Good amp for a pair of Klipsch RB-81

[admin_exported]

Hi everyone,

a couple of years ago, I bought a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 9.2's, which absolutely amazed me. Unfortunately, I the amp I paired them with didn't do them justice, but anyways, I had to leave them behind.

Now I want to set up my Hi-Fi corner again, and I decided for a pair of Klipsch RB-81's. I listen to various kinds of music, mostly Buddha-Bar / Cafe del Mar, some alternative house music and similar stuff.

I need your help to decide on the amp again. I don't want to make the same mistake again. I want a warm sound, without any harsh trebles (but still well-defined) and with a round and deep bass. Midtones should be kept on a leash. The sound of the Monitor Audio RS-6 was absolutely divine for me, but they're unreachable for me.

I had thought of a CA Azur 350A but my local store doesn't have it in stock, nor do they know when they will get it. My current options are the Marantz PM5004, and going up on the price tag, the CA Azur 550A and the Harman Kardon HK980.

Any advice, please ?

Cheers !

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't heard the Klipsch personally so I can only offer advice based on what I can figure out from the specs. At the end of the day your best bet is to demo.

Having said that I don't think CA would be the way to go if your trying to lean away from a bright sound. You don't need anything hugely powerful because of the high sensitivity of your speakers so you have a heap of options to try out.

If you can afford to move up to the Azur 550a or HK980 then I would strongly consider the Marantz PM6003. Have a read on the review page here, it will probably match the sort of sound your looking for. All i've ever heard from people about the HK980 is that it's not all its cracked up to be. But have a listen, you may disagree.

Also the NAD c326bee would be worth looking at and even the rotel RA-04 (doesn't have a remote though).

Good luck!!

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

thank you for your quick answer.

The sound I'm looking for is "warm", so if you're saying that the CA is too bright, then I'll look elsewhere.

I've also read the review about the PM6003, and yes, it seems to be perfect. Unfortunately, my local store doesn't have it in stock. I also read the review of the 5003, which quite frankly - dissapoints.

So now I need to ask : is there any difference between the 5003 and the 5004 ? Did they make the 5004 a bit closer to the 6003 ? Or will this one dissapoint as well ? As I said, a round and deep bass is a top priority for me ...

Cheers !

 

[Blackdawn]

Hi Icarus,

I have a pair of of RB-81's and for the money they are really very good. As the review says they are brilliant for parties but also for general use. Might be a good idea to get some stands as well. They are large though and do not come as a pair. They don't need much in the way of power to get them singing due to the high sensitivity. I run mine with a 30 watts in 8 Ohm Denon and I like the sound. I would suggest at looking at valve amps or maybe some of the Yamaha ones. There is a new version of the RB-81's out now but not sure how this compares.

 

[Blackdawn]

Add Arcam to the list of amps to check out. They should go really well.

 

[Anonymous]

check this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYJltcTIHEg

RB81 need woofer and your choice of amplifier has to go in that direction. For example NAD C 326BEE has subwoofer mono output.

HTH

 

[Blackdawn]

No Klipsch RB81's doesn't need a sub any more than other similar standmounts for stereo use. What HiFi even said there was a lot of bass. If you want more bass go for floorstanders instead. Maybe the NAD C316BEE would go nicely or higher priced valve amps.

 

[Anonymous]

Talking about the RB81, never tried RB81 II.

I don't know what HiFi said about the bass, I know my pair - the one from the youtube video - has very little bass.

Few reviews stating the oposite was what fooled me into buying those speakers and I still cannot figure out how such divergeance of opinions is possible ...tried different amps too, sources, cables, bi-amping... The treble is also bad (see my youtube video) the mid's are rather OK, but the bass is simply missing.

RB81 are rather low/mid quality Klipsch speakers and they are priced as such, no surprise there, for the money however they still are a value. The RB81 are the speakers which are very good for a child since they sound soft and laid back.Just no match against the RF7 and far from the Heritage line, no high end for 400 EUR a pair new which was the ebay price I paid.

For French speaking members - I found this review here very close to my own impressions. And similar reviews in English exist too, I dont have one under my hands now, but google search is your friend.

http://www.harmonique-blog.be/test-klipsch-rb81

So yes, I know that my RB81 need a woofer, but I agree that if this is the case, much better would be to buy the real thing - RF7. I suspect the RF82 and RF83 are better then RB81, but miles behind the flagship.

Go get RF7's :cheers:

 

[Blackdawn]

I disagree, mine are the original RB81's and there is plenty of bass, if anything a little too much. I agree with the review on this site. Maybe yours are broken. Yes compared to the flagship range they probably are not so good, but this is expected (massive price difference) and compared to floorstanders they may have less bass but compared to similarly priced standmounts, the same price, I think they stack up well. e.g. Epos M12, Mordaunt short mezzo 2s. the RF82's floorstanders got a worse review than the RB81's. My 81's improved after 100+ hours playing music. Youtube videos are not particularly informative when it comes to comparing sound quality of hifi components due to the compression on the site and microphone placement when recording.

 

[csq2]

My Rega Brio and Klispch floorstanders are a fantastic combo. The sound is dynamic and musical without being overly bright. Bass is suprisingly deep and tight. When I play classical or jazz, the musical involvement and dynamics are there. When I play house or electro music, the bass is tight and not boomy with great extension in highs and mids. I DON'T recommend Cambridge Audio, because I had a 650A driving the Klipschs and it sounded dull without any connection with the music no matter what genre it was. So my suggestion is the Denon RCD-N7 which is a warm amp like the Brio but has way more features like the ipod dock and wifi.