power cords, interconnects and digital cable is the changes are immediately heard. And MSRP is $3000, but typically it's on sale for ~ $2400

@gochurchgo

i will buy your weak point khartago and it can be the weak point in my system 😁

otoh i wouldn’t use your speakers if they were offered to me for free

just kidding (but not really...)

I have a Coda #8 and have owned Heresy's (II) in the past, though never paired the two. Heresy's may not be "accurate" by audiophile standards, but they bring so much life to the music. If you like them, you like them. Given their high sensitivity, paired with a #8 you would rarely leave class A amplification. I love my Coda, huge upgrade, dead quiet and smooth.

You have a nice amp I would look elsewhere to significantly upgrade, namely your speakers. You have way more power than they need so have lots of options. Not a big fan of Klipsch designs. If you love them great then maybe a tube amp will give them a different flavor.

Thanks all. I like my speakers to be honest. If GR-RESEARCH comes out with a crossover kit I would do that. The Heresys reveal upstream changes which I like.

as I said, I think my system sounds really good, but I’m not quite to endgame yet. 

I’m struggling to quantify what it is I want to improve on. Imaging, refinement and probably more presence, if that makes sense.

Speaker upgrade was my first thought too.

Take a look at this Valvet Class A amp. Only puts out 12 and 20Wpc into 8 and 4 Ohms, respectively, but that should be fine for your speakers and also should be a significant upgrade across the board over your current amp especially in the areas you mentioned wanting improvements.  And this lightly used unit is going for only $2150 so could save you $$$ as well.
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649914534-valvet-e2se-class-a-power-amp/

Here’s a review fyi (the reviewer bought the review sample BTW)…

https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/valvet-2se-power-amplifier/

Hope this helps, and best of luck in your search.

As always....speakers, speakers, speakers.

to be slightly more serious, if op is sticking with his heresies, he should consider a lower powered single ended tube amp

heresies won't image very well they are more a wall-of-sound kind of speaker, one that benefits from efforts made to smooth them out, make them less aggressive and raspy

odyssey amps have a very fine treble for a class ab standard topology power amp, but the speakers by my estimation (and my ears) need more help in the 'refinement' area

All, thanks again for all the opinions. Regardless of wether I agree, I am happy to get them anyway.

it’s true I like my Heresies, so with that said, in my signal chain what do you consider the weak point?

If you like what the Khartago is bringing , maybe you are looking for more of that Odyssey sound. There's a Stratos for sale on USAM right now for just $850. Maybe it's worth it to you to try it. I went from a Khartago Extreme se to a Stratos and I feel it was an upgrade. (get this, got the Stratos for $250!) You may find it's the upgrade you're looking for and save a bundle to boot.

"as my system has come together I feel like it’s a choke point though I feel the sound of the system is superb."

Why a choke point?   You say the sound is 'superb'.  I'd settle for less than 'superb'.

Be happy.  Take wifey for a nice holiday.

The coda is a Great amp, and preamp excellent they don’t advertise but I find them  Best Buy a shoot way above their price point ,and 3 amplifier power choices 

their best effort is their pure class A 100 watt amp. But not cheap that being said 

their amplifier is a no brainer  , the biggest potter transformer out there3000 Va all others are not even potted super low noise ,and 10 year warranty over 120 amps on demand for incredible Dynamic control, Dale and Co were all engineeers with Nelson Pass at Thresholds classic Stasis . 
i own their latest CSIB integrated amp and  very happy !!

Amazing how it's always the folks who say they hate Klipsch who are th first ones to recommend getting rid of your Klipsch speakers!  (I could say the same thing about beryllium tweeters, but hey, that's just me...)

@thecarpathian  I do very much. Which is why I’m still pondering upgrading the crap out of the amp.

@audioman58  no doubt the Coda is amazing. I’ve been eying a #8 and also a S5.5 (all class a). It’d be a big upgrade but wondering if it’s the upgrade I’m looking for.

@fatdaddy2  100% agree

@clearthinker  no wife happy life

OP,

You needn’t know what characteristic you want to improve. This typically simply means you like all aspects of your current sound. That is a good thing.

I have been improving the sound of my system continually for fifty years. Many times, I have simply wanted all aspects to improve… dynamics, detail, soundstage, sound floor… etc. Moving to better equipment will do that. Once you have one piece of much better equipment, then upgrading others to that new level is likely to follow. Hopefully, falling on a great and higher plateau you are happy on for a long time.

Occationally an upgrade will move your system a bit too far in one or more aspects. Then you will have reason to change some particular aspects… could be tonal balance, too harshly revealing… more bass… who knows.

@gochurchgo 

Maybe a Denafrips Hyperion to go with your Athena?

Usually preamps and amps in the same company play very well together.

All the best.

Speakers

do dealers still let you audition speakers for 2 weeks?

if sound is your issue, get different speakers, or try new ones. The Klipsch treble for me has always been a “no go” BUT, it’s the highs and treble which ultimately give you that airy open sparkly sound.

I found my speakers, I wish they handled a wee bit more juice. There is no fatigue what so ever, they are relaxed and have descent bass, plus the acoustic guitar is pure awesomeness.

speakers will give you the most change in sound. Dynaudio is an amazing speaker.
I had a tough time when I went speaker shopping, as the wife was sick of the CV D9 monkey coffins in our family room. I lost midrange crunch, and that window shaking low end. But I have it time, and after about 300-350 hours , man did they get smooth, and just so rich sounding. As I mentioned, I don’t like a lot of treble, makes me grit teeth, and makes me uneasy. Before I bought my first power amp when I was 17 Onkyo m-504, I thought I was hot stuff, until I literally melted the binding posts in the back left channel, they were molten plastic.

now, I will have no less than 300+ W at 8Ohm.

I was told I think in here, my Energy rc-70 speakers are firewood, oh well…each their own huh? You love the shimmering treble you have, me I like it toned down.
as I play a lot of metal, and it’s super trebly, I have a broad music spectrum, I go from Kreator, to goatwhore, down shift to T-Rex, Thin Lizzy, Johnny winter, to Motörhead, Bathory, Y&T, right to Ry Cooder, Then to Chrome, or Helios Creed, then to Lillian axe, Venom, Celtic Frost, John Denver, Waylon Jennings, Malevolent Creation,…..you get the stew.  

audition speakers should be your first step. Then get kismet in khartago “glass ceiling” amps as Klaus calls them. Took me,…oh gosh, many many years to get the money, but I bought a old pair of silver stratos, had Klaus give them the treatment, so glad I did.

whatever route you choose, keep us informed and up to date

@arcticdeth  Heresy IV’s aren’t like previous versions. The top end is surprisingly smooth and refined. I too listen to death metal aling with black ambient, death industrial and power noise. The Heresys don’t disappoint.

The Music Room (TMRAudio.com) currently has a # 8 for $4199 and an S5.5 for $3841; BUT, there is a listing for a S 5.5 on US Audiomart for $3100.

I love my Coda amp and adding it certainly took my system to another level. Since you are happy with your current speakers, I think you might be on the right track to consider upgrading your amp. Good luck in your search! 

@gochurchgo ,

There's also a pair of Kismet mono blocks in Khartago cases over on USAM.

$2200.

Your heresy doesn’t need a lot of power to sing ! My heresy only need 8 watts of power to make me happy ! I feel like you need to give them a good pair of monoblock single end tube or at least a good ss class a power amp like pass labs , mine was bedini 100/100 and I can tell you the Bedini was not lacking anything if you compare to tube power amp , hope you can get the power amp to drive them well 

@mitchagain  yes and I have been scoping both.

@atl4love  true and I’m definitely open to going class a. My ambivalence about Pass is both price and I read they are a very laid back amp which isn’t something I necessary looking for. The xa25 was originally very high on the list.

Sounds like a great amp for the money with better design than most amps. Try gilding the lilly with vibration control. good isolation feet and weights or something else to damp the cabinet. It's the next step for good equipment and makes a real improvement. Microphonics matter significantly in a well thought out system.

@dynamiclinearity  I do have weights on you and currently have them on jockey picks. I’ve been researching GAIA feet for them but not sure how that would work. It’s a cncrete slab so not sure what they would bring to the table.

You have a great amp. The big improvement will come from speakers. Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G. It will have the presence you're looking for, the dynamics and solid bass to the mid 30s. Sterephile put them in Class A for a reason. I have the 300s for room reasons, and am shocked how much I love them. For reference I also have KEF LS-50s and a pair of Magnepans. 

@panzrwagn funny you mention Monitor Audio. At a local speaker fest thing they had a pair of MO bookshelf speakers. Pretty sure they were Gold 100 and around $2500 and they were a stand out. All speakers were using a Parasound HINT and it was my 2nd fave of the day (Philharmongic BMR were first)

I see a lot of suggestions to change your speakers. But speakers vary more than any component and are the most subjective piece in our systems. Yes I would not choose your speakers but what I like in speakers may easily not be what you like and then taking my advice would only make things worse. And that's true on any component.

Advice on any gear at best should be a description of what it does well and its flaws, not it's a great piece of equipment. Then, at least, you can eliminate components and hopefully end up with a few you listen to and make your own decisions. There is no perfect reproduction and even if there were you would have the right to pick non-perfect gear if that's what you like. I always liked the title of an article my late friend Murray Zeligman wrote called, Color Me Perfect.

Bose 901>Klipsch Heresy IV

Klipsch is big on volume and sensitivity, more so than a beautiful, accurate sound.  Hard for me to recommend a specific brand, there are so many to choose from and too many variables such as room size and amplifier power.  But it sure helps to go to an audio show and listen to a plethora of speakers.

I get it, I’m looking for refinement yet my speakers are less than refined. I also get the Klipsch hate and it’s fine.

I’ll have to ponder my next move.

@gochurchgo

if you love the sound, then tell all to pound sand!

if your happy,…all that matter!

there are lots of snob know it alls in here, but have selective reading. 
 

I have mediocre speakers (as people have said) their opinions don’t mean gum on my shoe to me, I LOVE the,relaxed warm sound from my speakers, even high volume they are enjoyable. 
should I want a bit more forward sound I will use basement system which I use older BIC venturi V830’s ,…..a very under rated speaker, their sound is excellent, bass tight, great for me. 
 

Your Odyssey amp is an excellent performer that the owner of Magico uses to evaluate the company’s speakers. Don’t sell it short.  

Get the Kismets!!!!

Do you have any issues with buzz/noise with your system? I’ve had 2 different Odyssey amps and while they sound very good I would think they would be too noisy for such efficient speakers based on my experience with them. I agree with others that new speakers would be a much better “different” change than upgrading the amp. Maybe a low watt single end would change things substantially but if you like some death metal probably not the best fit but I could be wrong. My wife says it happens all the time but I don’t believe her! 

Sorry but another speaker is the weak link here.

I had those speakers and I liked them but didn't love them.

Definitely not the JC5 with your Heresy speakers!  

High powered solid state amps are a definite miss match.  

If you like the Klipsch sound it can be made refined and dynamic with a robust tube integrated amplifier.  The Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III has amazing synergy with Klipsch heritage speakers including the Heresy, Forte and LaScala.  

One of the best sounding systems I have heard was the Cronus Magnum and LaScala speakers.  Really nice.  

The Atlas Magnum is the equivalent power amp if you do not need an integrated,  or the Rogue Stereo 100 if you want balanced inputs.  

Save some money and get better sound!

@mofojo  none. I heard about people having issues with Odyssey amps and preamps but mine, along with the Athena (which is unity gain) is dead quiet.

@avanti1960  my only experience with tubes want positive so I’d rather stay solid state. In the very beginning I was really looking at the CMII

@gochurchgo 

if you must stay solid state then a clean Class A design is best for your speakers.  The Pass Labs XA25 is the best sounding amp I have owned and would be perfect for you, quality used ones are available for a reasonable price.  

Other than the slight noise issues I had with my Odysseys they were definitely one of the best sounding amps I’ve owned. If your looking for a different flavor as others have said I would demo some new speakers. IMO if you like the live kinda in your face Klipsch sound maybe look at Focal. Very dynamic but still does the audiophile stuff. That said I have not heard any newer Klipsch other than the new Cornwall but that was really low volume and music I didn’t know. 

I recommend you revisit your setup first.  Setup accounts for a large percentage of the sound you hear.  Small changes in speaker position and any acoustic treatments can result in significant improvement.  
If your listening room is a shared space you may not have the latitude of a dedicated room but still might find improvement.

 I keep detailed records of speaker setup for each of my systems.  I recently decided to see if I could improve upon one setup I’ve been using for five years.  What changed?  Speakers moved three inches further apart, removed two acoustic panels, one diffuser panel, and swapped a water color painting with an oil painting.
Right now I’m happy with the change.  Sometimes one is just looking for change.  Time will tell if it was a sideways move or remain my new reference for this system.

There is not an amp that does everything. Same with Speakers, Dacs, etc. All because of system matching and integration. Synergy, is the word used here. YOU, as a listener, need to know what " specific characteristics " of recorded music, you are looking for. Lot of Klipsch haters here, but I am with you 100%, with that " Klipsch sound ". Imaging, refinement and presence ? Do you have your HIVs on the floor, or elevated on stands. I like my Heresy collection on stands, with no tilt back, away from the floor and walls. Try it. My best, MrD.

In other words, Massive stands, to get the midrange to ear height, and play with rear wall / side wall distance, and toe in. The Heresy 4 has a port on the rear, very similar to a pro model they produce ( ported, but on the front ). Very different design than Heresy 1, 2 and 3.The ports do interact with the floor, as do the woofers. I prefer them on stands, and sub bass, carefully tuned. I prefer Class A ss, because I want to hear WHAT the musicians are doing on the stage, before I hear where. Speed, agility, control, slam, detail, lower noise, and speaker matching ( when dealing with impedance and sensitivity ) are the major sonic attributes ss does better than tubes ( ime ). There are many tube amps that sound " luscious ", and some more than others. Some higher priced tube stuff gets closer to some of that ss, and vice versa. My tech builds tube products, and repairs all products. We understand each other, as to why he stays with tubes and I stay with ss. He is located in Central Florida ( Fine Tuned Audio /Video )....Kris is the man. Happy TG everyone. Always, MrD.

I looked at the list of gear and thought the same thing as many here, that the weak link here are the Klipsch’s and the amp is all wrong for those speakers. 

Sorry, I did not take the time to read all the comments here.  I know what I know, and that comes from 40 years in this hobby, with countless systems owned, hundreds of audio magazines read, and a few years selling audio gear at retail

jss49 is correct.  If the OP is glued to those speakers, than a SET amp will get the best out of them or even a SEP design.  The Odyssey is way too powerful for those speakers.  
 

A close friend owns an Odyssey Stratos amongst 20 other tube and SS amps and while they all sound incredible, he never thinks of selling the Odyssey.  It’s mated with large power hungary speakers though.