[MWS]

Hello, newbie here. I recently bought some JBL 250ti's. Can anyone suggest a nice amp to go with them? I have a tube amp that worked well with my La Scala's, but I believe I need more power for these? Might get a budget power amp with a nicer pre-amp, and upgrade the power amp in the future. I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

-Mark

[mresseguie]

Hello, Mark.

Your supplying a bit more information will go a long way toward making recommendations easier. As it is, someone could recommend a $100 amp or a $20,000 amp because we don't know what your budget is.

So....

What is your budget?
It sounds as though you want separate amp/preamp, correct?
Do you want a tube amp/preamp?
Do you want a SS amp? (Class A, A/B, D?)
Cabinet size restraints?
Anything else you can think of?

Regards,

Michael

[srb]

I have a tube amp that worked well with my La Scala's, but I believe I need more power for these?

The high sensitivity horn-loaded Klipsch La Scala's have a quoted sensitivity of ~ 104 - 105dB and the JBL 250ti ~ 90dB.  That's quite a difference and that 15dB could roughly translate into the JBLs needing 32X the power versus the La Scala for the same output!

It depends how much power your tube amp was using for your listening level and distance, but I would probably agree that you may need more power.

For a new budget amplifier, the Emotiva BasX A-300 Class A/B power amplifier will give you 150W/ch @ 8ohms for $400.  You will likely also get some recommendations for the Crown DriveCore XLS Class D power amplifiers for around the same price.

There will be a lot of recommendations and availability for vintage power amplifiers in that price range, but I personally would not buy too old of a unit as it may need power supply capacitor replacement as a minimum.

In any case, I would probably be looking at amplifiers of 100W/ch or >.

I haven't owned those JBL speakers, but I've had various 90dB speakers paired with a variety of amps, and as a generalization, I preferred the 100W + amps to 50W amps.

Steve

[MWS]

Thanks for the replies. Cabinet space is not an issue. I probably want to spend $1500 or less on the amp, and maybe 2-3K on the preamp if necessary. Maybe get an amp that I can bridge later if power seems inadequate? Not sure if I want new or used? I know the better value is there if you go with quality used gear from respected manufacturers. I appreciate the input.

[Letitroll98]

I would contact Klaus at Odyssey Audio, his Stratos amp is $1395, but he'll do anything custom for your needs.  Or NuPrime has a ST9 class D that sounds like a tube amp for $649, or you can buy two and bridge them for 290 watts each.  Both are here on AC.

[mresseguie]

For your reference:

Take a look at Audio by Van Alstine Synergy amplifiers. http://www.avahifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107&Itemid=209

I own the 240/3 amp for my HT front end, but I've also used it for two-channel duty as well. Good quality/good bang for the buck IMO.

Take a look at Nuprime ST-10 amp. http://www.nuprimeaudio.com/index.php/products/amplifiers-and-preamps/stereo-amps/st-10.html

I do not (yet) own this amp, but I plan to buy one for my second system in about three months.

Of course, there are many other amps out there. I'm very familiar with these two.

What are you thinking about for a preamp - solid state or tubes?

Michael

[MWS]

Could go either way on the preamp, but I have read that a nice tube preamp is desirable with these speakers. Thanks for the responses, I will investigate the advice.

[GentleBender]

+1 for the Odyssey Audio, so many options. I love mine! 

[mresseguie]

I don't know about those speakers and tube preamps, but I do know that I definitely prefer running a tube pre with my different amps. In two months, I'm going to be in Nelson, BC where a guy named Don Sachs lives. He's developing a very good reputation for the tube preamp he has designed. I'm going to audition his SP14 tube preamp while I am in town. I fully expect to be delighted with what I hear, and I expect to walk out the door with a new preamp.

He also manufactures/sells a KT-88 amp and a few other goodies.

His website link:

http://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom%20line%20stage.html

[flat4]

Like mentioned in no particular order. Crown, Rogue, Wyred4sound, Nuprime, Peachtree and Acoustic Imagery.

[MWS]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. I will let you know what happens.

[JackD]

In the price range I would look at the Odyssey Khartago ( have owned one now a Kismet), Nuprime ST-10 (own one) and an Odyssey Candela tube preamp.