I thinks your K12g is probably a great place to start. 8w will give you a lot of mileage with high efficiency speakers. At conversational listening levels your amp will likely trumble along at less that 1w where it will likely stay in Class A operation.
I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement either, but I see no reason to upgrade a K12g although rewiring for triode operation may be a worthwhile experiment.
I've not cared for solid state on full rangers, but that's my opinion.
I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement either, but I see no reason to upgrade a K12g although rewiring for triode operation may be a worthwhile experiment.
I've not cared for solid state on full rangers, but that's my opinion.
>>> I've not cared for solid state on full rangers, but that's my opinion.
My 30 year old Onkyo sounds very good with the Pioneer B20 'full rangers' but i think they happen to like SS for some reason... they also like tube amps and the digital sonic impact amp as well. Also, the 30 year old Onkyo sounds much better than my 2 year old Onkyo (which sounds like crap thru the Fostex 127e... all crunchy, garbled and i need to save those drivers from SS sonic hell asap). The 127e love the digital and tube gear.
Many may disagree but the amp can really dictate the character of the overall sound you get from your system. Synergy, as ChrisB stated earlier, is the key IMO.
http://www.zillaaudio.com/onkyo.htm
Godzilla
My 30 year old Onkyo sounds very good with the Pioneer B20 'full rangers' but i think they happen to like SS for some reason... they also like tube amps and the digital sonic impact amp as well. Also, the 30 year old Onkyo sounds much better than my 2 year old Onkyo (which sounds like crap thru the Fostex 127e... all crunchy, garbled and i need to save those drivers from SS sonic hell asap). The 127e love the digital and tube gear.
Many may disagree but the amp can really dictate the character of the overall sound you get from your system. Synergy, as ChrisB stated earlier, is the key IMO.
http://www.zillaaudio.com/onkyo.htm
Godzilla
From my limited knowledge of electronics... the load impedance should be much higher than the source impedance. This is normally the case with SS amps whose source impedance may be in milliohms and so it does not matter if the load is 8 ohms or 4 ohms. But most tube amps have comparable source impedances and it is possible that an impdedance of 4 ohms may cause problems... the source output sags under the load.
I may be wrong. And I would appreciate it if someone points out that this is not the case.
I may be wrong. And I would appreciate it if someone points out that this is not the case.
things can be "right" or "wrong" for reasons not always apparent - and as noted earlier, degree (or lack) of synergy can not always be predicted by the most stringent application of theory or algorithms, but rather by listening experience
sometimes y'all need to just take off the thinking cap, grab a beverage, close your eyes and open your ears
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you may find this of interest with regards amplifier impedance matching:
http://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archive/07_Misc_Downloads/Critical_LS_Damping.pdf
http://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archive/07_Misc_Downloads/Critical_LS_Damping.pdf
Yes.
Best boxes for A126 can be (IMHO) choosen from A126, Saburo, Mikasa, maybe Maeshowe.
dave
It's a matter of whether the amp has the capability to source that much current. It can be harmful to the amp to drive a lower impedance load than it is designed for.
Of greatest interest is that it was written when tubes were
all they had, and an output impedance of 8 ohms was
considered reasonable. Some of the values cited are
above 100 ohms.
oh no you didn't
not to worry, I think papa can afford a sense of humor
what do you call a former user of this class of amp?
I am not Nelson but will comment on the T-amp.
I bought three when they were $20 each. Now i have two because one died - i connected it to an old powered sub and it was gone. There is some trick to make it work with a powered sub without blowing up the amp. It sounds better than the current crop of receivers you can get at Best Buy - Sony, Pioneer, etc. Right away you will notice it makes those amps sound grainy. The T-amp sounds crystal clear.
It does lack bass and i noticed this playing thru the BIBs... but not thru the 127e (ported) or even the B20 (sealed) based speakers i have. I don't think these speakers play bass much past 60hz anyway. Currently i am using one of the T-amps in the basement playing a small pair of speakers (one using the NSB 50 cent driver and the other an RS1197 - DIY can be crazy). The combo fills the room with enough sound to keep a bunch of 10 year olds happy down there for hours.
Compared to my Cary amp the T-amp sounds flat and dry. But this amp cost a lot more. I could live with either amp but prefer the tubes.
Nowadays the amps cost closer to $50... but that includes the 12V power supply which is nice. With the right speakers (like the Fostex 83, 103, 127e or even a 167e in a box that doesn't go too low, a Pioneer B20 in a smallish sealed box, the three and four inch TBs too work nicely) The T-amp is a great sounding little amp for very little money. Realizing it's not perfect (bass) and mating it with appropriate speakers (there are many that will work great) makes it easy to enjoy what it does really well. I think every DIYer or music lover should have one tucked away as a small system somewhere to enjoy some tunes.
http://www.zillaaudio.com/systems.htm
Godzilla
I bought three when they were $20 each. Now i have two because one died - i connected it to an old powered sub and it was gone. There is some trick to make it work with a powered sub without blowing up the amp. It sounds better than the current crop of receivers you can get at Best Buy - Sony, Pioneer, etc. Right away you will notice it makes those amps sound grainy. The T-amp sounds crystal clear.
It does lack bass and i noticed this playing thru the BIBs... but not thru the 127e (ported) or even the B20 (sealed) based speakers i have. I don't think these speakers play bass much past 60hz anyway. Currently i am using one of the T-amps in the basement playing a small pair of speakers (one using the NSB 50 cent driver and the other an RS1197 - DIY can be crazy). The combo fills the room with enough sound to keep a bunch of 10 year olds happy down there for hours.
Compared to my Cary amp the T-amp sounds flat and dry. But this amp cost a lot more. I could live with either amp but prefer the tubes.
Nowadays the amps cost closer to $50... but that includes the 12V power supply which is nice. With the right speakers (like the Fostex 83, 103, 127e or even a 167e in a box that doesn't go too low, a Pioneer B20 in a smallish sealed box, the three and four inch TBs too work nicely) The T-amp is a great sounding little amp for very little money. Realizing it's not perfect (bass) and mating it with appropriate speakers (there are many that will work great) makes it easy to enjoy what it does really well. I think every DIYer or music lover should have one tucked away as a small system somewhere to enjoy some tunes.
http://www.zillaaudio.com/systems.htm
Godzilla
oh yes i know all the nice things about t-amps, and i know they are good value. i indeed own one. its my only amp by now (i've a technics "class-A+" what does it mean?? is it a refrigerator class?? but it is unlistenable) and i'm happy with it.
what i don't know is what a good amp, or perhaps a 'best one' sounds like, which improvements to expect. this is why i asked the designer of the best ones
i saw a FirstWatt once in a shop here, but indeed it's a real pity that in the hi-fi shops here in rome they will let you try expensive things only if you say you are going to buy one of them, thing that will not happen while i'm a student
maybe i'll finish my readings on the Pass great site and go diy, but i've to find the time yet. perhaps thanks for sharing Nelson!
@chrisb: what does the last sentence means? i'm not able to catch the sense with my english
what i don't know is what a good amp, or perhaps a 'best one' sounds like, which improvements to expect. this is why i asked the designer of the best ones
i saw a FirstWatt once in a shop here, but indeed it's a real pity that in the hi-fi shops here in rome they will let you try expensive things only if you say you are going to buy one of them, thing that will not happen while i'm a student
maybe i'll finish my readings on the Pass great site and go diy, but i've to find the time yet. perhaps thanks for sharing Nelson!
@chrisb: what does the last sentence means? i'm not able to catch the sense with my english
sorry 'bout that - it's a rather poor taste pun, based on appending a suffix for "former" (i.e. "ex") to T-Amp, resulting in an approximation of name of a certain product
It certainly sounds less funny on repetition or when having to explain
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