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Hi All
I know Diddly SQUAT about HI_Efficiency speakers other than they don't need a lot of power. I can't even say whether I've even ever heard any.
In my neck of the woods (Toronto) I'm sure I could buy a new pair but WAF & $$$ (yaknow)BUT maybe there is something up here in my price range?
The only true pair of Hi-E I've seen were $100K. I wouldn't spend that on my wife let alone a speaker!
I have a relatively small room and I'm searching for Nirvana lol.
room size is approx 15X15 with half of the ceiling at 8' and half at 7'
Amplification is provided by an AQ-1003dt Antique Sound Lab 35W Tube amp
An EAD T1000 and EAD T7000 HDCD DAC
There are 5 doors leading off this room and the room is not completely square. Basement with stairs and a little teeny 3 door area.
I'm running bookshelfs B&W's and they are ok but Timbre and realism just isn't happening with these speakers. I know I can do better!
I'm looking at something used $1K or less. Hi-Efficiency speakers appear to be the way to go?
HELP?
Follow Ups:
wd40,
Under $1000? Well, I bought my Klipsch LaScalas for $750, and they are beautifully finished. They are a great entry to high efficiency for two reasons. They are common, and can be had, and they are fully loaded horns. 104db efficiency. That's the real deal. You will spend more upgrading them.
Jamie
Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!
I would agree on the LaScalas ONLY if you'tre prepared to go the necessary upgrade road. With a few mods, LaScalas become wonderful. Stock, you might find them quite rough. It is a lot of fun to upgrade them, tho, a lot of ready-made upgrades exist on the market, and they're cheap and common.
I absolutely love mine (modded) and wouldn't trade them for anything else than a pair of JBL Everest K55000 ;)
Hey KayKay,
I think the bare minimum upgrades are; new mid horn, and an amplifer that can drive the stock xover, Decware SE84. $900 for upgrades and amp will do it. Particulars can be had for the asking.
The JBL Everest.
I read all the literature on it. Went to RMAF in 2010, walked into a hotel room, and there it was. SCHWING!! Within 15 seconds I was heartbroken, and I mean it. It was like meeting the girl of your dreams, and then she opens her mouth. Why do they always have to ruin it?
Boomy one note bass. I could go on. Hang onto your front loaded bass bins. Direct radiator bass bins are part of the dark side of the force.
Jamie
Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!
KayKay? :)
the Everest i'm talking about is the old one, from the eighties. Totally different animal. The 15inch driver is actually more a midbass driver; efficiency is priviledged over bass extension, lightweight cone and pleated edge suspensions... I doubt they would ever sound boomy or "one-note".
KayKay would be your nickname given to you by Southern Black Americans if you lived here. BTW can I live Bruges? These are all meant to be funny.
Re you post. Listen before you buy with those speakers.
Later,
J
Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!
WD40:
I purchased a pair of Hoyt-Bedford speakers (97 dB sensitivity) from Louis at Omega Speakers. It will be a while before I hook them up (Dec - long story) but I will try to remember to get back to you once I have them up and running. I have been learning about tubes and got a 300B integrated amp from Antique Sound Labs and tried to drive a pair of Nola Boxers (90 dB sensitivity). They sounded pretty good (with a couple of REL subwoofers for the bottom end) but they seemed congested since the ASL amp was only putting out 9 wpc. So I ordered the Hoyt-Benford speakers and an Audio Space Galaxy 34 (EL34 tubes outputting 16 wpc in triode and 32 in ultra linear) to drive the Boxers. One way or the other, I expect the Hoyt-Bedfords will be an excellent introduction to high efficiency speakers.
Don't be afraid to ping me if I forget to get back to you… 8^)
Good luck with your search.
Mike
Not sure what you mean by realism. If it is dynamics realism, you might wait for a pair of Klipsch Forte or Forte II, in the colour black. You won't need to use a sub with them either.
You'd be best off building your own. For under $500 you could build a pair of Frugal-horns, using the Fostex FE126En driver.
I built a pair of small boxes for these drivers and my 15wpc (if that) 6B4G push-pull amp could drive them to ridiculously loud levels. The Frugal-horn is supposed to be a properly sized box that will make them shine and the drivers themselves are rated 94db I believe. And while there are higher efficiency speakers out there, 94db is a lot more than you're getting now. There are also other drivers that can be used in the same box, such as the Alpair 7.3, but they aren't as efficient.
I'm sure someone will chime in and tell us why the Fostex won't sound good, peakiness, harsh, shouty. But in practice they will have a gorgeous midrange that give vocals such a presence that you won't believe how cheap they are. Timbre and realism will be there. Bass, maybe not so much if you're used to big thumping bass down to 25hz. But you will get bass from these small drivers. Just google Frugal Horn and you'll find out more. (I'm not a shill for these guys, just have been following what they're doing. Making a lot of money is not one of them, although they do sell some products.) They're in Canada too if that matters to you.
Frugel Horns don't do dynamics well. Not bad sounding but too small to do any real bass (if that's something that matters to you) or real dynamics. I should know, I built them a few years ago.
wd40,
I would look on US audiomart, audiogon, or ebay for a nice used pair Tannoy 10" or 12" dual concentric speakers with preference to the 12" monitors. It will give the best sound for the money but possibly be over your budget ( not by too much )but worth it in the long run. Good luck.
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