Speakers for a tube amp? Crap budget.

[RamblinE]

I should be finishing building my first tube amp and firing it up this weekend. It's an S5 Electronics K-12G with four 10GV8 tubes. I've gotten to thinking about speakers and fact is I buy most of my speakers used anyway and only have about $200 to blow. Option A) Klipsch SB-2 bookshelf speakers. Option B) Optimus Pro LX5 bookshelf speakers.

However, what should I be looking out for in the pawn shops/Goodwills/ on Ebay, etc? What's not only easy to find and affordable used but will also go well with a small tube amp? I've got $200 bucks tops and a Mazda Miata. Maybe a Mercedes Sprinter if I can pull in a favor.

 

[nick12345]

Of your two choices, I would go with the Klipsch. The Optimus would probably work fine, but something makes me think the Klipsch will go better with low-watt tubes. As for other suggestions, maybe some Realistic Nova 8bs with the VL mods? I've looked at the response graphs on those things and they are impressive. The speakers themselves are pretty easy to find for not too much $$$. The only thing I'd be concerned with would be the sensitivity. I have a feeling it's not particularly high, which is a definite plus with a low-wattage amp. Might still work, but they may require more power from your amp to really get going. Another thing that might be nice are some of those old 60s coaxial drivers. You could even build your own cabs for them. Something like Bozaks would be very cool with tubes, methinks. Another way to go might be E'waves, but they'll be right up to your $200 budget. Not a problem if you can get some free speakers and retrofit them. Building your own from scratch would go over budget, even though that's probably ideal. I was able to obtain free speakers that were good E'wave candidates, and they turned out great.

Just a few options to consider.

 

[tmad40blue]

Boston Acoustics, while not the most efficient speakers out there, sound pretty great on tubes. Look for the A100 or A150.

 

[theebadone]

Since you like the hands on approach, why not find a couple nice boxes and join the Ewave thread here on AK.

 

[elnaldo]

With$200 you can get very nice sounding budget , not crap budget!!! Take a look at this thread, almost the same question:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=341095

 

[MWalt]

I have tried a lot of different speakers on my tube setup and have been surprised by the results on many occasions. I would try to get a nice clean pair of Dynaco A-25's. Moe sensitive than you think and just seem to work well with tube amplification.

 

[Yankee Dog]

Boston Acoustics, while not the most efficient speakers out there, sound pretty great on tubes. Look for the A100 or A150.

Even the a40 sounds nice with tubes. Small bookshelf, big sound. I was impressed with sound running with a whopping 3 watts (rh84). YD

 

[djnagle]

200 bucks??? if you played your cards right, that could get you a good bit of speaker. Right off the bat, I will look into the eWave. I've never spent more than 200 bills and all the ones I've built would kick the butts of the two you first mentioned.

Also, keep you eye on the local CL, SA, GW, GS. I bought a pair of ESS AMT 1C for $180 and spent $22 on a reform kit for the PR.

 

[erniejade]

maybe some old bozaks?

 

[chip18sw]

I'd look for a good vintage speaker also. Any Klipsche would probably be a good match. I have a crap load of LX 5's myself and I love them. But they are surprisingly inefficient. I think if you already have the LX5's find a small powered sub to go with them and I think you'll be happy.
But LX5's driven full range (such as it is with 10 watts? I don't know?

 

[RamblinE]

I've just bookmarked the econowave thread because it sounds fantastic and there's tons to read. I have a pair of large KLH's, nothing vintage, that I would use for friend's parties. Tweeters have long since blown. I think I'll have to salvage the 15 inch woofers for when I know how to match horns and make crossovers. I think I've found my next project until I can afford another tube kit.

I like the suggestions here and I'm always prowling the Tallahassee CL but living out in the country and working so much prevents me from prowling the Goodwills like I used to be able to do back home. However I was considering contacting somebody selling an EQ and using that with the amp. I don't know how much of a difference that'll make with tubes but the price is right.

Any more speaker suggestions would be welcome. What works for veterans is most worthy consideration for a rookie like me. I've been prowling the Ebay for a pair of Mach One's for awhile now that I could possibly pick up but the closest pair has been in Tampa. Shipping those beasts is just out of my price range at the moment.

 

[djnagle]

I pull the trigger on those KLHs.....maybe. Do you have a model number. Post it in the eWave thread and you will get the responce you need.

 

[RamblinE]

Moderator note: Please leave transactions out of the forums and in the classifieds

 

[backinthelou]

Boston Acoustics, while not the most efficient speakers out there, sound pretty great on tubes. Look for the A100 or A150.

I have a pair of A150's and they like alot of power. They sounded like crap on some 50 watt receivers I have, but really started to come alive with a Sansui 881 rated at 63wpc.

BTW: When I say "come alive", I mean they sound crystal clear and seem to really like the power.

 

[Isotonic]

My father in law runs 30 watts of Creek power on his A200's and they sound wonderful. I strongly recommend BA, as well as Klipsch. DCM TimeFrame speakers are easy to drive and sound excellent too. Klipsch will be hard to find in your price range.

 

[TerryO]

I have tried a lot of different speakers on my tube setup and have been surprised by the results on many occasions. I would try to get a nice clean pair of Dynaco A-25's. Moe sensitive than you think and just seem to work well with tube amplification.

I like to diy my speakers, but obviously that's not for everybody.

That's an interesting suggestion about the Dynaco A-25's as they may not be super efficient, but with an aperiodic loaded woofer they have a pretty nice and smooth impedance curve (not some nominal number, but the actual curve itself) which is exactly what most tube amps need to really perform up to their potential. SET amps have the greatest problem with erratic impedance curves, PP tube amps less so, but it's still a problem. The result is "bad Bass" that has almost nothing to do with the so-called and vastly over-rated "Damping Factor."

Good Suggestion!

Best Regards,
TerryO

 

[phatster]

I asked this same question....I ultimately settled on a pair of KLH 23's and love em.You can find them within your budget and they might even have updated surrounds and caps.Good luck.

 

[icenine]

I have a Jolida 102b push pull 16 watts 6BQ5 speakers...
I have some Klipsch SB-3....they are ok but I do not go to them too often....
KLH Model Seventeen if you like lush midrange..or KLH Model Six if you really need a good low end but mid-range is not as sweet as the 17 but still great

If you like rock and roll and jazz and really great bass response my new favorite tube speaker is the RSL 3600.....sounds fantastic with vinyl amazing low end response...can be a tad bright however....

am now auditioning some Timeframe 250s I just picked up for $20....my new favorite? Time will tell

 

[Sam Cogley]

Find some nice vintage speakers, you don't have to go for the very expensive JBL, Altec, Bozak, Klipsch, Electro-Voice, etc. models, though they are nice. For example, a Japanese company called Kanazawa made some very good speakers in the tube era that fly under the radar and can often be bought for very little money. Also, a lot of speakers were DIY in those days, so either home-built or kit-built cabinets can often have nice surprises inside.

 

[TerryO]

Find some nice vintage speakers, you don't have to go for the very expensive JBL, Altec, Bozak, Klipsch, Electro-Voice, etc. models, though they are nice. For example, a Japanese company called Kanazawa made some very good speakers in the tube era that fly under the radar and can often be bought for very little money. Also, a lot of speakers were DIY in those days, so either home-built or kit-built cabinets can often have nice surprises inside.

Actually, the drivers out of an older stereo console work well on an Open Baffle and if you're lucky there may be an interesting tube amp in the console as well! Many, including someone I much admire :^), started that way and it's unbelievable how good these things can sound with a little work and a bit of study.

Just a suggestion.

Best Regards,
TerryO