Looking to try a Valve amp - WD KEL84 opinions with my speakers please!

[Bassman92]

Hi all,

Newbie here but not to Hifi or electronics having spent my working life in the trade.
However, now I'm getting older I'm going to downsize to an all in one eventually but owe it to myself to scratch the itch I have to try a valve amp. Primarily looking at the WD KEL84 kit as a good starting point.
The real question is for those who use one how does it perform into a 4 ohm load? I use Linn Keilidh's (92dB @ 1m) and have no plans to change them but if the amp is unable to drive them at bass frequencies sufficiently I will need to look at a better kit.
I don't listen at high levels, maximum is about the 80dB level depending on mood. Preferred music is Prog and Classic Rock and a bit of Jazz. Front end is a Linn DS and TT with phono stage.

All comments welcome!

[bob orbell]

Hi, I have used the KEL84 with Monitor Audio PL100 mK II 86dB and BBC LS3-5A, I was surprised how good it sounds, no problem with low frequencies but not quite as good with very high frequencies, not as good as my WD88 VA, any way, it should be OK with your Linns though at 92. Bob

[bob orbell]

Very disappointed that no response has yet been made by Bassman92, but not that surprised . Bob

[Greg.]

Well, you did!

[A Stuart]

My weak attempt at a constructive answer for Bassman's first post to the forum:

Have you seen
http://www.world-designs.co.uk/v11%2...0HFW_May12.pdf
which you can reach eventuallly from the World Designs product sales page (via link from the bit at the bottom of this page where it says "Contact us-WorldDesigns-Archive-Top")?
The HFW review specifically says "Power output measured 12 Watts into 8 Ohms and 10 Watts into 4 Ohms so the output transformer looks optimised for around 6 Ohms and handles a lower load quite nicely. Ideally a valve amplifier will give the same amount of power from an 8 Ohm winding feeding an 8 Ohm load, as a 4 Ohm winding feeding a 4 Ohm load; KEL 84 manages well to manage a similar performance from one winding. "

However, I have no experience of KEL84 nor of Linn loudspeakers, but given your 92dB sensitivity figure, and supposing you are a couple of metres from the speaker, your 80dB would equate (approximately - I have no idea how to calculate for having two speakers nor for room effects) to 0.5W, leaving 13dB headroom for transients.

General opinion, don't ask me for specific quotes, appears to be that valve bass power sounds more than you would expect from the figures.
On the other hand, I vaguely recall from the eighties that Linn loudspeakers had a reputation for having very deeps dips in impedance which presumably would be tolerated less well by valves than by transistors.

[Bassman92]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I thought that someone may have been able to comment even if not with Linn speakers but someone who uses 4 ohm ones. I have no problem with power and headroom as I had already worked that out. I've read the review but I was looking for real world users not some reviewer (I take all reviews with a pinch of salt as I don't trust them or critics as I find they always have their own agendas)
As spare cash is a little tight, I think I'll put off scratching the valve itch for now as I can't afford to get it wrong!
Once again thanks for all for now.