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In Reply to: what exactly is Hi Eff and why should I care? posted by Flyingsod on March 4, 2007 at 13:07:09:
perhaps many (most?) of the units mentioned in this forum will
be of little/no interest to you. If you are using tube amplification,
then you absolutely have everything to gain by studying up on what
you find here. The startling aliveness of reproduction possible
with high-eff speakers will be revelatory to you if you are accost-
omed to more conventional multi-way loudspeakers of low/moderate
sensitivity/efficiency. But again, the mating of the amplifier
type with the/a particular hi-eff speaker can be critical to the
sonic end result.Good Luck,
-T.M.
Follow Ups:
I have to agree with Tom.I'm using Altec Valencias in a DIY active system.The amplification is Kenwood 700C preamp(EchoWars modified),Yamaha B-2 v-fet amp for treble,Kenwood Basic M2 for bass range.All solid-state.
Best sound I've ever heard any where.
I maintain that all the Valencias require is good quality electronics.I've found them fussy though,they have revealed a few well regarded solid-state preamps to be not up to snuff.The source needs to be pretty good also,if the electronics(amps)are sufficiently transparent.
There's no such thing as a free-lunch in hi-fi.The weakest link in the chain can undo a lot of otherwise good purchasing decisions.
TM---I disagree.
I don't hold at all with this new orthodoxy, this tube-high efficiency thing. I've known people that have used horns and SS for over 35 years, I'm one of them. I've used horns with many amps from Dynaco 400s to SETs, PP tubes, chip-amps and tri-paths. And horns have always sounded better to me than any other type of speaker.I wouldn't doubt that for every guy using horns with tubes there are a dozen using SS and some of the best I've heard used Mac and QSC SS gear.
Right now I'm running one horn system with a Fisher tube receiver, another with a Denon SS HT receiver, another with a Dynaco tube preamp and a gain-clone and ANOTHER with a Sonic Impact. None of these systems would sound better with conventional speakers, not to me.
I posted (On DIYtubes) that once I had an amp tied directly to a driver, with no crossover parts in between, and said driver had a constant impedance in its pass band, then the differences between amps was much harder to hear.Given that, I can now better understand how so many of the guys here don’t find solid state objectionable. Before that experiment I would have expected a compression driver and horn to be a real ear driller with a pro sound reinforcement amp. I suppose those amps are now a lot better than the old Crowns of yesteryear.
Interesting. I supoose I shall know for myself eventually since I see at the end of my road a DIY tube amp. I will defiantly be comparing. Of course that is long ago and far away. It is nice to hear that I could be very happy before I get to that point though.
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