Transmission Lines

[matthulme]

I have just purchased a pair of old transmission lines, originally built from kit. They use the Kef B139 bass units, T27 tweeters plus a Kef midrange and Kef supertweeter.

I would like advice on
- what type of amp would suit these speakers best? ie Valve, Class A, Integrated or a power/pre combo?
- what sort of power output for the amp?
- any suggestions on models I could look out for (will be buying 2nd hand and needs to be under £300)

The guy I bought them off said I needed a powerful amp, whilst someone else told me my current Yamaha (100wpc) was too powerful and I was risking blowing the drive units?

Also if anyone has any further info generally about these speakers I'd love to hear from you. They were build by a British Aerospace Engineer but that is about all I know.

Picture attached




All comments welcomed, thank you in advance

[matthulme]

This is the picture

[Cal Weldon]

I would try them with the Yamaha and make a decision after listening.

I like to have an amplifier that puts out more than the speaker can handle so the power is clean. You have to excercise caution with the volume control though.

An under powered amp can damage your speakers if you try and squeeze the last ounce of juice from it and begin the amp clipping.

[matthulme]

Thanks Cal, I will try the Yamaha but it is essentially a AV 5.1 amp and I'm sure I can do better. Been looking at the Quad 306/34 combo

[sreten]

Hi,

appears to be :

HiFi Answers Monitor (R50) Loudspeaker. Aug. 1973
B139B/B110A/T27A/4001G (equiv. to 'R50') C. Rogers.

The supertweeter is Coles not Kef.

I wouldn't fret about the amplifier too much.

They will fry with excessive abuse, just be sensible.

/sreten.

[matthulme]

Many thanks Sreten, picking them up tomorrow so I'll see how they sound with the Yamaha

[qwad]

also SRETEN should have mentioned that T/Ls are notoriously inefficient but otoh you may never use all those 100 ponies, bettere to limit it to a quality 40-60 w ch amp or just go easy with the vol on the yammie. ....
but then an underpowered amp will make short shrift your drivers, if you drive into clipping
cheers TC

[Curmudgeon]

Some considerations to throw into the hopper;
What kind of music do you listen to?
And how loudly?
And how big is your room?
Are you forced to position the speakers in an unusual fashion, for example in the room corners?

Can you try the amplifier at home before buying?

Good luck on your hunt...

[pinkmouse]

I seem to remember that the reason high power amps were recommended for these was that the impedance swung around all over the place, so I would look for an amp that runs around 50-100W into 8 Ohms, but has a good enough supply to get close to doubling its power into 4.

[elfranche]

Ive heard many years of the B139's legendary bass, it's certainly one of the best bass drivers ever made.