Tube Friendly Speakers

[skidave]

What speakers are people using with their tube amps? Any recomendations on flat impeadence speakers? I am currently using a pair of Tannoy Mercury speakers that have a flat impeadence and are very effecient. I'm looking for a small bookshelf set for a recent project, but don't feel like spending a lot.

Thanks,

Dave

[WA4SWJ]

Hi Skidave,

I'm using some Dynaco A-25's, some Klipsch F-2's and some Zaphaudio L18's (built them myself). Web site: www.zaphaudio.com Click on the Seas L18 speaker link down some on the page. I'm ready to build a set of Zaph "Bargain Aluminum" MTM's right now.

All of these speakers are very good. The Klipsch speakers are in my home theater (yes, all tube amps) and they rock. I really like the Dynaco's and my L18's for music (mostly smooth jazz). The amps easily drive all of them. My ST-70 sounds absolutely wonderful. The ST-35 I bought from Eric recently also kicks butt in terms of sound.

Hope this helps.

[mesherm]

How much is a lot?
I have two sets of speakers I use.
I have two BIC DV53CLR which are center channel speakers but I liked them so I bought two. The DIY35 likes the BICS but they are a bit shy in bass.
My other set is a pair of JBL E50s that I use for the higher power amps. They actually sit on one lower shelf of a matchd pair of AV cabinets.
I rarely drive either set by themselves to room shaking levels though. If I want loud I fire up both.
The JBLs are the smallest speaker I listened too that had minimum acceptable bass response.

[TomMcNally]

I've got a pair of Klipsch KSB 3.1's in my bedroom, which is
where I really test all of my amps. They are 19" x 9" x 9"
and 92 db sensitivity as I recall. Nice bang for the buck,
and they sound good even with my little 3/4 watt Darling
amps. There is usually a pair or two on eBay.

[kheper]

Klipsch Heresy
Klipsch Forte II
ADC Soundimage

The above are the speakers I now have.
How I got the ADCs and how little I paid
for them is a rather strange story:

The ADC company had always made audio
components, which were disdained by
'audiophiles', mostly cheap, noisy, crappy
equalizers and the like. So, in about '91, I
read review in Sterophile Magazine. They
praised the ADC speakers and awarded
them with the 'best under $1000 speakers'.
I think the retail price was ~$800. But, no
one bought these speakers despite the
raves from Sterophile. ADC discontinued
them, and I think shortly went out of
business. My guess is: The production of
Soundimage speakers was ADC's last ditch
effort to get out of the red. They made
tons of these speakers which did not sell.
The 'audiophiles' literally spited themselves
by not considering them because of ADC's
bad rep. So, I picked up a pair of them at
a warehouse for $122!. The Soundimage
speakers are not like regular speakers;
You point them at each other, not towards
the listener. They interact with each other
to correct for frequency responses. The
$122 speakers more than hold their own
against the big buck Klipsch speakers.
They contain dual 10" woofers, a
mid-range, a tweeter, and a super-tweeter.
The super-tweeter is positioned towards
the listener, unlike the other components.
The design is not 'my type of speaker',
but the price and performance is excellent.

[mesherm]

The most efficient speakers I ever owned were a pair of Infinity SM150s circa mid 1980s. They had dual midrange drivers and a massive 15 inch woofer in a huge floorstanding cabinet. They were something like 101 db/W/1 M and my 125 watt Heathkit SS amp could drive them to incredible sound pressure levels. I could feel the "wind" from low organ notes and bass drum hits 20 feet away.
The best sounding speakers I ever owned were a pair of Polk 10B monitors from the 1980s before Polk trod down the Bose path.
The Polks had a soft domed siver-wire tweeter, dual midrage drivers, and a 10 inch passive radiator. Both sets I gave away when I moved into an apartment. Now that I am into tubes I wish I had them back.... Yellow_Light_Colorz_PDT_32

[jeffdavison]

Original Advents are a great speaker as well.

JD

[joeriz]

I use Jean-Marie Reynaud Arpeggione Signatures in my upstairs system with my Welborne-modified ST-70. I use Dynaco A-25s in my basement system with a stock ST-70. And I use Boston Acoustics A40s in my bedroom system with my SCA-35. All work very well together!

Joe

[Hi-Fi Low-Life]

I think you'd be astonished by the Fostex FE127E 4.5” SHIELDED FULL RANGER ($ 36.50 each) in a small to medium sized vented cabinet.

If your budget allows it, the Fostex FX120s at $100 each are worth the extra money. I love mine!

[EWBrown]

The Madisound BK-16s with the Fostex FF165K 6.5 inch FR speakers and T90A supertweets are pretty nice, and the BK16 BLH kits are pretty easy to assemble, as all the hard work of cutting and routing are already done. The cabs by themselves are a bargain, around $98 each, plus shipping.

The FE166Es will also work very nicely in these and don't really need the somewhat pricey T90As.


http://www.madisound.com/bk16.html

I have a couple of homebuilt (someone else did all of the "dogwork" about 40 years ago) Karlson cabs, that I liberated from the local town dump, I populated these with Pyle "professional" PYM-1298 12 inch woofers. (These are rebranded (and lower cost) Eminence Kappa-12s), and my vintage 35 year old Altec Lansing N801-8A/806-8A/811B HF horns, and they are amazing. The efficiency is nearly 100 dB SPL and the bass response is incredible. I've given these the name "Mini VOTs" (Voice of the Theater).

These are shown elsewhere in this site. They definitely sound a LOT better than they look Yellow_Light_Colorz_PDT_02

Karlson cabs are very difficult to build properly, and I was very lucky to find these ones...


/ed B in NH

[sorenj07]

Well I don't have the speakers yet and I haven't built the amps yet but with my PP 6L6 'blocks I'll be using a pair of Cerwin Vega D7's - 34" tall monsters with a nice efficiency :)

[TomMcNally]

I love Cerwin-Vega! speakers .. I have the little 31" high RE-30's in my living room, currently being powered by my old Dynaco MK-IIIs, but usually powered by the Velleman K-4000 PPP EL-34 amp.

I have a pair of older ones in the spare room, gotta hook them up soon, I've had them for a long time - they are great too.

[TomMcNally]

Hey Soren -

By the way - when I play the kind of music you like on the Cerwin-Vegas with the Velleman cranked up (95 watts per channel) I have broken glasses in the kitchen, two rooms away ... scary !

... tom

[leadtower]

I'm in the process of building a pair of JBL Smith Horns and I read up above where EW has a pair of Karlson Cabs loaded with a 12" Pyle driver. That is a dream system it sounds like to me. I found that I can't live with other speakers after living with the very efficient horn loaded two-ways. I have an old speaker builder issue with instructions on the Karlson but it looks very daunting. Maybe just try a nice BR ported cab for the bottom end. Never see Karlson enclosures come up for sale.
I bought the Loth X BS 1's from Joe Roberts and they are a strange bird. They just don't sound like any other speaker I have ever heard. Sometimes they just sound allright; but sometimes they shine like gold. Go figure. I use the ST 35 on them and thats a real nice combo for a pretty cheap speaker and amp set-up. I think the GSG might do wonders with the BS 1's.
The other option I would love to try is the new version of the Dyna A 25 that is floating around now.