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best 5-20K speakers for high-end tube amp?

I have a Jadis JPS2 tube preamp and Jadis 845SE tube amp combination, and want to get a pair of speakers which really show off their sound. I currently have a pair of B&W804s, and I figure that seriously upgrading my speakers will give me a significant improvement in sound (these speakers are in a much lower budget range, and not ideal for tube amps I believe). What speakers would you recommend to really get the best out of my equipment? I heard the magic with my Jadis amp in the store with a pair of Wilson Puppys 5.1 in the store. My home system has decent sound, but not at all 'magical'. My currently listening environment is about 17 x 25 feet (9 foot ceiling), and I generally listen to jazz, pop, world (everything from indian classical to spanish flamenco to andean flute music, etc...), and vocal music of all kinds.

I figure the budget will be between US$5K and 20K somewhere, and I will try to buy used, but this will be difficult since I live in China.
no_slouch

Showing 2 responses by audiokinesis

audiokinesis
2,755 posts
 
Hi No Slouch,

Sounds like you have some excellent electronics there.

Much as I like Maggies, I don't think they'd be a good match for an 845-based tube amp. Their sensitivity is rated at 85 dB for a 2.83 volt input, and since they are a 4-ohm load (and 2.83 volts into 4 ohms = 2 watts), their efficiency is only 82 dB for a 1 watt input. That's pretty low.

How important is a wide sweet spot to you? How important is dynamic contrast? Imaging? How important is the physical appearance of the speakers (size and cosmetics)? Any particular sonic qualities that you especially want to have? Any particular sonic anomalies that you especially want to avoid?

By the way, your English is probably better than mine (you don't even have an accent!). Where did you learn it?

Cheers,

Duke
audiokinesis
2,755 posts
 
Hi No Slouch,

I'll second Ralph Karsten's recommendation of Classic Audio Reproductions speakers. You might try e-mailing them; I seem to recall their having a dealer in Hong Kong once upon a time.

http://www.classicaudiorepro.com/
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