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Raven Blackhawk LE... am I going to be disappointed?

Only reason I ask is because it will be pushing Salk Veracity Ht2-TL’s...  Im coming off a Belles Aria, which was fantastic, but wanted to try something different.  My concern is the low wattage of the Raven and low sensitivity of the salks, but my Belles 75 watts sounded better than 3 other nice 225 watt integrateds.  
So, anyone with experience with the Raven Blackhawk LE pushing somewhat low sensitivity speakers chime in and let me know.  



128x128b_limo
decooney
2,102 posts
 
@b_limo Im keeping the salks thankfully.  I think I would have been disappointed with the finish and drivers on the tektons.  I more than likely would have liked the sound but...

Good for you and smart move.  Maybe its time for some worthy mono tube or ss amps with a good tube preamp to make those Salks sing properly. Check with JS he was testing different tube amps last time I corresponded with him. 

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,333 posts
 
That sub out thing with the Blackhawk is strange. Would like to hear from the vendor if that is by design or something else. Agree I would not want a unit designed with a fixed level output to a sub. That sounds like design flaw which makes me wonder. WIth that out put and the high pass filter feature, sounds like they tried to make the amp integrate flexibly with subs out of the box by design but failed due to that.

Tektons after beautifully crafted Salks? I don’t think I could do it but you never know what might float one’s boat.  
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,986 posts
 
Good choice, @b_limo but I'm biased. I don't think the Tektons are in the same league as Salks, and the Raven was clearly not going to power them. Start with speakers, then get amp to match is good advice. Be curious to hear about your new amp. Salk is working with McGary amps, but they are very pricey.... https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/11/14/mcgary-audio-salk-sound-anticables-exogal-caf-2019/
thecarpathian's avatar
thecarpathian
4,586 posts
 
 I have a kinki studio exm1 (latest iteration) coming on sunday.
If you would, share your impression of the Kinki when feasible.

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,682 posts
 
I’m glad you decided to keep the Salks after all. I wanted to say this earlier, but didn’t want to offend anyone ... the Salks are world class speakers, both in terms of sound quality and build/aesthetics. The other brand you were considering, not so much. Apologies if someone is offended.

In the end, you should buy the speakers that appeal to you, and not sacrifice great speakers at the altar of flea watt tube amps.

Also, I mentioned earlier that the sub out feature on Raven amps is more of a gimmick. I tried it with REL T9i and T/Zero. Not only did the amp not sound any better/powerful when using the dedicated sub out, using REL's high level connection was a clear winner every time. Raven makes very good amps that compete quite well in its respective price category, but the sub out feature should not be the reason to buy them.
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