Need advice for full range speaker with bottom end

might be too late on this but :) ... with that amp it sounds like a stretch for big 'lower' eff. spkrs. i'd look into some nice eff. monitors and a good powered sub. opens up a lot of options for great monitors and for $ a powered sub is a great way to get real deep and adjust for room and spkr conditions. w/out knowing room size and spl desired i'm only guessing, but ability to tame deep bass is very helpful in certain room setups. lotta purists don't go for subs but i think they are a great addition for many tube lovers. enjoy the hunt!

A full-range speaker is nothing more than several part-range speakers packaged together, as no single driver can effectively cover the entire range of human hearing while allowing good volume, power-handling, and efficiency. The three-way speaker design has historically been most successful at dividing the spectrum optimally. Two-way designs tend to sacrifice mid-range or bass, or sometimes the extreme top end, depending on the design. The ported Rogers Studio 1 and Spendor BC-1/SP1/2 are very highly evolved two-ways, and in respects come very close to the ideal speaker. I owned the Rogers Studio 1 for 20 years, but ultimately I became dissatisfied with the coloration of the mid-band caused by using the 8" woofer/mid-range at such high frequencies. The mid-range always seemed 'slow'. This design used a tweeter and super-tweeter, along with a driver that covered the bass and a large part of the mid-range. The port allowed a deep bass, but it was 'boomy' at times. I sold those in 2002 and went to the true three-way Ymaha NS-1000M, with which I am supremely happy. The bass may not go down quite as deep as the Rogers, but the difference is hardly noticeable. I think some of the "deep bass" iwa shearing from the Rogers was in fact just distortion.

A few full-range speakers may have built-in subwoofers, but in fact very little programme material is found below 50Hz. Reproducing sound below that frequency is very difficult and expensive. I would not demand that a full-range speaker do that, but instead suggest that you consider a sub-woofer. Since bass below abot 200Hz is non-directional, it does not matter that the box is separate.

I had tried in the past with the monitor & sub combo and I'm not sure if it is room interaction or what, but I was never able to melt the sound together between the Sub and speaker. Granted, I only got a $600 sub to start and it didn't fit that well with the rest of my setup.

I'm hoping to leave the melting of the lower range to the speaker builders and leverage their expertise.

I really learned alot from everyone who contributed on this thread. I've been won over to search for a VMP speaker. It really looks like my cup of tea at this point.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ADVICE!!!!

Gerald

"03-08-07: Geraldedison
I had tried in the past with the monitor & sub combo and I'm not sure if it is room interaction or what, but I was never able to melt the sound together between the Sub and speaker. Granted, I only got a $600 sub to start and it didn't fit that well with the rest of my setup.

I'm hoping to leave the melting of the lower range to the speaker builders and leverage their expertise.

I really learned alot from everyone who contributed on this thread. I've been won over to search for a VMP speaker. It really looks like my cup of tea at this point.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ADVICE!!!!"

If you can get a set of nice Yamaha NS-1000 or NS-1000M's, I doubt you'll be dissatisfied with any part of the sound spectrum. As I said, very little programme material goes below the range of this speaker (40Hz).

You may want to check into one of Rick Reimers speakers. The Wind Rivers or Tetons would get you the deep tight bass you are looking for and will work well with your 25 watts SET. I am using 18 watt SET with the Teton's and have plenty of power to spare.