Lowther based speakers, worth a listen?


I have read some reviews about super efficient, lowther based systems. I am interesting in getting reports from real owners...and whether they always need to be paired with low powered tubes. What is the max input they can take wattage wise? PAUL
bemopti123
Paul, i was about to make me a pair of "lowther" based "horns". However, drawbacks are size of the speakers, and the size of the room! They are big and they require a lot of "breathing" room! They are rated at between 105-110db spl/1m!(depending of the Lowther model) So you can drive them, virtualy with less, than 1 watt! And they aren't exusively SET speakers! High quality SS can be good too! They have a very limited low-frq. extension, and the midrange is "colored"! So, how is that everybody who listen (good)horn speakers, falls-in-love with them? They do have something that dynamic or planar speaker don't! And that is the presenting the "illusion" of listening the "live music", that no other speaker can accomplish! How and why? I don't know! Check reviews on Edgarhorn!
Lowther speakers can be and are a real treat. They are a different sound that when broken in you either love or dislike. There are many different drivers to choose from that provide different sounds for different rooms. Like wise there are a variety of speaker design cabinets that yield diferent sound. In many (most) cases a sub is used for extended bass. Lowther speakes are great to use with low powered tube amps, however they can always be used with big wattage S.S. if you wish. The volume level would only be used at a lower level due to thier efficiency. Could use 100-200 watts if you are careful with the volume conrtol. What Eldragon says is true however Lowthers can be put into tower cabinets hence not using the horn concept as seen in the traditional sense, therefore they could be used in a small room. There is a great web-site in St.Louis, I do not have it with me at this time however if you want the site email me and I could send it to you tomorrow. I hope this helps!
I think I saw a magazine (positive feedback ?) on the stand last month that had a cover article using lowther's, an SE tube amp, and the scd-1. Also, if you look on www.oregonlive.com and go to the classifieds, there is a guy selling a used set right now. Happy listening.
This is the web-site that I referred to in St.Louis: http://users.fastrans.net/classicaudio/Lowther.html
there's an interesting lowther-based design that seems intriguing - the hedlund horn - anyone have any experience w/this?: http://www.lowtherloudspeakers.co.uk/hedlund1.html thanks, doug