o0OBillO0o
Active Member
Anything from this century?
Most tube friendly speakers?
- Thread starter Jailtime
- Start date
Why this century? If I could find and afford a pair of WE 728bs, I could happily live with those. Otherwise, something old with the word "Altec" on the front of it....
PR Audio
Super Member
OK, I have 30 watts per channel @ 8 ohms of Fisher tube power to play with. What are the most tube friendly speakers out there? I've heard that speakers with low impedance drops are a nasty thing for tubes. Of course, I'd like something fairly efficient, and great (not just good) sound. :thmbsp: And the bass has to be good enough to keep up with Geddy Lee.
I've got some early EPI 100's (masonite inverted dome tweeter), good enough? :scratch2:
No mention of budget...I would say Klipsch KG series, other vintage Klipsch (already mentioned by others), Zu Audio Omen, horn loaded full range single driver speakers (need a sub for to fill the low end), and Tekton M-Lore (38 Hz) or Oriel-Ten (30 Hz). On the Tekton's is hear say, as I have not personally heard them. I liked the Zu Audio Omen.
With tubes, I have enjoyed and owned the Klipsch KG3.2, and PSB T45 (93dB, f3 = 35 Hz : f10 = 30 Hz). Because of my room acoustics, where my tube equipment is, bass is exagerated. These days I really enjoy a pair of PSB B15 (91 dB, f3 and f10 = 50 Hz). With 30 WPC of tube power any 88dB+ speaker will be fine for you.
PR Audio
Super Member
I like speakers from this Century, but simply because of modern looks. Having said that, there are some beautiful vintage speakers, and many great sounding ones. IMO, this vintage is better vs. modern is better is sort of ridiculous, you buy what you like. For me, sometimes it can be vintage, most of the time it has to be modern; though lots of DIY lately.
Surprised no one has mentioned any Altec's, of which I think would make a good choice for your tube amp. I am quite pleased with my pair of Sansui SP L700 speakers driven by my Fisher they sound great to me. As to using your amp on the Vintage Infinity's, I found them lacking in power to drive any of the model Infinity's I own, other than the smallest pair I have, and those were a pair of QLS-5's. If you were to use your Fisher just for the upper range biamping them with a more powerful amp for the lower frequencies it might work, but I don't think of the Fisher as being the tube amp of choice for the vintage larger model Infinity speakers.
Last edited:
o0OBillO0o
Active Member
That's my point. The above 30 year old forum members tout speakers from days gone by, just as baby boomers love their hot rods.
Nothing wrong with old speakers or hot rods.
Where are the modern classics.? The Klipschorn or Avantegarde are the only really two that are still in production that have been continually enhanced. The Zu Speakers are promising but with a single driver.
McIntosh has been able to keep the MC275 around for over 50 years and keep updating it will appropriate upgrades. Is the only match the Klipschorn?
PR Audio
Super Member
Though a single driver is mostly a coaxial design. And, it can go really low for a single driver. PSB Image are a favorite of mine, because of their price to performance ratio, and at 91dB+ efficiency they are easily handlled by most 14 wpc+ tube amp. I have powered them with Heathkit SA-2 EL84, and now with CJ MV75A KT90. They have never been shy on volume. Someone mentioned Wharfedale, and their newer Diamond series are very nice, though might be "too warm" for some tube amps. Again, for 30 wpc tubes any speaker with 88dB+ efficiency is worth auditioning.
o0OBillO0o
Active Member
PSB's and Paradigm have excellent, if not outrageous, price to performance ratios.
I am, and almost always, satisfied when I walk away from an audition from those two Canadian speaker manufacturers.
I have done some extensive search for coaxial designs but have not really chummed up to any sounds that they made.
Thanks.
Gang-Twanger
Resident Wharfedaliophool
Yeah, a 30-watt tube Fisher would sound beautiful with the early W90's (You have the early ones like I do, right?). The W90C's would also be a great match (The W90's have an excellent bass-response... Ultra-smooth, yet fat and well-controlled, and the mids and highs are to die for... If you like classic rock/pop, jazz, classical, R&B, funk, and acoustic music, you will love the W90's... Even old-school '80's and early '90's rap sounds great). The early, ported W70's would be great as well, and so would the later W70C's (The W70D's and W90D's would do better with a bit more power in comparison to the earlier models). And Wharfedales in general are very-affordable, especially in comparison to Altecs, JBL's, and all the other household-name brands like that.
I would love to have a Fisher 500c for my W90's (*EDIT* - Guess I should have typed "800c" instead
). They love tubes (They sounded delightful with an old Radio Shack 20wpc tube amp... A Fisher 500c would be heaven... A few AK'ers have paired a tube Fisher with W90's/W90C's and reported stellar, "OMG" results).Here's a short video of my W90's in action. Power was supplied by my solid-state Sansui 2000x, which is voiced like a tube amp (This was back when I first got them, before I got them home):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49yUX-f-S1g
Last edited:
seanrr
Well-Known Member
I second this nomination. To me, the Tannoy sound with tubes is very special...
:yes:
The W90s and a 500c are a match made in heaven both sonically and aesthetically. I much prefer it to my friends 500b + Crites modded Cornwall II combo.
Real quality never goes out of style. Good stuff is good stuff, whether made today or a century ago. These go with a nice tube amp like champagne and caviar...
If you've never heard a good WE speaker, you'll never believe how magical they can sound...
If you've never heard a good WE speaker, you'll never believe how magical they can sound...
olds442111
watching the reels
I run a set of KG5.5's with my tube integrated. Sounds really sweet.
Gang-Twanger
Resident Wharfedaliophool
Yup. They also don't need a huge room to sound great, and they're also great at low, background volumes (They ARE big speakers though... Just to be clear on that... But if you've got the room, oh boy...). I knew they'd be great with jazz and classical, but I never expected mine to sound as good as they do with funk music like James Brown, Tower Of Power, the Meters, Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone, and that sort of thing. They absolutely-love a good beat and a horn section (especially a horn section with a deep horn like a baritone sax). Instruments like electric guitars have plenty of weight to them. Bass-guitars are fat, rich, and well-defined without sounding oversized, and drums sound smooth, punchy, and dynamic. Everything is very-natural-sounding all around. That's their strength. They're a real "you are there" type of speaker.
Some might be fine with them sitting on the floor, but I found that mine sound best when sitting a good 8"-12" off the floor (I put together some homemade stands for mine... Under each cab, I have 2 cement blocks with some veneered 12"x36" boards on top, and the speaker sits on top of that... The point was to get the tweeters at eye/ear-level).
*EDIT* - And yes, they sound quite-good with old Rush stuff. "YYZ" is especially-nice ("Moving Pictures" is actually one of my favorite albums... I was listening to their debut album just last night). The W90's have a fat, yet well-controlled upper-bass that suits most music very, very-well.
Last edited:
I agree with whoever said the best matches for tube gear are speakers made during the heyday of tube equipment. Back in the 70's, I worked in a stereo shop (summer jobs as a teen), where the hot amps were McIntosh and Marantz, but transistor amps were coming into vogue, with lines like the Kenwood 7500, Sansui, etc. doing high-end amps. The speakers we sold then were KLH (5's, 6's 17's were great tube matches), and AR's, Klipsch for the carriage trade, Bozaks, Altec-Lansings and I forget what else. Some Infiinities, I remember fondly.
That said, there are a LOT of great new speakers being made for tube amps. The revival of single-ended amps has brought great speakers from people like Devore, Zu, and many garage manufacturers. I have a particular fondness for Audiokinesis speakers. His Prisms and Prisma's should falll within your price criteria and are extremely dynamic with tube gear. Efficiencies in the 93 db/1 watt range. Some of the best speakers I've heard (also horn-based) are the Classic Audio Reproduction T-6 speakers, but they were also about three times more expensive than the Audiokinesis speakers.
Anyway, you should have a lot of choices, although the small nature of these manufacturers makes it hard to hear them without going to audio shows (like Rocky Mountain Fest) to hear what the latest and greatest may be.
Hope this helps!
That said, there are a LOT of great new speakers being made for tube amps. The revival of single-ended amps has brought great speakers from people like Devore, Zu, and many garage manufacturers. I have a particular fondness for Audiokinesis speakers. His Prisms and Prisma's should falll within your price criteria and are extremely dynamic with tube gear. Efficiencies in the 93 db/1 watt range. Some of the best speakers I've heard (also horn-based) are the Classic Audio Reproduction T-6 speakers, but they were also about three times more expensive than the Audiokinesis speakers.
Anyway, you should have a lot of choices, although the small nature of these manufacturers makes it hard to hear them without going to audio shows (like Rocky Mountain Fest) to hear what the latest and greatest may be.
Hope this helps!
Just to add some specifics. I have several tube systems scattered about. These all sound very good:
1) upstairs bedroom: Eico HF-81 amplifier (12 wpc) with PSB Alpha speakers + PSB powered subwoofer
2) living room: North Creek Eska speakers with Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer powered by Harmon Kardon Citation-II (60 wpc).
3) Vandersteen 3 speakers powered by another Citation II, in home theatre
4) music room has a pair of Audiokinesis Prisma speakers powered by a Pilot SA-260 (about 30wpc), sounding fantastic!
Hope this helps!
1) upstairs bedroom: Eico HF-81 amplifier (12 wpc) with PSB Alpha speakers + PSB powered subwoofer
2) living room: North Creek Eska speakers with Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer powered by Harmon Kardon Citation-II (60 wpc).
3) Vandersteen 3 speakers powered by another Citation II, in home theatre
4) music room has a pair of Audiokinesis Prisma speakers powered by a Pilot SA-260 (about 30wpc), sounding fantastic!
Hope this helps!
Gang-Twanger
Resident Wharfedaliophool
Bozaks are another brand to keep in mind. My favorite of all the east coast brands. The large, Rudy-designed models from the '60's are excellent with both tube AND solid-state. They have a smooth, effortless, incredibly-musical voicing that works well with just about any music you throw at it.
