Bookshelf speakers for tube amp

Cassidy

I am very interested in creating a 2 channel tube based system. But one of my concerns or constraints is I need to keep the speakers fairly small as this set-up will be in the living room and the WAF is weighing heavily.

It seems, thanks to the laws of physics, you can have large highly sensitive speakers or you can have small low sensitivty speakers but you can't get small (bookshelf) speakers that are highly sensitivite.

I've considered SET amps that produce just a few wpc, but assume I would really need efficient speakers. I've also considered a 60wpc kit from tubes4hifi which might allow me to get away with smaller less efficient speakers.

I've also thought about goinq with a tube pre with a ss amp.

Has anyone been down this road before and can offer some guidance?

thanks

heiney9

So do you have the tube amp yet? If not, it's going to be hard to make recommendations. You mention a living room, but dimensions and seating position would help, as well as if this is just for music and is it possible to have a sub. How loud are you looking to play it on average?

An SET with a few watts will work with horn speakers in a typical living room, but not much else until you look into single driver speakers, etc.

25-60 wpc in tube power is a good rule of thumb for std efficiency book shelf type speakers. Or a tube pre and SS amp. Check out the EPOS ELS 3.

H9

dkg999

Epos ELS-3, M5
AVT123 ELT-525 with caps/resistors upgraded
LSi7
Paradigm Studio Reference 20
Totem Rainmakers
Polk Monitor 5 with upgraded x-overs

Lots of options, as H9 says we need a little more info.

I sometimes run the EPOS ELS-3's powered by a Rogue 66 Magnum pre, Marsh A200S ss amp and use a Polk MicroPro 2000 sub. It's a very nice system.

Cassidy

H9 - thanks for the reply. I do not have the tube amp yet. If I absolutely need large speakers for a tube amp then I may need to abandon the tube amp route.

- Room dimensions are approximately 10x16
- Music only
- speakers would be along one of the 10ft walls
- Would like to include a sub in the mix
- Volume would be moderate, not head banger loud

Let me read up on the EPOS.

sucks2beme

50 wpc would drive B&w cm5's,Proac studio 100's, easily drive Paradigm studio 40's.
SET's would mean a very short list of speakers. I wouldn't go SET unless you already had
a speaker in mind. My ARC at 50wpc works pretty well in a bedroom with Proac Studio 125's
(floorstanders) rated at 87db. It runs out of steam with the Hales revelation ones,
rated at 86db, so the db rating is only part of the puzzle.

heiney9

dkg999 wrote: »

I sometimes run the EPOS ELS-3's powered by a Rogue 66 Magnum pre, Marsh A200S ss amp and use a Polk MicroPro 2000 sub. It's a very nice system.

Very nice sounding rig.

To the OP, I don;t think you have to abandon the tube integrated amp idea you just need to mate it well with the speakers you choose in your room. If you are in doubt you can always go the tubed pre-amp/soild state amp route. Do you have a budget in mind? Because that's the next important factor.

Face

http://tannoy.com/ResidentialSummary.aspx#&&/wEXBAUDU2lkBQItMQUEU1NJZAUCMjEFA0FWSQUBMQUBVAUBTXoQVKxeSsh/w8PfjLaSaj12HBor

Check out the Revolution and Revolution Signature. Both are fairly easy to drive and have decent efficiency.

madmax

Set isn't good for small speakers, at least none I've seen. Well maybe for background music. Pick your speakers first, then the amp for the speakers, etc. Get the perfect speaker for your situation.

marvda1

if you have to have a set amp, audio mirror out of houston texas makes a 20 watt and a 45 watt mono block.
http://www.audiomirror.com/

madmax

marvda1 wrote: »

if you have to have a set amp, audio mirror out of houston texas makes a 20 watt and a 45 watt mono block.
http://www.audiomirror.com/

Excellent!