2. amps-preamps
  3. 167012-24

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
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,008 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
4,754 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
1,693 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.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
5,008 posts
 
@b_limo  [N.B., @decooney]

Here’s your chance to be done, maybe: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649748784-quicksilver-audio-silver-88-mono-block-amplifiers/
decooney
2,131 posts
 
The nice thing about QS Silver 88s is you can run a variety of output tubes in them. With my QS Mono 120s I’m limited to KT150s or KT120s, higher plate voltages. With really good tubes and upgraded coupling caps, the 88s can hold their own against many tube amps at 2x the price. Not your super fast super dynamic snappy amps with high damping factor some people crave. Best to stay with solid state amps for that. All mono KT88 tube goodness for sure with these :)
More to discover