Flea Watt Amp: What Speakers Are. You Using With Yours? Recommendations

I have a pair of Klipsch Heresy Mk1's to use with my SE 45 and 2A3 tube amps (1.75 and 3.5 watts, respectively). 

Is "flea watt" really up to 12 watts? In any case, my massive 12wpc or something (depends on which tubes are in there) Dennis Had amp powers a pair of Heresy IIIs with gusto. Aplomb. Easily. No problemo.

A Decware SE84UFO (2 wpc) powers my Omega Super 3i Monitors. Nice synergy.

Klipsch Forte III, any of the Zu Audio speakers depending on how much you want to spend.

I have 7 Watt 300B amp.
I use it with vintage Altec 604"E" speakers.
More than enough power for most types of music in 300 sq. feet room.

This speakers can be easy driven directly by 1 Watt Chord Mojo DAC:
https://youtu.be/-NH60kJlO4g
https://youtu.be/sTxK6i9S1SM
https://youtu.be/x6CKymhd5Uc
https://youtu.be/u_vfgSd4ICs

My Shearers run great on 3 1/2 watts

Sonist "Concerto 4's" with 5 watts of tube power.

My custom built Tannoy HPD's (Dual Concentric drivers from 1974), 94db sensitivity, sound magical with my SET 300B (@ 9 Wpc) amp, in a large room. I am using EML XLS 300B tubes, for which the filament voltage has been optimized for those tubes.

No other tube amp has provided me the level of enjoyment this combination is giving me.

I reccomend the Rethm line of speakers. I'm currently using the Rethm Saadhana V3 with my 300B SET OTL at 5watts. Very nice. But all the Rethm models are very high efficiency and easy loading with internal powered subs, so you can get great bass. I've heard their lowest end Rethm Bhaava model. It's very good and at it's price, a huge bargain and giant killer ... for flea powered amps 

I use a Miniwatt with 2.5 watts output and it easily powers either my Klipschorns or my Zu Soul Superfly’s which are 16 Ohms. I also have 6 watt and 12 watt vintage Mullard amps that drive them easily too.

10 watts with either Merrill Zigmahornets or Coincident Mini Truimph 

How about Tekton? They have some high efficiency speakers that seem to be highly rated and reasonably priced. 

I love my tube equipment, and large horn speakers, and highly recommend getting high efficiency speakers to use with tube amps,

but, 8 to 12 wpc? I personally would not go down that path. I would sell those low powered amp(s) and rethink ...

I think the 25-45 wpc tube amp range broadens the range of available speakers. And, 'generally' speakers get large and larger as high and higher efficiency is required. Not all spaces can properly co-exist with large or larger speakers.

IF you had heard the amps, fell in love with them, just had to have them, well, that probably is the case for the majority of people who use them. My friend fell in love with 300b 8wpc, and uses them with his not too efficient speakers. They sound terrific at low volume close listening, but that's it.

Of course, 1 way to approach this is to start with a self powered sub, that takes the need for bass (the real power demand) away from the tubes.

I use my 4 watt Decware Mini Torii with 92db Ref 3A de Capos. It gets loud but not so loud the neighbors come knocking

I use my 2/6 watt Grommes PHI 26 with 97.5db Klipsch Quartets, it gets loud and it is sometimes hard to get it to play quietly

Depends on the sound you like.
i use Tommy Horning speakers with my 6 watt tube mono blocks.
Kenny

check out Decware.com - I built their 8" open baffle - using it with my 2Wpc tube amp and very happy.

I use Coincident Frankenstein Mk-II 300B (8W) monoblocks with Oris-150 horns and Orphean horns.  Fantastic! 

Using 8w Audio Note Kits (ANK) 300b Interstage Mono Blocks with my 100db Charney Audio horns. A great match for sure!
http://charneyaudio.com/

Zu Def4. Originally with an AncientAudio 300b SET. But because it is in the shop, I am using a Bakoon 12R; it is supposed to put out 15watts, but it seems less powerful than the 300b. 

IMHO High sensitivity speakers are win-win!
Less compression, liver sound, better textura, work good with SET and SIT and other high quality low power amplifiers.
The only two drawbacks are difficulty to get deep bass and bigger size.

Low sensitive speakers are win-win for greedy sellers, producers and reviewers.
Better WAF, smaller size, chipper to produce.
For this purpose, thay create a myth about inaccuracy of high sensitivity speakers!

Subs obviate any low end grunt issues...12wpc of tube power plus 250 clean watts of sub grunt does the trick for me.

Tekton? I own the Lore's and they are pretty good, 98db. Kind of in your face sound though, from what I hear this is typical for high efficiency designs. 

Dave123456 wrote: " Kind of in your face sound though, from what I hear this is typical for high efficiency designs. "

"In your face sound" is not necessarily inherent to high efficiency, but often there is a tendency in that direction. Here are two possible reasons for it:

First, many if not most high efficiency speakers have a fairly narrow radiation pattern over much of the spectrum. This results in a greater direct-to-reverberant sound ratio than for most speakers. A relatively strong reverberant field tends to emphasize acoustic space (including soundstage depth) a bit more, while a relatively weak reverberant field often results in a more "up-front" presentation. (These are not the only things affected by radiation pattern width.)

Second, the efficiency of the bass section is essentially fixed once the woofer has been chosen and the box designed, but if high efficiency is a top priority, the designer can often opt for a bit of emphasis above the bass region and lower midrange. This does make the speakers sound (and measure) louder, but one side-effect is a tendency towards a more forward or "in your face" presentation.

Increasing the distance between you and the speakers may help.

Duke

I think that " fairly narrow radiation pattern over much of the spectrum" is a good thing.
Actually, if speakers have a narrow radiation pattern you listen what is actually recorded.
If speakers have a wide radiation pattern you hear more acoustic of your room.

Alexberger wrote: "I think that " fairly narrow radiation pattern over much of the spectrum" is a good thing."

Agreed!

"Actually, if speakers have a narrow radiation pattern you listen what is actually recorded. If speakers have a wide radiation pattern you hear more acoustic of your room."

The early reflections are the ones which tell us that we are in a small room, and a narrow radiation pattern is probably the best way to minimize them. But late reflections done right can convey a sense of being within the acoustic space on the recording, with little if any downside. So imo the ideal would be, minimize the early reflections but have plenty of late ones (easier said than done).

Duke

Klipsch Forte IIIs with 9w amp. I do swamp in a bigger push pull amp when I want to blow my doors off or have a listening party. 

I have listed some links below of high efficiency speakers, most of which the manufactures are very transparent regarding components used and cabinet construction.

https://www.coherentspeakers.net/#!
https://www.atelier13-usa.com/coherent-audio-loudspeakers

https://www.vaughnloudspeakers.com/

http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/super-victory-III.html