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Newby Q about impedances etc.

Hi,

I'm a longstanding audiophile-wannabe, but I have very little actual knowledge. 

The system I've used for a long time is a Krell KAV 300i into Dynaudio Contour 1.1s. 
The Krell is fed through a Chord Hugo into a Microzotl2, a tube headphone amp that also doubles as a pre-amp. (Most of my recent listening has been on headphones)

Anyway, the Dynaudios are damaged and I want to replace them. 

I like the sound signature, and I have a small listening space, so I'm considering the Confidence C1s, which have the following impedance profile: 
Sensitivity 85 dB (2,83 V/1 m)
IEC Power Handling 170 W
Impedance 4 Ohms

Or, the KEF Reference 1:
Amplifier requirements 50-200W
Sensitivity (2.83V/ 1m) 85dB
Impedance 8Ω (min. 3.2Ω)

The Krell is kind of old, but it delivers 150W/ch into 8 ohms or 300W into 4 ohms.

Is the Krell powerful enough to power the Dynaudios? It seems like it should be, but I want to make sure. I found reviewers saying that it shouldn't go full-power into 4 ohms for extended period. Of course, my listening isn't going to be at full power, but I want to have headroom as well. 

Finally, I'm going to be auditioning these speakers, but I expect them to sound different in the store than they will at home. Anyone have any experience or comparisons between the two? 

Thanks a lot. 


zachawry
erik_squires
16,346 posts
 
I think you'll be fine.  The biggest issue with small listening rooms is early reflections and higher room modes.

Try it, if the amplifier isn't adequate you'll know very quickly.  For testing reviewers have to pre-heat the amps at 1/3rd rated power and then do full power testing.  That's kind of torture, but it ensures the amps are compared fairly. The cost and heat saving approach of NAD, Carver and others to use amps that can only handle full power for short durations is very smart for music. The top transients only occur very briefly.  The point is, I wouldn't worry about that. Go entirely by your ears.

But don't fall into the "discerning" trap.  Some speakers have very low impedances deliberately so you can go "OH, wow, these speakers totally show how much better amp X is vs Y!!" Buy speakers that are like the girl next door, sweet and amiable with everyone. :)

Best,

Erik
zachawry OP
7 posts
 
The Contour 1.1s suffered from me being a $%@#$%^ idiot and brushing the tweeter, impacting it.  :(

It sounds listenable, not that bad. But I've been lusting after some new gear anyway. Also, I've gone down the rabbit hole with headphones for the past couple years, and the sound I got out of my Contours even before impacting the dome is so far below what I get with my headphones. 

I know I would have to spend more than what the Confidence C1s cost to approach the sound I get out of my Ethers (headphones), but I'd like to close the gap. 

Thanks everyone for their input. 
oleschool's avatar
oleschool
722 posts
 
Amp should be fine .But if you have a nice set of headphones it will take some mula' to get to that level imho 🙏
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