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Best speakers for tube amp looking for suggestions

I have gone through to many speakers in search of the live sound. I am after stand mount speakers for vocals, jazz, small groups. I listen at night kids are in bed so low volume.Tube Passion integrated amp 30watts, Sony SACD 555es, Nordost cables. 18x24 opens to another 25 with 24 foot ceiling in the 18x24. I finally got tubes figured out but went through to many speakers thinking it was a speaker problem. Now the only speakers I have left are some old Heybrooks and they sound great but not sure if it is the tube set up or the speakers can't imagine they are the speakers but this is the best sound I have gotten. Winged C el34 quad and RCA clear tops 12au7 quad. Went through Abby's mid good for female males nasally, Reference 3A Royal Masters just didn't work for the room straight firing into a wood stove 12 feet out angled in and they lost the sound stage, Proac's to precise not musical Sequerra's to piont source not open like live music to positional and not filled out ?........ since the Heybrooks sound so good is this telling me Spendors or the like or Totem Signature One's since I don't play loudly any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. Thank you
johnbonn
15 responses Add your response
elescher's avatar
elescher
114 posts
 
Quad 2805's. I've got a pair for sale.
hanaleimike
125 posts
 
I have a 15x25 room with 20ft ceiling, and a sleeping kid too. I was going to suggest the Spendors even before I read the whole question. You have tried more speakers then I have, but I really enjoy the Spendor 1/2e"s. I listen, especially at night, to mostly acoustic live type recordings, and I am always amazed at the level of realness they can achieve. I am using with a Jollida 502brc and can taylor the sound quite drastically with the choice of pre and driver tubes, as well as toe-in.
guppy
133 posts
 
Hornshoppe Horns will shine with your 30 WPC tube amp, very immediate sounding with great imaging and a midrange to die for.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
I have a pair of Meadowlark Audio Kestrels for sale. These speakers play extremely well at low volume and are tube friendly. I would have trouble accurately listing all the speakers that have visited my system in the last five years.
Not giving up on the Kestrel sound as I have two other pair.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
Spendor 1/2e or the SP- 1, not a whole lot of difference, I have both.
rleff
1,065 posts
 
what about a pair of Merlin's??
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
I run Focal 1007BE's with Cary SLI-80 in triode mode(40wpc)with an scd-1 front end.........I feel the volume is more than adequate.
tjnif's avatar
tjnif
77 posts
 
I would get Klipsch Heresey's...
wireless200
415 posts
 
I ran Heresys with a tube amp and the setup sounded good. I would go with the IIIs though. Having owned both Is and IIIs I thought the IIIs were an improvement. You can get them for around $1000 new now which wasn't the case a year or two ago.
usblues
1,217 posts
 
Merlins should be investigated as we hear their special with what they do,cheers,Bob
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,841 posts
 
Audiokinesis also offers high performance for tube amplifiers at reasonable prices.

It helps to find out what the designer was using when he designed the speaker- Coincidents were designed on tubes and so are very tube friendly also.
hchilcoat
154 posts
 
I agree with Ralph about Audiokinesis. I have the Jazz Modules. They are very tube friendly and I've found that they keep revealing their potential as you improve things upstream. I recently have made two improvement in my system, adding the Gabriel Gold Rapture IC and Synergistic Research Powercell, and these changes really let these speakers strut their stuff. And I think there is even more to get out of them! Great price! And I think you have to pry them from their owners.
johnbonn OP
41 posts
 
Thank you for the suggestions the audiokinesis look great and a good choice though out of my price range. I am leaning towards the spendors and harbeths as I think I am looking for the interaction of the cabinet and the speakers as a cello strings with the body of the cello.
clio09
3,355 posts
 
I've owned many a Spendor and love the speakers (in fact looking for a used pair of 9/1's). The 1/2e, which was the last model I used in my system would certainly fill your needs. Now I use the Audio Kinesis Jazz Modules and not to take anything away from Spendor, but the realism, especially with cello, is scary.

I understand if the Jazz Modules are out of your budget, but thought for comparative purposes you'd like an opinion from someone whose owned both brands. If you change your mind know that Duke voices his speakers with a 30 watt tube amp (Atma-sphere S30) so you should have enough power with your integrated.

If you are looking at buying used you'll easily find more 1/2e's than Jazz Modules (never seen a pair listed) for sale. At used prices the 1/2e's are great deals (now replaced in the Spendor lineup by the 1/2r which I believe list for close to or more than the Jazz Modules list price).
vinylmeister
68 posts
 
I did quite some testing with tubes and live music, and IMHO tube amp and live music dont go together. I am know using a hybrid amp and live music sounds perfect
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