Help KEF 104/2 what amp do I need to drive them?

I think these speaker have low impedance at low frequencies, so they need a lot of current delivery ... that's probably where the yamaha falls over.

At $500 it's tricky to find good current delivery, but NAD and rotel would be the first names that come to my mind. If your receiver has preamp outputs just get a poweramp and you could get a better preamp later.

If you can find one then a used Audiolab 8000P power amp would work well and is a step up from NAD/rotel.

And if you ever find a used Mission Cyrus 2 with the PSX power supply then that would work a treat, but they are rare as hens teeth.

In fact here's one that looks good.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1124652835

I agree Cyrus 2 is a good amp but I have a feeling that it would run out of steam if pushed too much. It entirely depends on your listening habits. If you do not play it loud the Cyrus would be a great amp.

I have heard many NAD amps and also own one (25 watter) and I have a feeling that it may be a great all rounder for your 104, I have the Kef Reference 2 which is a direct decendant of the 104 in terms of woofer configuration, I can tell you that the Kef is a bear to drive. They needs loads of current and at your budget your best bet would be something like the NAD 370 used or even 372 if you can get hold of within your budget. NAD has very good reputation when it comes to budget equipment. Rotel as already pointed out is also a great chice to drive the KEF's but they are slightly forward sounding compared to the NAD. They tend to be slightly more expensive as well compared to NAD.

Good Luck with your hunting for an amp!

The Cyrus 2 would need a PSX to really sing with KEFs.

In England a friend of mine ran Kef 103/4 with a Cyrus 2 / PSX and he could blow the walls off in a large living room.

But they're so rare it's probably a non-issue.

I may have a friend willing to give me a deal on the Krell 300i integrated amp. I think it is 125w per channel for stereo but other than that I do not know much.

How would this do with the KEFs?

thanks
madison

Could you try it out? I have no personal experience with Krell, but unless someone here posts a response based directly on experience with the 300i driving 104/2s I would ask your friend if they mind you doing a quick home demo.