Buchardt S400 & Kaiju??

[Sp33ls]

Hey all,

There's been a lot of hype and praise around Buchardt's new S400 speakers. https://www.buchardtaudio.com/shop/s400-black

Does anyone have any experience with Buchardt? It seems they've really begun to make a [solid] name for themselves.

And, given those specs (88dB @ 4 Ohms), how do you think they would pair with the Kaiju? What about two strapped Kaijus?

Right now I'm running a passive preamp into the Kaiju (my DAC outputs 2.1Vrms) and my B&W's are rated at 88dB @ 8 Ohms. Currently, the setup is loud enough for my medium sized room as I have an active subwoofer which helps.

I'm just concerned that going to an 88dB @ 4 Ohms will make a noticeable step down in ouput? It appears the 4 Ohms is a result of an impedance matching circuit as part of the crossover...

And what are your thoughts on two Kaijus pushing a pair of speakers like this? I prefer quality of music over quantity (sound pressure), but c'mon, who doesn't love to crank it up from time to time? 

I wish my living situation allowed for me to grab some large, sensitive speakers -- but it's not in the cards for another couple years probably [the Mrs. is not a huge fan of things that take up space -- tho she does love the look of the Kaiju  ]

I do have a Sansui AU-999 that I restored which does sound pretty great -- but I find myself preferring the tonal characteristics of the Kaiju. The AU-999 seems to be just a little bit more "lean", and the midrange isn't quite as "liquid" as the Kaiju. I'll admit that the Sansui is very impressive and has a ton of resolution.

Ultimately, I'm looking to sell one of my amps, but of course I'd prefer to keep the Kaiju as it's an overall superior amp, imo. Plus more of a DIY factor than just restoring an amp. Just happens to cost a little bit more --- even moreso when you pick up another for extra headroom :p

[Paul Birkeland]

If you're currently happy with 88dB sensitive 8 ohm speakers, then 88dB sensitive 4 ohm speakers should be very similar (you'll have to rewire your output transformer for 4 ohm operation though).

A pair of strapped Kaijus would be a very good way to go based on the speaker sensitivity, and luckily the OTs can be wired for 2 ohm operation.

-PB

[Sp33ls]

Thanks for the quick reply, PB!

Do you suspect that the 2 Ohm tap is what I ought to use for a speaker pair with these specs?

(Attached the impedance chart)

[Paul Birkeland]

4 ohm for stereo operation, 2 ohm for strapped monoblocks.

[Paul Joppa]

The manufacturer's web site as posted says "sensitivity 88db at 4 ohms" which usually means voltage sensitivity - if it were power, it would be called "efficiency." So the speakers are 3dB less efficient than the B&Ws. A pair of strapped Kaijus into the Buchardts will produce the same loudness as a single Kaiju into the B&Ws.

If it were me, I'd try the single Kaiju first - the 3dB difference is audible but relatively minor. If you feel the need of more power later, you can make the difficult choice.

[Paul Birkeland]

which usually means voltage sensitivity - if it were power, it would be called "efficiency."

One can hope for this, though it seems like even driver manufacturers are getting this backwards or calling one the other.

[Sp33ls]

I greatly appreciate the input, guys!