Good vintage speakers for tube gear.

broomdust

broomdust

Member
Hello,
wasn't sure if I should post in here or speakers..

Anyway, I'm starting to pick-up components for a tube system (mainly Dynaco) here and there and am now thinking about speakers.

I know a25's would be a no-brainer but in my area there are Wharfedale w60d and w70. As well as AR 2ax to audition. I also own KLH 17's.

Klipsch? Cornwall, Heresy ? I'm just not up to snuff on tube audio, still will be a SS man too.

Thanks a bunch..
 
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It really will depend on the sensitivity of the speakers and the WPC your amps will be putting out.

A little more info on your rig would be helpful.
 
KLH Model Six....I have the 17s and while they sound pretty decent the Six really beats them with my pp 20 watt Jolida....and if you go solid state the Six will really fit in well there also....
sensitivity is important but in the end it is how your speaker sounds..I have a set of 102db Pioneer CS-77s that are well....just are not as good as the Sixes

I also recommend the Klipsch SB-3 bookshelf...93db and can be found reasonably priced used...a very nice tube speaker .
 
I agree with the KLH Six beating the 17 and being an all around very nice speaker with most tube gear I tried mine with. So far, I've been happiest with B&W Dm-2a with my tube gear that's around 25-35 wpc. Those are few and far between in the states, I think, but if you got lucky they sound fantastic on tube gear. I liked them much better than the New England school of speakers I've had (Advent, klh, AR, Avid) on my tubes. Similar sonic character but more detail. The KLH Sixes are really nice, though, for a simple speaker that typically sells for next to nothing.

My next favorites of mine after the B&Ws are Altec Boleros. Not as big as most Altecs, I find them easy to live with because of that.
 
i am partial to anything with a horn for tubes...for the $$ I think some EV's would be the choice for me.
 
My Maggie AMP142 monoblocks are driving LaScala's quite nicely. My Sansui 1000A drives Wharfedale w-70's and w-60's. But my favorite speakers are my Goodmans Axiom woofers and Trebax horn tweeters stuffed into Sansui SP2500 cabs, right now being driven by a Maggie 8802. A-25s sound great, but arent as efficent as these...
 
My ST-70 powers my Wharfdale W30d's, and drives the hell outa them, but unfortunatly I have no idea what the specs are on the W30's as ive never even seen another pair, like ever....except for another thread online somewhere.

Mark
 
I'm running Heresy IIs upstairs (main hifi) powered by either an ST35 or a Millett DCPP. In the basement (home theater) I have a Fisher 800c driving a pair of Axiom M22Ti monitors - soon to be replaced by a trio of Klipsch KP-250 industrial Heresies. The Axioms are nice, but a little polite. I prefer the Klipsch (augmented by a subwoofer) as they really grab you by the balls.

-D
 
New Large Advents really sing with my ST70. Also have Forte II and KG2. AR 2AX will sound great as will AR 3A. JBL 4312 or L96 will also match up great.
 
EV regency sounds great (with Dynaco Mark IV), Bozak Grand Concert and Bozak 302A as well(with Mark III). Klipsch Heressey and Wharfedale 70 sound good with ST70. AR's are power hungry. A25 , Large Advents, Bozak Tiempo and KLH6 all are fine. My two cents.
 
Maybe the Tannoy 12" and 15" are out of your price range, but there is a very good reason they are so expensive today, decades after their manufacture. I use a pair of Integras with my tube amps and they work great even with PP 2A3 amps putting out 10W.
 
i got myself a pair of cabinets from ALTEC model 17 very heavy and large $25.00 investment, purchased a pair of altec 422-8Z 15" used in music reproduction LIVE applications $150.00, found in 1994 a pair of maggy 109 horns for mids, found in 1993 a pair of pioneer pt-103f horns for tweeters. found in 1982 a pair of Stromberg Carlson 463 Three way crossovers
This is a cool way for me to get the simular look and sound to a klipsch cornwall TURN the ALtec 17's upside down placing the 15" more to the lower position load it with the Altec 422-8z 15's, using the normal placed air vent, a long centered square hole, for placing the Maggy 109 horn's made by Jensen, using Altec hole for thier crossover position as the vent for lower freq movement, and just placing the Pioneer pt-103f on the top for now firing foward. attach the Stromberg Carlson 463 three way crossovers on back. im pritty much done with them, very mighty sound at any volume, ear plitters at near half volume, body moving at high volume
OH Man i do know what it is like for sure, i power it all through my 1960's Stromberg Carlson 434 Stereo Preamp into a Stromberg Carlson Asr-120 7408 P/P at about a total of 12-16 watts at the very most, A friend of mine works as a registered MacIntosh Tech and has a magic room in his celler full on test and equipment for his life. he is also on tour for months during his year. A true Musician, song writer, performer, does special orders from musicians in the current industries making guitar and stage tube equipment. I asked Mike can ya do me a favour and go through my tube gear and dance your magic on them for me. He took them home and it only took him 2 weeks and he was very surprised by the design and the quality of what Stromberg Carlson used in their assemblies. So it took a couple of more weeks to recieve em as he was very impressed and was listening to them for another two weeks. I went all out with a quad of NOS 1958 RCA clear glass 7408 matched to 2%. a pair of NOS 1958 RCA 7199 matched at 2%. They are a great set of tubes nothing i have ever heard sound as good and i have plenty of 6v6gt and the sort but do not come close to this set up im running.
In the Stromberg Carlson 434 Preamp i also put in some very sought after tubes both 12ax7 are NOS 1953 Rca Tall Black Plates, 12ay7a are National brand Made In England smooth gray plate. so very reboast, crystal clear, absolutly quite at all listening levels, thundrous bass as volume reaches 2.5 cant make out what day it is at 7.0 on the volume. got to love america where else can you make this set up for under a $1000.00
 
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Klipsch, vintage Altec and JBL work very well with tube driven systems. I also have a set of vintage 1950's Tannoy speakers that sound very nice. :yes:
 
After many years of a love (recording/mixing) hate (mastering/playback) relationship with JBL Studio speakers and SS amps, I had the chance to listen to the 4311's with an EL34 and a KT88 Amp a few years back. That would have turned them into a love/love relationship. We were taught to use SS in the studio, would like to shoot that teacher.

If music from the 70s is your thing then that would be something to consider since a very large portion of 70's and into the 80's music was recorded and mixed on the 4311's. Set them up up in a mid field listening position and you can get pretty close to what the mixing engineer was hearing. Something to think about for a 2nd system and pretty easy on the wallet these days.

Cheers,
Ian
 
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