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Best Speakers for EICO HF 81?

Surprisingly, I use B&W Matrix 804s (which are only 89db efficient and are said to dip low in impedance) with my Eico HF-81, and I think the system sounds like nirvana. The tubes give the bass a real shine, and the highs sound like melted caramel. This set up sounds very "3-D" to me. Great soundstage. I should note that I am now using the Sherwood 5000 with the El84 tubes with the Matrix speakers as I await my refurbed Eico's return. The Sherwood is supposed to be 20 wpc - I will see which sounds better when the Eico returns. The Sherwood may in fact sound even better with the extra 5 wpc. By the way, the Sherwood with the El 84 tubes is a real sleeper. I got one in complete working condition off of ebay for $200, and I had to pay $350 for an Eico that needed some work.
 
Sherwood

Thats really interesting. Thanks for posting about rhe Sherwood. Truthfully, I am not surprised!

In my opinion, any amp that uses the EL84 is going to sound at least "good", and great if you use the right 12ax7s, or 12Au7s or whatever in the pre-amp and/or driver section. The EL84 is just a magical sounding tube and is perfectly "right" with 50s and 60s music.

That , I think is really why the EICO HF81 is such a fantastic sounding amp...its the ability to "tune" it so many ways by changing the tube complement, and the design decision to use the EL84s. The EICO ST-40, which was the follow-up in 1960, didnt use the EL84s and was not anywhere near as great sounding at the Hf-81, altho on its own, it didnt sound bad. When you've owned both (as I have) you just know what a difference there is between the two amps.

I'm not surprised that the B&W 804s sound good, thats a really nice speaker. I would be a bit worried tho, about damaging the HF81 by making them drive the 804s....89DB means the 81 is working pretty hard. I wouldnt go below 92db efficiency, myself.
 
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My HF-81 paved the way to a deeper appreciation of my Yamaha NS-1000M, which as I understand it are not incredibly efficient at 90 db.
 
Playing mine with custom made cabinets composed of Electrovoice SP12-B and TW35 horn tweeters. Tone controls in center position 'cause adding some treble make the sound a little harsh.
 
Yeah, I was getting worried about using the Eico with the B&W speakers - so, I switched to Electro-Voice 15TRXB speakers. They are close to 100 db efficiency, especially in the huge cabinets they are in. They sound wonderful with the Eico.
 
Yes - so far they sound excellent with the EV speakers. I am still getting used to the change from the B&W speakers (the EVs are much warmer), but I think this is going to be an excellent match. The cabinets, however, take up quite a bit of space.
 
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