doogie44 Posted January 4 Posted January 4 I think this is a perennial question—where are the high-efficiency speakers when you need them (or try to recall them)? I don't see anywhere a decent list of modern options. In a private discussion here on SNA I was musing about the number of high-efficiency speakers I know of that could marry with low-powered amps (2W-10W output). The subject of the correspondence was a 300B amp—8W output—possibly for desktop speaker use. Here is the result—I’ll make it a (not exhaustive) list of my own purely personal preferences in the interest of starting a discussion. This was a similar thread over a year ago: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/565396-high-efficiency-100db1m-speakers-whats-available/#comments General Comments You'll need pretty sensitive speakers for enough headroom and occasional volume. I'm thinking a sensitivity (well) above 88dB and a 'friendly' impedance curve (ideally around 8+ ohms, but no sudden drops to 3 ohms and such). 8W can drive even a less sensitive speaker as long as it has a ‘friendly’ impedance. Horn and horn-loaded speakers qualify here. I personally look for at least 92dB - 95dB (the genuine number, not an inflated estimate) because I have a large room, and like rocking out occasionally. Each 3dB helps a lot! Possibly for a reasonable real-world list, under 100dB speakers form the majority of candidates? This has been my finding. Driving such a speaker ‘properly’ also depends on whether you listen loudly, or far away (more than 3-4m); and, of course, your room's qualities and your musical tastes. You do need to like the particular speaker 'sound', and then actually see how well the amp drives it in practice. You also need to have decent bass. A REL sub would provide that (and more besides) BUT I have concentrated here on getting nearly everything needed without that. As far as cost is concerned, buying second-hand on SNA would be the best option. PERSONAL JOURNEY I ran my 300B McChanson amp very well with Artemis EOS (88.5db + minimum 6 ohm). Also with Spatial Audio M3 Turbo speakers [95dB; 8 ohms (but dropping to 3.4 ohms sometimes)]. The amp went a lot louder with my Tekton Design Perfect SET 15 speakers (98dB + 8 ohms). Some of the most beautiful 300B sound I have ever heard was through De Vore Orangutan 0/96 speakers (96dB +10 ohms--and $25K!!). I note Blah Blah on this Forum runs his McChanson 300B with Wharfdale speakers, not sure which ones, E90s? Currently I'm using Elekit TU-8200 8W output and Line Magnetic 218iA 3W output all round with the Tektons. I am not personally partial to the sound of the smaller, 'cheaper' Klipsch and JBL and such, although others are well pleased. Larger models like the Klipschorns and Cornwalls, and vintage JBL, OK. Sorry. HIGH-EFFICIENCY SPEAKERS IN A ‘REASONABLE’ PRICE RANGE AND WELL BELOW ‘Cheaper’ speakers that may qualify are new models (or second-hand ones here on the Forum), say Zu Audio and Tekton Design. They both have ranges of suitable quality. There's French Triangle speakers. Don't forget Adelaide Speakers (especially designed for tube amps): https://www.adelaidespeakers.com/valve.html Most manufacturers have a range of options. so I'm not designating models names here. More widely, there's many manufacturers that have a pleasing range of high-efficiency speakers. Have a look at Decware in the US--they specialise in high-efficiency speakers at reasonable cost to go with their range of low-powered amps: https://www.decwareproducts.com/speakers. I believe they have a manufacturing deal with a Chinese firm, Lii Song: https://www.lii-song.com/product-category/complete-speakers/. Problem solved for many. (Big) Tannoys; Avantgard; Klipschorns; Audionote; Living Voice; Horning; Rethm; Zingali; Volti. Wonderful high-efficiency sound, according to most reviewers—if you have the dollars! NB I have not actually heard all these speakers myself... From the past there are Altec, Coral and Goodmans speakers whose reputation is very good. I grew up with a pair of Goodmans full-range driven by 3W valve power from an AKAI M8 tape deck: outstanding! Marc from Retrothermionic runs Altecs with his flea-powered amps. I haven’t commented of the large range of (often DIY) single-driver horn speakers available (sometimes on SNA) because they are beyond my ken. Many tinkerers swear by their sound. [eg Fostex & Lowther drivers] Here is a previous thread: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/295660-single-driver-speakers-diy-or-commercial/ Lastly there is a talented guy here on the Forum who is a speaker maker and collector and who has a lot he wants to sell, usually not dearly: Spinnergeoff. He is a mine of information. Here is one ad: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/classifieds/item/10021-sonics-as-61-open-baffle-loudspeakers/ BOOKSHELF OPTIONS Your study is a moderate sized room, but are the speakers going on a desk (bookshelf speakers)?? This is important since if you're listening in near-field you can get sway with 'less' sensitive speakers. Some people run their LS3/5A bookshelf speakers with 8W quite well as it's a 'tube-friendly' load (83dB; 15 ohms). I ran my desktop HECO Celan XT-301 speakers (German, 92dB; 8 ohms) very well with low wattage (currently 3W output). I bought them here on SNA, second hand. This is a desktop speaker I lust after: Devore Fidelity Orangutan micr/O https://www.mcleans.info/collections/devore-fidelity/products/copy-of-Devore-Fidelity-Orangutan-micr-o It's 89dB and 8 ohms and I think it would work very well near-field. Goldenear would definitely work for your tastes and sound great: https://sydneyhifimonavale.com.au/products/copy-of-goldenear-brx-bookshelf-speakers $3K. Or for the same price the very well-reviewed Triangle speakers are there: https://sydneyhifimonavale.com.au/products/comet [Incidentally Sydney HiFi claim to be the bookshelf speaker experts; have a look at the range.] I hope this list helps members because it assembles most of the 'tube-friendly' speaker candidates I know of. Do you know of others? 4 1
xlr8or Posted January 4 Posted January 4 8 hours ago, doogie44 said: I think this is a perennial question—where are the high-efficiency speakers when you need them (or try to recall them)? I don't see anywhere a decent list of modern options. In a private discussion here on SNA I was musing about the number of high-efficiency speakers I know of that could marry with low-powered amps (2W-10W output). The subject of the correspondence was a 300B amp—8W output—possibly for desktop speaker use. Here is the result—I’ll make it a (not exhaustive) list of my own purely personal preferences in the interest of starting a discussion. This was a similar thread over a year ago: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/565396-high-efficiency-100db1m-speakers-whats-available/#comments General Comments You'll need pretty sensitive speakers for enough headroom and occasional volume. I'm thinking a sensitivity (well) above 88dB and a 'friendly' impedance curve (ideally around 8+ ohms, but no sudden drops to 3 ohms and such). 8W can drive even a less sensitive speaker as long as it has a ‘friendly’ impedance. Horn and horn-loaded speakers qualify here. I personally look for at least 92dB - 95dB (the genuine number, not an inflated estimate) because I have a large room, and like rocking out occasionally. Each 3dB helps a lot! Possibly for a reasonable real-world list, under 100dB speakers form the majority of candidates? This has been my finding. Driving such a speaker ‘properly’ also depends on whether you listen loudly, or far away (more than 3-4m); and, of course, your room's qualities and your musical tastes. You do need to like the particular speaker 'sound', and then actually see how well the amp drives it in practice. You also need to have decent bass. A REL sub would provide that (and more besides) BUT I have concentrated here on getting nearly everything needed without that. As far as cost is concerned, buying second-hand on SNA would be the best option. PERSONAL JOURNEY I ran my 300B McChanson amp very well with Artemis EOS (88.5db + minimum 6 ohm). Also with Spatial Audio M3 Turbo speakers [95dB; 8 ohms (but dropping to 3.4 ohms sometimes)]. The amp went a lot louder with my Tekton Design Perfect SET 15 speakers (98dB + 8 ohms). Some of the most beautiful 300B sound I have ever heard was through De Vore Orangutan 0/96 speakers (96dB +10 ohms--and $25K!!). I note Blah Blah on this Forum runs his McChanson 300B with Wharfdale speakers, not sure which ones, E90s? Currently I'm using Elekit TU-8200 8W output and Line Magnetic 218iA 3W output all round with the Tektons. I am not personally partial to the sound of the smaller, 'cheaper' Klipsch and JBL and such, although others are well pleased. Larger models like the Klipschorns and Cornwalls, and vintage JBL, OK. Sorry. HIGH-EFFICIENCY SPEAKERS IN A ‘REASONABLE’ PRICE RANGE AND WELL BELOW ‘Cheaper’ speakers that may qualify are new models (or second-hand ones here on the Forum), say Zu Audio and Tekton Design. They both have ranges of suitable quality. There's French Triangle speakers. Don't forget Adelaide Speakers (especially designed for tube amps): https://www.adelaidespeakers.com/valve.html Most manufacturers have a range of options. so I'm not designating models names here. More widely, there's many manufacturers that have a pleasing range of high-efficiency speakers. Have a look at Decware in the US--they specialise in high-efficiency speakers at reasonable cost to go with their range of low-powered amps: https://www.decwareproducts.com/speakers. I believe they have a manufacturing deal with a Chinese firm, Lii Song: https://www.lii-song.com/product-category/complete-speakers/. Problem solved for many. (Big) Tannoys; Avantgard; Klipschorns; Audionote; Living Voice; Horning; Rethm; Zingali; Volti. Wonderful high-efficiency sound, according to most reviewers—if you have the dollars! NB I have not actually heard all these speakers myself... From the past there are Altec, Coral and Goodmans speakers whose reputation is very good. I grew up with a pair of Goodmans full-range driven by 3W valve power from an AKAI M8 tape deck: outstanding! Marc from Retrothermionic runs Altecs with his flea-powered amps. I haven’t commented of the large range of (often DIY) single-driver horn speakers available (sometimes on SNA) because they are beyond my ken. Many tinkerers swear by their sound. [eg Fostex & Lowther drivers] Here is a previous thread: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/295660-single-driver-speakers-diy-or-commercial/ Lastly there is a talented guy here on the Forum who is a speaker maker and collector and who has a lot he wants to sell, usually not dearly: Spinnergeoff. He is a mine of information. Here is one ad: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/classifieds/item/10021-sonics-as-61-open-baffle-loudspeakers/ BOOKSHELF OPTIONS Your study is a moderate sized room, but are the speakers going on a desk (bookshelf speakers)?? This is important since if you're listening in near-field you can get sway with 'less' sensitive speakers. Some people run their LS3/5A bookshelf speakers with 8W quite well as it's a 'tube-friendly' load (83dB; 15 ohms). I ran my desktop HECO Celan XT-301 speakers (German, 92dB; 8 ohms) very well with low wattage (currently 3W output). I bought them here on SNA, second hand. This is a desktop speaker I lust after: Devore Fidelity Orangutan micr/O https://www.mcleans.info/collections/devore-fidelity/products/copy-of-Devore-Fidelity-Orangutan-micr-o It's 89dB and 8 ohms and I think it would work very well near-field. Goldenear would definitely work for your tastes and sound great: https://sydneyhifimonavale.com.au/products/copy-of-goldenear-brx-bookshelf-speakers $3K. Or for the same price the very well-reviewed Triangle speakers are there: https://sydneyhifimonavale.com.au/products/comet [Incidentally Sydney HiFi claim to be the bookshelf speaker experts; have a look at the range.] I hope this list helps members because it assembles most of the 'tube-friendly' speaker candidates I know of. Do you know of others? I fully agree with your comments. It's very challenging to source tube friendly speakers in AU and in particular in the NSW metro area. My biggest gripe with many of the above mentioned speakers and drivers is the claimed dB sensitivity falling short some 3-6 dB from what's specified on paper. Many vintage fullrange drivers just list a generic dB value relevant to 4 feet or more distance. Other speakers that have made an appearance in the classifieds in the past and can be added to the list include Coincident Technology, Audio Note and Lamhorn. A good comprehensive list of tube friendly speakers can also be found at the following link. https://www.high-endaudio.com/RC-Speakers.html#SET 4
David A Posted January 4 Posted January 4 (edited) Coherent Audio speakers from Canada are excellent value, and can be driven with <4 watts. The Owner/Designer Frank Fazzalari knows what he's doing. Edited January 4 by David A 1
BLAH BLAH Posted January 4 Posted January 4 (edited) Hi @doogie44 I too have a McChanson 300B Tube Amp...and used to channel it through a pair of re-furbished and rare Wharfdale E90 speakers. Frequency response of 43Hz to 18kHz with a sensitivity of 95dB. Loverly sounding speakers especially from their twin 10inch Bass drivers. Reputedley the E for Efficiency range speakers were made for Tube Amps... Alas I had to let the E90's go...the same old story arose...the E90's were big, so big they had their own set of castor wheels and bright shiny handle attached at the back as well to help move them. And I also had other large speakers about as well much to SWMBO's annoyance. I still think and lust about them. But I have kept their younger slightly smaller sibling in the E70's with a frequency response between 35--18,000Hz and a similiar efficiency of 95dB. Not quite as boastful in the Bass response, but still a nice not overly bright response in the high range. Bright sounding speakers are an athema to my ears and hearing... So much so that I have kept a pair of Sansui SP-5000 speakers for listening...a frequency response of 40HZ to 20kHZ and an even higher speaker efficiency of 98dB. The proverbial big MF of a speaker...but I love their sound with the 300B's...just a smooth non-fatiguing sound...it's an oddball combo but they certainly suit my ears and musical taste. I value and prize non-fatiguing sounding speakers...no headaches for my listening pleasure thank you...nope, nix, nadda, nosiree... If I had my Hi-Fi time over again I would investigate the use of very low powered tube amps with very high efficiency speakers...flea power all the way. But alas finances dictate otherwise... Edited January 4 by BLAH BLAH 3
cafe67 Posted January 4 Posted January 4 (edited) The Pylon Jade 20 ( 91db) would fit into this category https://www.pylonaudio.com/jade-20-pylon-audio price around $5500 have heard them and they do sound very good Edited January 4 by cafe67 1
aussievintage Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Most of the Osborn speakers are 91db, the top of the range is 92db 1
Bronal Posted January 5 Posted January 5 I'm surprised that Omega speakers haven't been mentioned so far - https://omegaloudspeakers.com I had a pair of their Hoyt-Bedford standmounts, followed by Omega XR8s, some years ago when I had a 300B amp in my second system. My recollection is that they were very well built and finished and of course were high-sensitivity speakers designed for single-ended amps. They used to be sold by Krispy Audio, but I don't think there is currently a retailer in Australia. 3
David A Posted January 5 Posted January 5 11 hours ago, cafe67 said: The Pylon Jade 20 ( 91db) would fit into this category https://www.pylonaudio.com/jade-20-pylon-audio price around $5500 have heard them and they do sound very good The Pylon Audio Jade 20's are musical sounding speakers, and are reasonably efficient. Though I wouldn't drive them with a flea powered tube amp. At the Australian Hifi Show in Sydney last year, the Distributor was driving those speakers with a 45w Fezz Audio Titania integrated. So whilst they can be driven with low powered tube amps, as Pylon Audio say on their website, they show their "full potential with a powerful transistor amp". 1
cafe67 Posted January 5 Posted January 5 @David A must admit that is the amp I heard them with , perhaps be interesting to hear how they sound with some of the lower powered fezz amps 1
David A Posted January 5 Posted January 5 (edited) 16 minutes ago, cafe67 said: @David A must admit that is the amp I heard them with , perhaps be interesting to hear how they sound with some of the lower powered fezz amps I'd stick with push-pull amps with the Jade 20's. In the Fezz lineup, the minimum power i'd throw at those speakers would be the 35w Fezz Silver Luna amp...and that would be in a small or small-medium size room. At the Aust Hifi Show, the Jade 20's were demo'd in a large exhibition space. Edited January 5 by David A 1
aussievintage Posted January 5 Posted January 5 29 minutes ago, David A said: The Pylon Audio Jade 20's are musical sounding speakers, and are reasonably efficient. Though I wouldn't drive them with a flea powered tube amp. 12 minutes ago, cafe67 said: perhaps be interesting to hear how they sound with some of the lower powered fezz amps 2 minutes ago, David A said: If you were going to place the Jade 20's in a smallish room and listen at moderate listening levels, you could probably get away with a parallel single ended amp like the 15w Fezz Lybra 300B. They state 91db efficiency. With even only a couple of watts, sitting at a couple of metres from the speakers, they will still be making a loud sound. Depends how loud you like your music I guess. 1
21stcenturyquaker Posted January 5 Posted January 5 This is a great idea for a thread Doogie44. I'd love to know what all the fuss is about low power 300B Sets having not had the pleasure of listening to one - i'm very intrigued by what many perceive as musical Nirvana. The amplification itself is relatively affordable for many but the question of speakers is indeed rather more complex and likely expensive - at least in Australia. Thanks to those who can shed some light on the esoteric world of the 300B Sets. 2 1
David A Posted January 5 Posted January 5 (edited) 9 minutes ago, aussievintage said: They state 91db efficiency. With even only a couple of watts, sitting at a couple of metres from the speakers, they will still be making a loud sound. Depends how loud you like your music I guess. 91db isn't high efficiency. And sensitivity and impedance specs alone don't tell the full story of what load the speakers present to the amplifier(s). The fact that the manufacturer recommends driving those speakers with a "powerful transistor amp" suggests they aren't as easy to drive as the baseline specs reveal. Edited January 5 by David A 1
doogie44 Posted January 5 Author Posted January 5 3 minutes ago, 21stcenturyquaker said: I'd love to know what all the fuss is about low power 300B Sets having not had the pleasure of listening to one The world of low-powered amps--especially SET amps--and relatively efficient speakers was, of course, the domain of early 'hi fi' generally, prior to the advent of the transistor in such gear. The decades of the 1950s and even the 1960s didn't usually see amps with more than 50W output. David Manley in the 1980s referred to his Ichiban triode amp with 100W output as a 'power station'. The sonic magic and mystery of the well-implemented 300B topology is a thread in itself--but if you visit the right store for a demo it won't take long to find out what some are drooling over (and if you love the sound of female voice and chamber jazz and such, as I do, the drooling persists indefinitely). Tone and timbre rule even if ultimate treble and bass extension don't. Once heard, never forgotten. Remember the lovely push-pull valve amps too (and single-ended amps as well) like the Quad, Radford, Leak, and Marantz which are still prized today. Plenty of modern manufacturers have emulated the quality of such vintage sound reproduction with good--and better--associated regulation and transformers. It usually costs heaps. The Japanese hi fi buffs come to mind when I think of valve fanatics. Cur mention of Shindo, Leben and Kondo. In a well-designed circuit the OTL and single-ended pentode topology also deserve respect. In any case we always come back to the preferred speakers to showcase these marvels. 1
aussievintage Posted January 5 Posted January 5 1 minute ago, doogie44 said: The world of low-powered amps--especially SET amps--and relatively efficient speakers was, of course, the domain of early 'hi fi' generally, prior to the advent of the transistor in such gear. The decades of the 1950s and even the 1960s didn't usually see amps with more than 50W output. David Manley in the 1980s referred to his Ichiban triode amp with 100W output as a 'power station'. Sure, and I remember being amazed at an ETI magazine design that got 100 watts from a few transistors. When it comes to SET, I am thinking in the realms of about the 300B 8 watts maximum. When you try to go much higher, it gets difficult and messy. I would rather a class A push-pull triode for higher power than that. 4 minutes ago, doogie44 said: The sonic magic and mystery of the well-implemented 300B topology is a thread in itself--but if you visit the right store for a demo it won't take long to find out what some are drooling over (and if you love the sound of female voice and chamber jazz and such, as I do, the drooling persists indefinitely). Tone and timbre rule even if ultimate treble and bass extension don't. Once heard, never forgotten. A 2A3 does it for me too. But don't rule out the triode wired pentodes and tetrodes, they too can sound magnificent. 7 minutes ago, doogie44 said: Remember the lovely push-pull valve amps too (and single-ended amps as well) like the Quad, Radford, Leak, and Marantz which are still prized today. I once bought a pioneer valve receiver amp, push-pull EL84s. I was hoping to be impressed, but I never liked it. Seemed very rolled off in highs and lows, even after quite a bit of work. I guess I am saying, not every old amp was fantastic, just as it is today. 1
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted January 5 Volunteer Posted January 5 On 04/01/2025 at 12:42 PM, doogie44 said: Tannoys; Avantgard; Klipschorns; Audionote; Living Voice; Horning; Rethm; Zingali; Volti. Having owned Avantgarde as well as Zingalis, my experience was surprising. They actually sounded significantly better to me with a high current SS amp... Just my experience and certainly others have found different Worth noting though that Avantgarde themselves have always made a beefy SS amp to go with their speakers (the latest iteration being a current drive amp). Also when I auditioned my Zingalis at Pure Music group, Warwick was using an ASR Emitter amp (500w into 4 ohms) My theory is that sometimes in order to get super high efficiency, a speaker may have wildly swinging impedance which can be tricky for valves. This may be completely wrong of course, and it might just be personal preference. 1
aussievintage Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Back to speakers though... 32 minutes ago, 21stcenturyquaker said: The amplification itself is relatively affordable for many but the question of speakers is indeed rather more complex and likely expensive - at least in Australia. This is why, to keep it more accessible and simple, fullrange speakers are a good choice. They tend to be more efficient and work well with lower power valve amps. They also lend themselves to DIY. It is so easy to build a simple box and buy a nice driver to put in it. 3
aussievintage Posted January 5 Posted January 5 6 minutes ago, sir sanders zingmore said: My theory is that sometimes in order to get super high efficiency, a speaker may have wildly swinging impedance which can be tricky for valves. This may be completely wrong of course, and it might just be personal preference. Maybe it's a thing about high efficiency combined with multi-way speaker systems and crossovers, because there are plenty of high efficiency single drivers that valves love. 1
doogie44 Posted January 5 Author Posted January 5 2 minutes ago, sir sanders zingmore said: Having owned Avantgarde as well as Zingalis, my experience was surprising. They actually sounded significantly better to me with a high current SS amp... Just my experience and certainly others have found different This is a common finding! Experience rules, naturally. I can't begin to understand ther complexities of driving a high-efficiency speaker but yes, many manufacturers specify SS amps with grunt for theirs (eg Clayton Shaw for Spatial Audio; Alon Wolf for Magico; Dave Wilson for Wilson speakers). I note that Eric Alexander, the creator of Tekton Design speakers, specified that his Perfect SET 15 speakers were designed to 'get the bass correct' as well as the listening range generally; he went on to say (more or less) that very high efficiency alone won't guarantee anything. It's the design and crossover that counts. He also likes his speakers driven by plenty of watts--as a generalisation. There is a review of the new Clarisys ribbon speaker in The Absolute Sound recently (92dB and friendly impedance) which was driven (as an afterthought) by a David Berning top of the line ZOTL amp (megabucks) outputting 18W. Sounded very good apparently, with nearly all music. But still the preferred amp all round was a CH Precision Swiss monster (SS). I think you have to 'suck it and see' with many speakers that should be OK. Then check you are getting all you can if another topology offers more? In the real world I 'could' afford many good low-powered valve amps but 'not usually' the relevant SS big guys... so there's that. For the music I like I just know there's a high-efficiency speaker that will bond with my low-powered valve amp and keep me happy listening to a well-married system at the top of the middle range of HiFi (or bottom of the top range, who cares?). 2
Ooogh Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Suck it and see is definitely the go to message when dealing with SET amps. Many a speaker that looks ideal on paper proves to be a less than ideal match. Many, many manufacturers also fudge the figures and independent testing almost always shows they are less efficient than claimed. Even long regarded perfect matches can prove disappointing. We did a test with a friends Klipsch Corner horns and 9 Watts of 300B power just wouldn’t get them to rock. 18 Watts of PSE 300Bs and they came alive. Both amps from the same manufacturer, Audion Golden Nights V Audion Silver Night PSE. My Ambience Reference 1800 ribbon speakers with the Neodymium magnets are high efficiency (94dB I think) but a nice big 3.6 ohm dip just sucked the life out of 18 Watts even on the 4 ohm tap. The smaller AudioNote (UK) speakers ANj and ANk also want a bunch more power than the efficiency and benign impedance suggest. Even the ANe (old style , non corner loaded) were far happier with more power to get them singing. Most high efficiency speakers come with trade offs that go with the territory, cabinets the size of wardrobes, frequency extension limitations, horn loading, difficulty matching with sub woofers et al. However… the magic, the tonal saturation, front to back depth, the glory of in the room vocals and the pure emotional connection once heard can make all other hifi sound anaemic . It can be a long, expensive journey, but if you find the right synergy it can change your listening experience. If you do find the right combination don’t go selling stuff thinking there is better available, going backwards is a real possibility. 5 1
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted January 5 Volunteer Posted January 5 4 minutes ago, Ooogh said: Even long regarded perfect matches can prove disappointing. We did a test with a friends Klipsch Corner horns and 9 Watts of 300B power just wouldn’t get them to rock. 18 Watts of PSE 300Bs and they came alive. It seems Klipsch have a tendency to overstate their speakers' efficiency 1
andyr Posted January 5 Posted January 5 2 hours ago, doogie44 said: I can't begin to understand ther complexities of driving a high-efficiency speaker but yes, many manufacturers specify SS amps with grunt for theirs (eg Clayton Shaw for Spatial Audio; Alon Wolf for Magico; Dave Wilson for Wilson speakers). Shirley, the 'complexity' is simply a matter of: the impedance profile which the high-efficiency spkr has, and the type of music you listen to? If its nominally a 16 ohm spkr - dropping to no less than 8 ohms - then a low-power tube amp should work fine ... providing you don't like listening to full-scale orchestral music. 2 hours ago, doogie44 said: For the music I like Which is, I'm assuming, not Beethoven / Mahler symphonies? 1
Mendes Posted January 5 Posted January 5 On 04/01/2025 at 9:42 AM, doogie44 said: Some of the most beautiful 300B sound I have ever heard was through De Vore Orangutan 0/96 speakers (96dB +10 ohms--and $25K!!). I have tried my O96's with both a 300B SET amp 8W (which I no longer have ) and a First Watt F8 producing 25W. The 8W SET had plenty of power to get them singing in my medium size room and had that mid-range SET magic Doogie is talking about, think live jazz etc. The F8 is equally enjoyable but with more control over the lower frequencies but probably not quite as much of the mid-range magic. Really depends on what music you play, and I could have lived with either. They are definitely tube friendly speakers to consider , albeit not really a bargain but are very good. 3
MattyW Posted January 5 Posted January 5 (edited) Creation Audio “Emperor” bass reflex speakers kindly built by Andrew Tilsley. Tube friendly running a single Lii Song Platinum-10 10” full range driver per cabinet being 103.3db @ 1W. That said I run it with a 15WPC Tokin VFET power amp and passive Slagleformer pre. Edited January 5 by MattyW 5 2
Ooogh Posted January 5 Posted January 5 42 minutes ago, Mendes said: I have tried my O96's with both a 300B SET amp 8W (which I no longer have ) and a First Watt F8 producing 25W. The 8W SET had plenty of power to get them singing in my medium size room and had that mid-range SET magic Doogie is talking about, think live jazz etc. The F8 is equally enjoyable but with more control over the lower frequencies but probably not quite as much of the mid-range magic. Really depends on what music you play, and I could have lived with either. They are definitely tube friendly speakers to consider , albeit not really a bargain but are very good. Jealousy is a curse, jealousy is a curse…. 1
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