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Best Speakers with Low WPC Receiver

Paul McShart

Paul McShart

Member
Hey, hope you are all having a good Fourth of July. So I've been looking for speakers to pair with my Pioneer SX-990 (28wpc) and many of you have helped me narrow it down to a select few:

Marantz Imperial 6

KLH 6/23 or KLH 5

Nova 8

Dynaco A25

I actually have a pair of Nova 8's right now and they sound pretty good but one of the woofers is buzzing, and the tweeters are dead (checked with multimeter). So I will be returning especially because I paid 140 for them.

Anyway, I did like them and can imagine they sound incredible when fully functioning. But now that I got another chance to get whichever speakers I like, the Marantz Imperial 6 seem to be the best out of the three. Unfortunately the one seller in my area that had a pair decided to keep them last minute (I guess they really are that good). I've also heard amazing things about the KLH 6/23 and even the KLH 5, but they seem to be less efficient and may struggle when powered by the SX-990. Also the Dynaco A25's just seem like an all around classic in this forum so I figured I could give that a shot especially since they seem to require less power than the others.

Just wanted to get the community's thoughts on these speakers paired with a low wattage amp, and am open to other suggestions of course!

btw, I know I messaged a few of you personally and that was immensely helpful, I just figured I'd ask the whole community to see what everyone else thinks too
 
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I'd suggest one that's not on your list - later gen ADS L520's. They are quite efficient as well as sounding really nice with impressive bass. Mine are all original and sound great with tube amps and vintage amps and receivers. They have rubber surrounds and no ferrofluid, so at least those aren't an issue. They tend to be relatively common and inexpensive.
Edit: I realize that these aren't quite from the same period as those you've mentioned, I believe they were released in the early 80's.
 
Klipsch KG 2.2 Vintage Speakers Pair *Oiled Oak* These are on ebay in Irvine, CA. These are very efficient and sound very nice...
 
nolasally said:
Klipsch KG 2.2 Vintage Speakers Pair *Oiled Oak* These are on ebay in Irvine, CA. These are very efficient and sound very nice...
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Ooh thanks for that suggestion, that's actually really close to me. I'll definitely look into it.

I know this is a different Klipsch, but another AKer who was telling me about the imperials 6's also has a pair of Klipsch Heresy's that he really likes, but they also seem to be harsh for some people. How are the 2.2 compared to the Heresy's?
 
David_NC said:
I'd suggest one that's not on your list - later gen ADS L520's. They are quite efficient as well as sounding really nice with impressive bass. Mine are all original and sound great with tube amps and vintage amps and receivers. They have rubber surrounds and no ferrofluid, so at least those aren't an issue. They tend to be relatively common and inexpensive.
Edit: I realize that these aren't quite from the same period as those you've mentioned, I believe they were released in the early 80's.
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Ok I'll search up on those, thanks for the suggestion ! And I don't really mind what period they were made, as long as they sound good and to a lesser extent, if they look nice
 
Paul McShart said:
Ok I'll search up on those, thanks for the suggestion ! And I don't really mind what period they were made, as long as they sound good and to a lesser extent, if they look nice
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I didn't notice you were in OC initially. I see them for sale locally fairly often, along with quite a few higher models.
 
David_NC said:
I'd suggest one that's not on your list - later gen ADS L520's. They are quite efficient as well as sounding really nice with impressive bass. Mine are all original and sound great with tube amps and vintage amps and receivers. They have rubber surrounds and no ferrofluid, so at least those aren't an issue. They tend to be relatively common and inexpensive.
Edit: I realize that these aren't quite from the same period as those you've mentioned, I believe they were released in the early 80's.
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ADS L-710s are pretty good at 90 sensitivity
 
I don't know if they are still available, but it looks like there are a pair of KLH model 17's listed on the Orange County Craigslist for $50 that might be worth a listen. No affiliation.
 
Paul McShart said:
Hey, hope you are all having a good Fourth of July. So I've been looking for speakers to pair with my Pioneer SX-990 (28wpc) and many of you have helped me narrow it down to a select few:

Marantz Imperial 6

KLH 6/23 or KLH 5

Nova 8

Dynaco A25

I actually have a pair of Nova 8's right now and they sound pretty good but one of the woofers is buzzing, and the tweeters are dead (checked with multimeter). So I will be returning especially because I paid 140 for them.

Anyway, I did like them and can imagine they sound incredible when fully functioning. But now that I got another chance to get whichever speakers I like, the Marantz Imperial 6 seem to be the best out of the three. Unfortunately the one seller in my area that had a pair decided to keep them last minute (I guess they really are that good). I've also heard amazing things about the KLH 6/23 and even the KLH 5, but they seem to be less efficient and may struggle when powered by the SX-990. Also the Dynaco A25's just seem like an all around classic in this forum so I figured I could give that a shot especially since they seem to require less power than the others.

Just wanted to get the community's thoughts on these speakers paired with a low wattage amp, and am open to other suggestions of course!

btw, I know I messaged a few of you personally and that was immensely helpful, I just figured I'd ask the whole community to see what everyone else thinks too
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For KLH it is the 5. They will be fine with your current receiver. More power would be nice, but you're gonna get that later anyway.
If you're thinking Dynaco, it would be the Dynaco A40XL. Ding Ding Ding!!!!
Yes to Marantz Imperial 5 and 6, skip the 7.
If you try a Realistic again stick with Nova 8/8b, Optimus 5/5b, Optimus T100/T200 and Optimus 7, if you can find it. Don't buy the MachOne without a LONG listen.
 
I would buy whatever speaker that is being sold for cheap as long as it is an ak approved speaker. We like all kinds but there are many that are not approved by folks here.

All ak approved (there is not list, gotta search and see comments) sound good and you will probably enjoy them. Buying cheap allows you to sell them on as you get more experience with sound and what you want your speakers to sound like and do for your and your system. You have a few years of this dialing in the system before you have to hold what you have for a period of time. Might as well experiment.
 
KLH 5:) Had them on a 20 wpc SX-626 and it was a nice match.

Klipsch Heresy on the same reciever. Also a nice match.

KLH has better bass. Heresy is more efficient.

If you like a lot of classical music, the Heresy may be better. A decent subwoofer helps.

No one has mentioned the Large Advent, or New Large Advent (NLA). You could do a lot worse. I still have two pair and they also played great on the little Pioneer.
 
Blue Shadow said:
I would buy whatever speaker that is being sold for cheap as long as it is an ak approved speaker. We like all kinds but there are many that are not approved by folks here.

All ak approved (there is not list, gotta search and see comments) sound good and you will probably enjoy them. Buying cheap allows you to sell them on as you get more experience with sound and what you want your speakers to sound like and do for your and your system. You have a few years of this dialing in the system before you have to hold what you have for a period of time. Might as well experiment.
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Yeah the more I'm reading about speakers the more I realize they are all good, just different flavors for different folks.

I'm basically gonna do just that, I've got more than enough suggestions to go on from here I feel.
 
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