How to Choose Speakers Appropriate for My Amp

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Sweet pair of amps you got there Andy. Not often I see "300B" and "entry level" together, not to mention B&O! Bit of an eclectic system for sure, but so what? From what I've been able to gather the MOSCODE is a bit of a question mark (some think killer deal, some say its dark) but sure looks like it could be a nice little piece  https://www.audiogon.com/listings/phono-nyal-new-york-audio-labs-moscode-super-it-phono-preamp-power...and anyway its hard to go wrong with a 300B and a turntable so unless the IT turns out bad you have the makings for a pretty damn fine starter system. 

What I would do first and as soon as you can is hook up the speakers you have with whatever you can scrounge up and just see how (if!) everything works. 

The real strength of a 300B system is midrange magic and holographic imaging. Inner detail, in other words. If everything works you'll probably be surprised how good it sounds even with cheap little bookshelf speakers, lamp cord wire and patch cords. 

Most important thing with any stereo is speaker placement. You'll never have anything easier to experiment with speaker placement than your cheap little bookshelf speakers. So move em around. Have some fun. Cobble together some kind of stands and then after you hear how hugely placement affects tonal balance, bass support, etc, how nearby walls change the sound, then use a tape measure to line them up with precise symmetry, sit back and experience the wonders of imaging.

That's it. I've seen far too many systems of expensive name brand components that sound bad, and also enough no-name rigs that sound wonderful, to think that components have all that much to do with it. Much more has to do with your ability to listen, understand, set up, and tweak. 

millercarbon,

The funny thing is that before the amp appeared I’d been upgrading and modifying my home theater system with an eye towards simplifying it, at least operationally. That was how I ended with with the B&O turntable. There certainly are better tables out there, but it still is of reasonable quality and it’s as simple as it got. It needed a little bit of mechanical adjustment and a new belt, but setup consisted solely of installing the cartridge, balancing the tonearm and setting the tracking force. No alignment issues, etc. These amps have greatly changed all of that, but not in a bad way. My backup turntable will make it’s way to my receiver, where it was before and the B&O will make the move. Who knows, once I get the amps and speakers sorted, further turntable upgrades will be in my future. But that’s another discussion entirely.

That’s all definitely great advice above. I found a nearby shop that works on vintage tube stuff that can give them a once over and I’m bringing them by tomorrow. I haven’t hooked them up yet due to the fact that I didn’t have an external phono stage with an adjustable output, just a fixed output POS Pyle mini phono stage. I didn’t want to hook anything up w/o a way to start low and work it’s way up. The MOSCODE will give me that, and I pick it up tomorrow morning.

I’ve also read similar reviews of it. Some like it, some don’t, but for the price there’s as close to zero risk financially as could be possible. There amps and the MOSCODE came from the same seller and I’m willing to bet there was a deal on speakers that I missed.

Once I verify the suspected good amp and repair the other I have a pair of bookshelf speakers I’ll start messing around with. They’re 8ohm, though the sensitivity could definitely be better (89dB). That will at least allow me to play with my new toys until something more permanent arrives.

Thanks,
Andy

Buy some vintage klipsch speakers from the heritage line. All are very efficient, can be had at different price points and sound great with tubes. 

Second the Klipsch suggestion, and I’d suggest the RP600M’s at around $500.  Efficient, and great sounding.