Efficient, affordable speakers for SETs?


Ever since I discovered the magic of SETs, I have been hooked and could never go back to “sand amps” or non SET tube amps. (Yes, I know they are dirty and colored but I love the soft clipping!) The seemingly endless problem has been finding speakers that not only function well with just a few watts of power but get the most out of the limited power and also sound real. Tried Lowthers in Medallion enclosures and some other enclosures but ultimately not very natural or satisfying. Realized that a two way speaker properly crossed over to a tweeter was best and found a speaker that was specifically designed to play with 8 300B watts. The Tetra 506s (worth checking out Tetraloudspeakers.com and the great musicians who use them!). Does anyone know other two way speakers designed to work well with SETs?
mglik

Showing 1 response by russbutton

The most efficient loudspeaker I know of is the Klipschorn corner horn.   It's the only loudspeaker that will truly play at level for an SET amp.  You can find them used for $6000 and less.  New they retail for about $15,000.  Cosmetics have a big effect on the sale price.  If you're OK with something that hasn't been treated well, you can find them at a substantial discount.

You'll need a room with opposing corners because they only work properly when pushed into a corner.  They use the walls as part of the bass horn.

If you're so dead set on running an SET amp, then the only real answer is the K-horn.  I think it's the tail wagging the dog, but if you have to run an SET amp, then this is where it leads.