Eminent Technology 8b Speakers - Amp/wattage Recommendations
I recently purchased a nearly new pair of 8bs. I am now looking for an amplifier.
My preference is tubes over SS.
The room is 23x15x10 feet dedicated for music.
I like to play music fairly loud at times.
I will likely biamp, meaning whatever tube amp I end up using will receive a high-pass filtered signal and drive only the mid and high freq panel drivers.
I am aware that Bruce T recommends 75-200 watts.
I am considering two options, (a) Quicksilver KT monos with KT150 tubes (100 watts) and (b) another amp by a boutique builder using 4 KT 120 per side and 120 watts.
My preference is option (a), but worry that 100 watts is not sufficient.
I would appreciate any real-world experience on how many watts is practically needed with the 8bs. Are they as power hungry as I think they are, or is 100 watts more than enough?
Does bi-amping make a difference, meaning one can get away with using less watts since you are driving only the mids/high drivers and not the subs?
Any feedback or suggestions from 8b users would be appricated.
Thanks much!
@jwr159 apologize if I misunderstood, originally I thought you planned to bi-amp the LFT8B speakers alone, like this on the rear. Using the QSC amp with separate subs should give you plenty. This is similar to how I run my setup, with custom dual Scanspeak subs. Works great, the QS amps don’t have to work so hard, and low level volume listening is more enjoyable too. 8B:
|
@jwr159 Well... I’ve listened to my own QS Mono 120s w/KT150s powering both the 8b and 16 model speakers. It plays nicely at moderate listening levels, and then some. Your comment about Playing "fairly loud" is another question i’d defer back to EMT about if I were you -- asking them more about what levels of volume reasonable to do with these particular speakers. Once you hear them with good tube amps, this idea could change about what is the optimum and loudest listening levels. While they can probably do it, my question is how long will the speakers last under sustained listening at loud levels. Are you talking all day parties, more then 2-3 hours of "loud"...hard to say. I see the QS Mono 120s combo with 8bs more as finesse speakers to play music, not loud noise. More so than I do true loudspeakers. Maybe that’s just me. Bi-amping, sure, okay. Yes, they need a little power/transformers behind them, bing closer to 82db sensitivity. Best of luck. |
@jwr159 your update helps understand better, and 'hour or two" here and there would be fine for the M120s alone without bi-amping, I believe. Best to ask EMT. Good fun. 👍 |
@jwr159 for tube amps, you are on the right track with the M120s, if you can find them. I run a Cary SLP-98 as @russ69 mentioned, btw. If you bi-amp with say a capable tube amp for the upper section (which sounds glorious on those speakers btw) and some higher power SS amp for the lower woofer-bass-drive, you are going to need some kind output level control to balance it out. I’d start with one amp first, try it out before jumping to bi-amping. The QS Mono 120s work well with your 8bs, with those extra-large quality transformers. It’s not about the watts per se’, it’s about quality of power/current/transformers applied for those speakers. I've heard the 8bs and 16s with a high quality (exceptional) 10wpc tube integrated before. It's possible, yet again its about the quality vs. quantity of power in this case. |
@jwr159 I've heard your 8bs and the smaller LFT-16s on QS amps more than ten times in a slightly larger room than yours. Always a treat. Also, heard the smaller 16s with my same Mono 120s with KT150s too, very nice. The new version monos should do it nicely for ya. |
