Klipsch Quartets

A

abastman

New member
First Post. Hi All.
Recently acquired a pair of Quartets. I have nothing worthy of driving them.
What are the questions I need to be asking myself to make some reasoned
choice of amplifier (kits)? Listening preferences Bill Evans, 60's Rock.
Have turntable (crappy) and access to lot's of vinyl, Revox reel to reel, etc.
Fairly small listening room- condo, so can't get too wild w/ volume.
Hearing attenuation at 3000Hz so treble boost is in order. What else?
Thanks in advance!
AB
 
This is often asked, there ought to be a sticky.

The largest two factors in matching an amplifier to speakers are the amp's power and the speakers' sensitivity.  The two together translate into dB at 3'.  Then there are the matters of room size and your listening habits.  The larger the room the more power it takes to hear a given volume level.  The further away from the speakers you sit more power it takes to hear a given volume level.  If you listen to higher volume levels more power it takes.

Those are the major factors.  

Tell us your room size and since I don't know the Quartets, give us the sensitivity in dBW that they are.  Most, not all, Klipsch that I am familiar with are fine with even the SEX amp here.  It is 2WPC.
 
You didn't give your budget but the Quartets are 97.5db efficient with an 8ohm impedance.  From what I know of Klipsch the impedance doesn't represent just how low they will dip.  You will actually want to use the 4 ohm tap more than likely.  But the speakers are pretty efficient.  I had a pair of Chorus II that are similar in basic design but more efficient than the Quartets.  I would say, if you can swing it, that the Stereomour will make you a good deal happier.  I played both the SEX amp and the Paramounts on my Chorus and, while I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the SEX amp if that is what you can afford, I preferred the Paramounts.  The Steromour isn't a Paramount of course, but if you can put in a few more dollars I think the Stereomour is going to provide better sound through those speakers and would be my choice.

But some other factors, it sounds like you are going to be using multiple sources.  You need a preamp like the Foreplay III for switching sources easily.  If you are going to be doing reel to reel you need a Seduction for reel to reel, correct?  If you are going to be using a turntable you need a Seduction for your phono preamp.  So you need not only a worthy amplifier but also a preamplifier and at least one phono preamp and maybe one for reel to reel.

Let's not even get started on upgrading the crossover.  It makes a difference ut isn't something I would worry about right now.
 
Paully's Chorus IIs could reach ear splitting volumes.  But I don't remember if we had them on his SEX amp or the Paramounts. 

Either way it was louder than either of us ever wanted to listen to.

The Stereomour has multiple inputs and a volume control.  The SEX has a volume control and one input.  The Paramours have neither multiple inputs nor a volume control.  They are intended to be used with a line stage preamp.

And from your preference for music from my teen aged years, attenuated high frequency loss it sounds like you are in my age bracket or have old taste in music. 

Your Revox will play straight into any source selector, you will of course need a phono stage of some sort for the table you have.  I would assume that you already have some phono stage and it can be used.  You might post what equipment you have right now, preamp and power amp.
 
Thanks for the corrections, I hadn't realized that the Stereomour had multiple inputs, so no preamp necessary.  And it sounds like his reel to reel is internally amplified as well.  So, get a Stereomour and you are set, no pun intended.  Buy a Seduction (or Eros) for vinyl if you like.  Cool, that is a lot cheaper than what I was saying.  Of course the Paramounts would need a preamp if he wants to go that route.
 
Thanks for the quick responses, all. Lot's of research required to parse all the info.
Will get back when I get my head wrapped up right.
AB (63, ex USAF = attenuation)
 
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