amp for kappa 9

[kennyd]

any one have infinity kappa 9s ? if so what are you running them with and how is it doing at running them ? thanks,kenny

[scodo68]

I have been running mine on a mpa-200 pa amp with good results. I just dont push anything as to not damage the amp or my 9's

[tinitus]

Originally Posted by kennyd

if so what are you running them with and how is it doing at running them ?

a friend of mine has Kappa9, s or not, I dont know

sure, he has burned lots of amps
now he is using Nakamichi PA7, I suppose model II
Bought used in mint condition
Its a tough amp, built like a tank
Temporarily he has also been using a NAD
It survived

Surpricingly, my "small" 40watt monos driving his Kappa9 sounded better
It was loud enough, but ofcourse not with the exstreme power of Nakamichi
But my monos sounded more fluend, more easy going
The really strange thing is that they only have one single pair output devices
And just one single pair of Jensen 4-pole supply caps

My conclusion wtih Kappa9 is that they improve a lot from very fine sounding amps
Its simply not enough to just be tough

If you can afford them, I think some of Anthony Holtons bigger modules running on lower voltage should manage
HUGE "classA" heatsinks and MONSTER power supply needed
I will estimate cost to be around 2000USD minimum


btw, amp boards are MIRAND, designed by Sonny
sorry for the dust, renovating house
but it shows that the convection cooling works

[lgreen]

I've got Kappa 7s and SymAsym (dtv version) drives them fine, as does Krill. But they truely shine with the Krell KSA50 clone, huge heatsinks and massive current drive in Class A. Of course this is a much easier load than the Kappa 9s, I believe.

You should check out the Audiokarma infinity speaker forum.

Link- Infinity Loudspeakers - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums

[SA Audiophile]

I've had my RS 9 Kappa's since early 90's and have tried several amps, most without success. The Nad 208 and Rotel 1090 are amongst those that just could not handle the heavy load. The Sunfire Signature 600two and the Sunfire TGA7400 (using 4 channels to bi-amp the Kappa's) worked very well and in my opinion are probably some of the most understated amps around.

I recently acquired a pair of Krell FPB 750Mcx monoblocks and as can be expected, they drive the Kappa's with ease. It is my first Krell amp and many people warned me that a Krell / Kappa 9 combination would be too bright, but the combination works very well - the sound is warmer than with the Sunfire's and definitely not bright.

Some advise - the speaker cable gauge makes a big difference in the tightness of the bass (damping factor) and in some cases could also address the load problems people are experiencing - remember these speaker needs lots of current, so a heavy gauge cable is a non-negotiable.

[StigErik]

The main problem with driving these monsters is the woofer L/C tuning, which results in an impedance below 1 ohm at low frequencies. Just turn it off (there should be a switch at the rear side), and the impedance will be higher and the speaker far easier to drive.