Speaker for vintage H/K

[jhamer9]

I recently purchased a '76 harmon/kardon 430 twin powered receiver. I bought this on a whim for $70, in excellent, almost mint condition (just a few minor scratches on the top cover). I bought it for my living room, to listen to music via cans.

I live in a split level, where my TV/HT setup is in the lower level. Our living room is one of those rooms where there is nothing but furniture to look at, and not sit on, because there is nothing in the room to keep you amused

.

I was looking for a pair of quality speakers, bookshelf or floorstanding, that was of a high/good/~$800 quality and would pair well with this classic amp/receiver.

The speakers will be used to listen to music only, and at moderate volumes, (until my wife walks out the door

volume... good). My choice in music is hard rock/metal, but I'm also into jazz/fusion and lots of other genres.

This setup will be in a room that is ~16'w X 12'L with a cathedral ceiling which tops out at about 20'.

 

[00940]

Cool little receiver. I've got a pair of integrated HK A401, they use exactly the same amplification boards. If you intend to use the amp, it would benefit from changing the capacitors, there are quite a few electrolytics on the signal path that are a tad old now.

People say very good things about pairing those HK with Klipsch speakers.

 

[jhamer9]

Absolutely... using the amp for my phones was really the primary reason I picked it up. I found the sound to be so good, just through headphones, I thought I could get some other uses.

As for changing the capacitors... i would be comfortable with replacing them, but am still new to the insides of audio and would need to know which ones to replace and where the signal path physically lie. Do you know of any place where I could get that info?

I have read a bit that bright speakers (Klipsch being one) favor all h/k receivers... is one model better than an other, and would polk be a contender?

 

[00940]

HK is a very helpful company. They put all their service manuals for older amps on a server for anyone to use. Here is the link to the HK430 : http://manuals.harman.com/hk/Service...HK430%20sm.pdf

Caps to be changed are : C701, C702, C707, C708, C711, C712, C717, C718, C503, C504, C505, C506, C513, C514, C517, C518, C401, C402, C405, C406, C407, C408.

You can skip those one the "equalizer amp" (phono preamp) if you don't use a turntable. Panasonic FC are what I'd use for decent sound at cheap price. Elna caps would be perfect. Anyway, they cannot be worse than what's on now.

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

I was looking for a pair of quality speakers, bookshelf or floorstanding, that was of a high/good/~$800 quality and would pair well with this classic amp/receiver.

Amp watts per channel ?

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

I have read a bit that bright speakers (Klipsch being one) favor all h/k receivers... is one model better than an other, and would polk be a contender?

Well i wouldn't call Klipsch bright though some would,at least not the Heritage series but i would say they will be unplayable with electronics that are bright or peaky,not something you want ANYWAY !

Correcting a bright amp by mating ponderous and musically limited speakers is like fixing a flat tire by changing the oil.A band-aid and not a solution only something to stop the bleeding short term.

BTW-Klipsch Heresy user and the best "middle" i have had in my home with the ability to scare the neighbors if i want to let the tiger out

 

[joelongwood]

Based on the recommendations of people on the Klipsch forums, I picked up the same model as you...H/K 430 Twin Powered. I'm using it with a pair of Klipsch Forte II, and all I can say is: Those guys were right!
I have a fairly large collection of vintage amps, receivers, etc. from Pioneer, Yamaha, Sansui, and Kenwood, but the little 430 bests them all in the area that counts the most: it's more musical (to my ears, of course). The synergy between this little gem and Klipsch is wonderful. The midrange is smooth and liquid, and the high end does not have a trace of harshness. I've also used it with a pair of Klipsch KG-1 and found the pairing to be excellent as well.
The H/K 430 pairing with Klipsch was so good, I picked up the H/K 730 Twin Powered unit, figuring that more power would sound better, but, unfortunately, was not as impressed, as the high end was a bit too strident for my tastes. However, that impression may be related to the fact that, shortly after receiving the 730, one channel began to distort badly. I'm bringing it in for repair soon.
For musicality, the H/K 430-vintage Klipsch combo is a tough one to beat. Just my opinion of course.

 

[jhamer9]

I listened to both the Synergy F2 and the B3 today at Best Buy... Since they were at best buy, i'm assuming their "entry level" Klipsch. Which is fine, but I'm going to see if I can find a store that carries the Reference series, like the RB-25.

The amp is rated at 25W per channel, but the recommended amp power is 75-300 on this series. If I were to use these speakers, would the amp be powerful enough to drive that type of speaker or should I stick with the F2 or B3?

 

[joelongwood]

I'm not familiar with the newer Klipsch models, but I would advise you to head over to the Klipsch forums.
The people there should be able to help you......and the search function works well.

 

[jhamer9]

thanks, joelongwood. I've posed the question in the Klipsch form and have been getting some great feedback... although so far it seems finding used is the way to go with Klipsch... i'm still trying to get a feel for what anyone really thinks of the new stuff...