I'm looking for a
new pair of speakers. The reason for this is that I find my Tannoy
Legacy Eaton a little too difficult to drive for my 2x12w Audion
Audio Sterling. I also feel that the Tannoys are a little too relaxed
and a little rolled off.
One problem with
brands like Tekton and nsmt is that I live in Sweden and I do not
have the opportunity to listen to them (which I assume is the same
problem in the US) and to send them back if I don't like them is not
financially defensible. To take a chance on one of these brands I really have to be sure that they are what I’m looking for. I don’t
think this will happend.
I heard Klipsch
Heresey III which I didn't like. To my taste, they were too much on
my face and too harsh. Could have been the room and/or the amplifier
and/or ...?
I listen to all
kinds of music, from progressive rock to classical music. My listening
position is 6.6 feet from the speakers. My budget is aprox $
7,200.
The Devore Orangutang O/93 are at least 93 db efficient. I would try that since they are available in Sweden. Maybe you have to avoid high volume and rock.
@ffss, Very interesting ( Many would say unexpected) outcome you describe. Is your 2A3 amplifier SET or PSET ? What do they do better than the Pass Labs XA 25 when paired with your Sonus Faber speakers? This situation reminds me of the Rogers LS3 5/A BBC monitors, low sensitivity (82-84 db) but very easy to drive 15 ohm impedance load. Some listeners used them quite successfully with low power tube amplifiers. Charles
If you look at FM2’s spec, the only thing that seems SET friendly is its high impedance (over 8ohm). But it turns out that, I enjoy them better when pairing them with my 2A3 vs. XA25. FM2s were made at least three decades ago- there may be new book shelf speakers that work well with your amp, especially when you sit less than 7 ft away from them.
When I was a dealer I had a number of monitor speakers and with the good ones I never felt the need for a sub woofer. I guess that is because I was very satisfied with the midrange which is where the music resides.
These ”spider
eyes” are the only thing that I think is likeable about Tekton
speaters. Sorry. If it ends up with Tekton (The Perfect Set I think
is the most interesting) it has to be with black finish. The black
finish is the best looking. And I hate black speakers ;).
For Zu audio
speakers, I have heard, subs are a must, which seems to me like
buying an unfinished speaker. But I don’t know. Have never heard
any and there are no dealers for Zu i Sweden.
@djones51
I can’t find much
on these speakers. Nowere to be found in Sweden to my knowlage.
@pcc67
I haven’t heard
the new ones just the Heresy III. Forte IV looks very nice, but I
don’t like that so many reviewers says that Klipsch Heresy, Forte
and Cornwall are ”labeled” as a ”Rock speaker”. Some
expressly say that these speakers are nothing for classical music.
And I really like classical musik, as much as rock music. So…
@richdirector
I will probably sell
the Tannoys (as my ATC SCM 19 v2) when I buy new ones.
Yes, I
really wanted that the Klipsch sound would be my sound. The look very
nice.
@elliottbnewcombjr
I like to roll tubes
and have already more than I will live to wear out ;) But mostly
pairs, not quads.
@ilkeresmer
More ”exotic”
speakers that I would love to have a chance to listen too,
but...nowhere to be found in Sweden.
@ferrox
Another speaker
brand I can’t find in Sweden. Unfortunatly.
@hshifi
90 dB is just one dB
more sensitive, so…
”You are a few miles away from my
favorite store in the states.” Is there a place in the US called
Sweden? I know that many of your ancestors came from Sweden, but a
place called Sweden in the US?
I’m from ”good
old country of Sweden” in Europe :)
@ffzz
But isn’t Sonus
Faber FM2 just a small stand mount at 84dB sensitivity?
@russbutton
To find a pair of
Avalon Ascent within my budget would be hard. But I saw that they are
not sensitive speakers, even if they are flat in their resistance
they will be to hard to drive for 2x12w.
@sounds_real_audio
ProAc Tablet? They
are rated at 86dB sensitivity, but their nominal impedance are stated
to 10 ohms!!! They are very small stand mounts. Defenitly needs
subs.
@aubbrin570
No dealer for Zu
Audio in Sweden. But I know the dealer in Denmark where I
bought Audio Audio also have Zu speakers. But it’s a long way to
drive if I wanna audition them. I saw a you tube clip where they
described a Zu speaker as having an A shaped sound profile. What they
meant by that was that Zu speakers lacks bass and being rolled off in
the treble. The medecine to that was to add a sub and have them toed
in at the listener (if I remember correctly).
Zu audio dirty weekend mk 2. Again like Tekton, it is a US brand but I think they would fit the bill. I believe Zu and Tekton are similar in sound. They are made in the same state, I read the owner's are friends, and I believe they have a similar philosophy, but zu spends more time on fit and finish(better looking imo than the tekton) I have a pair of Zu's I believe they are 97db and 12 ohm. I run them with a Rogue tube integrated and they dont need much volume to sing. Great rock speaker or any genre. My only gripe is that even though they are detailed and voiced very well, the lowest bass octaves are lacking(better than most and detailed bass, but not the kind of bass that moves a lot of air.) Think of them as huge bookshelf speakers. If you have a rel, you could possibly get good full range for cheap. I upgraded to the clarity caps from zu and they are hard to pick apart.(Especially for $1200 US shipped) I didnt expect much from them but they always impress me when I hear them. I know guys that run flea amps on them to (almost) concert levels. Good luck!
Sweet little amp. Since you are sitting close to it you might like the ProAc Tablet it is said to do well with low watt amplifiers. I had heard good things about the Larsen speakers and thought they had one that didn't need lots of power.
I love SET too, and have used SETs that produce from 1 to 14 watts output. I have a pair of Tannoy Cheviot - so I understand your feeling of Tannoy Eaton :-)
What I use now is a pair of Sonus Faber FM2 speakers with a 2A3 SET (3watt output) - the sound is superb, at least for vocal, solo piano, and chamber music that I usually listen to.
I did have a Pass XA25. I decided to pair FM2 speakers with my 2A3 SET at the end and sold my XA25.
Hello, I agree about the looks of the Tektons. I feel the same way about Maggie’s. But I love the sound of both. Dali speakers are made close by. They came out with a black edition with 6” drivers. Only 400 pairs were made for the us. Their sensitivity is 90db. Maybe this would be good enough. I would break them in on a stronger amp for a few weeks to get the drivers really loose. You are a few miles away from my favorite store in the states. https://holmaudio.com/ But these and maybe another models would be a great option.
I wouldn’t be too concerned with tubes, it’s only expensive every few years.
think hard about rearranging things to fit them, perhaps near/behind your speakers, short speaker cables (less $ to try others in the future).
speakers: double power: your chance of finding a great deal, new or used, are increased by more options available at a high and/or a bit lower efficiency, again, now and future.
I have the tannoy legacy Ardens and wanted to drive them with a leben cs300xs with 15w... It nearly did and fine with vocal and acoustic but anything quicker and more dynamic... No
Don't sell the speakers... I went to a Luxman integrated A class 550ax2... Cracking phono mm/MC stage built in. 20w class A bit think must be higher as it never struggles.
They are just made for each other... I listen for hours and never think... What if I changed...... (?)
New klipsch are not bright. I recently heard them and I've never been a klipsch fan but now I would really love to own a pair. Every easy to drive. I think I heard them on a 12 watt tube. Good luck.
I have Tektons (Electron SEs) and I love them. I was less than enthusiastic about the looks at first but they grew on me. Especially when you hear what comes out of them. I think the perfect SET would be the best model for your amp. I recommend getting a model with the tweeter array (even though it makes them look like some kind of weird spider). The midrange coming from them is gorgeous.
The other 2 I might recommend are +1 to the Omegas. I have a pair of the Alnico monitors and they are really wonderful, especially with tubes. However, I listen mostly to jazz and classical. Not sure how well they'd rock out. Another option you might consider is Zu Audio. They are among my favorite speakers to look at and they also do great with low watt tube amplification. From what I've heard, these speakers do like to rock out and sound great with jazz too. Good hunting
@mijostyn
Fortunatly, some of the stuff I had myself, other I
have borrowed, so it’s the time it cost me. But I have learned
things along the way :)
@audioguy85
”Get rid of your
amp Pronto!!!”. Hmm… thats a little drastic, don’t you think?
In fact there are speakers at 93-96 dB sensivity withoiut being horn
loaded. Not many in Sweden, but still…
I have tried different
settings with the Treble Energy and the Treble Roll Off screws.
But
yes, they are a little bit laid back and rolled off. I have compared
with ATC SCM 19 v2. Both speakers driven with Moonriver 404.
@elliottbnewcombjr
Maybe I can use the
power amp as a mono block. I haven’t thought about that. But then
comes two new problems; dubble sets of tubes and space. Problems,
problems, problems ;)
I’m actually using a REL sub which I
crank up just a little bit more when listening at low volumes.
@hshifi
Yes, I’m tempted
when it comes to Tekton. But the one I’m looking at is The Perfect
Set. One thing is for sure; they are not good looking. After all, you
will be sitting there and staring at them all the time. Ough
@charles1dad
Exactly, the Audion
Audio stays. And those brands you are mentioning are amongst the ones (+
Tekton) I plan to check out.
"Get rid of your amplifier pronto!!!" Why wound simna do that? He’s posted for the 3rd time how much he enjoys the Audion Audio Sterling SEP el34 12 watt amplifier. He stated above he’s tried numerous amplifiers with his Tannoys. He has decided he rather keep the amplifier he prefers most. So it is very reasonable for him to seek speakers that are a better match for the Audion amplifier.
By all accounts it’s an excellent sounding amplifier. So his actions make plenty of sense. He has received some teriffic Europe based brands recommendations such as Cube Audio, Living Voice, Audio Note, and others. I’d definitely consider the Trenner -Friedl RA Box or Pharoah used. These two work very well with SET/SEP amplifiers. Charles
Hello, I second MC’s decision. The sensitivity rating is like 94db. This would be perfect for you. If you don’t think so later on you can sell them after they go up in price and get 90% of the money back. The only other alternative is Klipsch book shelf with the right sub. The sub will add the bloom and weight while the Klipsch are high sensitivity. If you are worried about the Tekton speakers ask what the most popular color is and order it so it is more marketable later on. FYI red is going to be very popular but you might want to go with black. Red is good luck to some cultures. Don’t sell the tannoy speakers until you are sure. Tekton is perfect for you.
Can your amp be used as Mono Blocks? Get another, thus keep your preferred sound, double your power?
That will put you in a position to consider a wider range of speaker efficiencies, now and any future changes.
I would not want to be that close to physically large speakers. Smaller enclosures puts you in a situation: the small speakers that make the ’best’ (not most) bass tend to be less efficient.
That means perhaps you need excellent efficient satellites and one or two self-powered subs. That’s not always easy.
I have done that very successfully in my office with Vintage B&W bookshelf speakers, one self-powered sub for general extension. Similar spacing: speakers 5’ apart, I’m 5 ft back, my ears diagonally 6’ away. Sub volume adjusted to give extension without awareness, unless I turn it off. If main system, I would go for a pair of smaller subs located near the satellites for bass localization.
Preamp to self-powered sub, sub sends only upper bass, mids, highs to amp, thus both amp and satellites do not try/need to make low bass. That means a lower powered amp like yours will not need to produce low bass.
I’m not a fan of ports which are often used to get ’extra’ bass. If so, front firing ports only
As for low volume, especially if listening to music with distinctive bass players, i.e. Jazz, Pop, Rock Groups with great bass players: I highly recommend having a ’Loudness’ option (fletcher munson) to bring the bass up to an equal volume as you would hear at louder volumes. This is even more important for speakers that make decent, but not low bass. And even a nice sub, when balanced for normal volume, will need a boost at low volume to maintain distinction, involvement, and localization if imaging had been nicely recorded.
’Loudness’ filters, when set up properly (often not), are out of play at normal volumes, and begin a progressive proportional boost as volume decreases.
Use of tone controls at casual low volumes, can maintain involvement, but much current equipment lacks tone controls.
I use a Chase RLC-1 Remote Line Controller to give remote control of volume, balance, and it has an automatic fletcher-munson circuit as it enters low volume. It also has tone controls if desired.
this is an old listing, but it shows it well. S/N 120db. None of my golden eared friends can tell if it is in or not in the system, it just does it’s job.
They are going to sound like crap with just 12 watts! I own the Tannoy Eatons, they are great sounding speakers and far from "rolled off"!. They respond well to class A amplification or high powered tubed amps/integrated. They are only 89 db efficient. They are not Devores or klipsh @ high 90’s db. Have you tried the variable treble adjustments provided on the front of speaker? They are there to adjust the speaker to your room and your taste. Same goes for the two provided foam plugs for the bass ports. These speakers provide more adjustments than most, but I find mine sound just fine as is, no adjustments. I run mine with 30 watt pure class A single ended Sugden Signature A21se, the Tannoys sound fantastic with this amp. Get rid of your amp Pronto!!!
Simna, you have discovered how hard it is to change the basic nature of loudspeakers. Everything else except perhaps amplifiers has minimal effect on the sound. Think of all the effort and money spent on trying! Good luck in finding a set you like. Unfortunately, I can not think of any high efficiency speakers you might like. Many of them are horn loaded and you did not like the Klipsch which are representative of the breed. I do think your SET amp will calm them down a bit. You might try taking your amp into the store and hooking it up. Couldn't hurt:-)
Thanks for all input and suggestions. I've found some of the suggested brands and speakers here in Sweden. I'm gonna check them out now in spring.
But, still; I will not buy a more powerfull amp, I have already a Moonriver 404 that have all the power my Tannoys need. I have just discovered how wonderful a single ended tube amp sounds and I will stick to my new SET amp.
And when it comes to me finding the Tannoy's too laidback and a little rolled off I really think that's the way this speaker sounds (or how they sound in my room). I've tried moving them around in the room to find where they sound the best. And I think I have found the best location for them. I have also tried with different amps; Line Magnetic LM 34AI, Tube Technology Unisis Signature, Audion Audio Sterling Plus with Audion Audio Premier 0.5 Line Level, Musical Fidelity M6i and Moonriver 404. And different DAC:s; RME ADI-2 DAC and LAB12 DAC1 SE. Also different transports; Cambridge CXC and Audiolab 6000CDT. I tried many different cables; speaker cables, analog interconnects, digital rca between transport and DAC. So, I mean, I have really tried :)
If you are finding that the Tannoy's are a little to "relaxed" and a little too "rolled off" I suggest you look at the components that get you to that point. Your whole system must be "in sync"?. Do research. It took me 50 years but I am there.
@ simna Apologies for mentioning this product outside your price limit, but if you can stretch to $8,900, the highly efficient 100dB/W/m "Volti Audio Rival" may be a good fit for you:
From Stereophile Ken Micallef review: the Rivals had no "sound" of their own...immaculate transparency... bass was "riveting, powerful, and forceful, and as full of tone, texture, and energy, as I've ever heard," and that the high frequencies were "smooth, wide open, and grain-free."
I would go for a true high impedance vintage speaker with a twelve watt amplifier like an electro voice or an altec lansing you will not find many new ones that will be anywhere near efficient enough or that will sound like a good 16 ohm vintage model from the tube era.
Omega High Output Alnico Towers. Excellent tone, great efficiency and gorgeous holographic mid-range. Contact the owner Louis and he'll set you straight.
If you can get an an older pair of of klipsch or audio note set of speakers, you’ll be way ahead than a pair of Tektons. I don’t like the newer klipsch sound, too tipped up for my liking but the older klipsch sound very good. I have had friends with klipschorn speakers and I thought they sounded very good, not sure what amp they used. I’ve heard audio note speakers at shows being driven by SET amps and sounded good. I just went out and there are many pairs of klipschorn’s for sale anywhere from $4000 to $5500. Another plus for say the klipsch or audio notes, they are good looking too, whereas the tektons: not
I had a several iterations of Living Voice Auditoriums, eventually purchasing the OBX-RWs, over a period of 20 years, and used them with a variety of SET amps, including a 300B amp and a push pull 2A3. They were outstanding speakers that were very liquid, detailed and threw a nice big soundstage. I also used them with some higher power pentode amps from Audio Research and VTL. I only sold them when I switched to solid state. A wonderful match with SET Amos- Kevin Scott uses Kondo amps to voice them.
I got a pair of Dynaudio Evoke and they produce the most beautiful sound.Not the best fit for hard rock, but Van Morrison and Regine Spektor never sounded better.
And it's just across the Pond in Copenhagen. If I could listen to something though, it's the Marten from Sweden. It's funny how in the US we want the European stuff and Europe, the American brands look better,
Being in Sweden, you should totally order Tekton Moabs. First because they are fabulous. Absolutely unbeatable for anywhere near their asking price. Second because they are soon to undergo a price hike. They tried it once, even at $5k they are a stone bargain (nothing twice the price comes even close) and so you can count on them being priced higher, probably not long after you get yours.
Then when you and your friends hear how much better they are than anything else you ever heard anywhere, you will realize not only are they not going back, but you can sell them for at least what you paid, including shipping, and be in the enviable position of being able to think about would you rather keep your Moabs or sell them and upgrade to Ulfberht?
The idea of wanting to send them back, this simply is not within the realm of possibility. It just won't happen. Wife and I were listening last night, just gaping at the power and majesty of full orchestra Tchaikovsky 1812 with cannon. Freaking insane! Beyond good.
Super easy to drive, anything from SET watts up is plenty, my 50 isn't even breaking a sweat while the room explodes with full-on symphony power. And I am talking LOUD! At the volume levels you enjoy, even 4 watts will be plenty.
The imaging is to die for. Strings full and warm and extended. Just the right bite, never dry and absolutely never stressed. Unless you have a thing for natural wood finish and desire a Faberge Egg more than a speaker, if what you crave is music on a level that is to die for I honestly cannot imagine why anyone would not love these to death.
But hey don't take my word for it. Read the comments from people on my system page. These are just the ones from the few who bothered to post comments. Got some even better ones from those who heard in person. Like one said best he ever heard. He gets around. Does everything you want in a speaker, on hardly any watts, and all for a bargain price. Eric has experience shipping overseas so that will not be a problem. Check it out. Thank me later. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
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