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I have a 3 watt SET and I'm looking for a high efficiency speaker that can be purchased at say Frys Electronics or something local. My room is 10' x 12' x 8' high and my Klipsch Quartets are too bass heavy in this room. I've raised the speakers off the floor, moved them out into the room, packed the boxes with polyfill....you name it. Room is treated as well. I've had the best luck with tower speakers with 6" or less woofers. Even multiple smaller woofers work. I'm not really into the Klipsch sound. My listening preferences are jazz, female vocals, blues and older rock.
I'm sure you guys get these questions a lot but with my smallish room I can't use large speakers.
Thanks!
Eric
Follow Ups:
Moth Cicadas, if you can find a pair. I think they're the "bang for the buck" champs. Not as sensitive as some of the horns, but they can get by with some pretty small amps - as long as your not filling an auditorium!
...also, the smaller Bozaks work very well with smaller tube amps, they have a nice smooth sound, base is surprisingly well damped, work well close to the wall, and they are pretty easy to come across - though I've never tried any on 3wpc before.
Edits: 06/06/12
I second the Tekton design speakers. My M-lores are every bit as good as my Klipsch Forte's (upgraded with Crites crossover and titanium diaphragms). Both sound very good with a 4 watt 421A-based SET. The M-lores are faster, and therefore, have more slam.
To compare them so favorably to Fortes with Crites mods is something. Hopefully the Tekton's bass is lighter than the Fortes. My small room can't handle it.
Yes, it is "lighter". I use a subwoofer with it. I think you would be pleasantly surprised with the M-lores. The full size Lores are too big for my room, and they would have an octave more of bass, but the bass control and balance on the M-lores is wonderful.
For a small room like that, and a budget of $500, I'd recommend something like Fostex FE-103 on an open baffle, crossed around 150hz to a Parts Express powered subwoofer in the 8"-12" range. Two subs, one for each channel. Ideally, you can cross the amps first-order at line-level, thus freeing up the amp from the bass range and squeezing a bit more power and control out of it. It won't rock the block, but it will sound good in a little room like that, and not take up too much space.Another option is a mono system. Cuts your speaker building cost in half, and you have two amps to biamp if you like. With mono, I'd consider something like a B&C DE250 on a Parts Express 12" waveguide, crossed around 1000hz to an Eminence Beta12A or Altec 414 on open baffle and a Parts Express 12" powered subwoofer on the bottom.
Lastly, I had a lot of fun with the Fostex F-120A in ten liter boxes, powered with 3 watts, in a 12x12 room. Today, they sound very dinky to me, though.
Edits: 06/04/12
You can try them out in your home for 30 days and return them for a refund if they are not your cup of tea. You'll only be out return shipping.
I have the little 2 way 4.5s. I have heard that their Open Baffle Design is really special. You buy direct from the owner. Give Erik a call and discuss your needs.
Cut-Throat
I use Klipsch Heresy's with my homebrew 2A3 amp. Not bass heavy at all, but if you don't like the Klipsch sound you may want to try something else.
The Heresy's are easy to find locally and not so expensive. People are always looking to sell these for an upgrade. Not very large.
Aren't the woofers of the Heresy about the same size as the Quartets? Too much bass is my main problem with the Heritage series. I've read countless reports of bright, fatiguing sound with the Heresys as well which may be calmed with Crites drivers.???
Not much output below 50hz....the great tradeoff for efficiency and size I suppose. If all you listen to is jazz and vocals they are really nice with SET. Forget about orchestral, pipe organ or loud rock. I wouldn't characterize these as fatiguing- I can listen to them all night....but they are definitely an acquired taste. I have a friend who has K-horns, Fortes and Belles....these don't sound quite like his stuff.....but he is powering his stuff with SS and PP EL-34.
You can always add a subwoofer, preferably one that can keep up.
Dave
First, I think you are limiting yourself tremendously by requiring that you purchase them at a local electronics store. The best sounding smallish speakers that I have had will never be sold at a big box electronic store.Second, what kind of a budget are you thinking about?
Here are some thoughts based on speakers I have heard with SET amps. These are all going to be used speakers, because the new price is pretty high or they are no longer made. Also, they will all be a little light in the bass, but if you are a real bass nut, a sub woofer, such as a REL T1 can fill in wonderfully. I have one in my 12 X 10 office, but I don't use it much.
Cain & Cain Abby's - great sounding, small footprint, but tall. Their was a nearfield version with different drivers.
Coincident Triumph Signature UHS - Extreme Version - best I have heard. The older Triumph versions are also excellent but the Extreme rules.
Reference 3A mm de Capo I - read the reviews. Runner up to the Coincidents.
One of the best values around are the Omega speakers, single driver speakers in a variety of sizes.
Finally, push you budget as far as you can because this is a critical link to good sound. Also, try the "buy used, listen, sell" strategy. You get the most for your dollar. Well made speakers last a very long time and are very reliable, don't feel you need a brick box near your house to service them. Good luck.
Edits: 05/29/12
Thanks for the replies thus far guys. I'm not much of a mini monitor type of guy. I usually lean towards floor standers. I mentioned buying from the local box stores because I've read that brands such as JBL, Polk, Klipsch and such can sound pretty good on a budget with 3 watts of tube power. The best sound I've obtained with my current amp is using Klipsch Cornwalls. They are huge and the bass nodes were way too much in my room. I then switched to the Quartets but I have to pull them way into the room to get a balanced sound. Bass is still too much and the horns end up sitting too close to me to do their magic.
I'm not opposed to used or vintage. I dislike speakers that do the Audiophile thing and shove the music in my face. My favorite speakers are Maggies. I'm just trying a different path here with SET and high eff speakers. My main goal is musicality with drive and impact. Make the performance believable and enjoyable.
Rick; I'm familiar with the brands you mentioned but have never heard any of those models. The single driver speakers seem to get a bad rap using such drivers as Fostex. Many complain of beaming sound. That would drive me nuts. I have seen great press about the Omegas and Tekton's. I'm looking to spend $500.00 or less. I know...but times are hard and money is tight.
I've read that brands such as JBL, Polk, Klipsch and such can sound pretty good on a budget with 3 watts of tube power.
Mate I don't think they can. Your not being realistic. Read what these diy guys are saying and spend a little more time,effort and money researching your decision. You wont be sorry. Personally for small rooms I would go for sealed monitor with a horn coax of vintage type but I respect your looking for something easier. Search for this thread type there is hundreds of them. A weekly occurrence.
Buy from a cut throat audiophile type speaker seller of the net. They have less overheads ,lower profit margins more speaker. Have fun.
Thanks for the reply.
I just remembered my experience with buying speakers for a SET amp at a big box store. In this case it was Circuit City, may they rest in piece. They had a 30 day full return policy, so I bought a pair of Klipsch RB-35. On paper these looked like a great candidate, 96 dB and 45 Hz. I played them every day for 30 days, hoping they would break in and be acceptable, but on day 30 they went back. Even after 30 days, the mids were just too fatiguing to listen to.
Hsu HB1-Mk2 -- Tractrix horn with a six inch woofer. I have a pair hooked up to a MiniWatt N3 with all of 3.5 Watts and it sounds very fine. About a 92dB efficiency.
Tekton Designs?
Observe, don't think
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