Congrats on your 'Dogs, Jkwl!
Interesting that you bought 'em after only one listen, when that's something you never do. You see, I became a dealer for 'em after only one listen, and that's something I never do. So at least we both know we're not alone.
The Bulldogs do like plenty of power, but I think your Joules will do the job. I signed on after hearing them driven by a 100 watt JoLida push-pull tube amp. They need to be on stands in order to have proper tonal balance - if they're too close to the floor, they don't really come to life because the lower octaves are emphasized, which thickens the sound. That lovely little ribbon tweeter is inherently fairly directional in the vertical plane, so you want it aimed at ear level. Horizontally, the radiation pattern is quite wide.
So position 'em well and feed 'em generously, and the Bulldogs will be very lively and musical. I'm not normally a "bass freak", but their bottom end really is remarkably solid and enjoyable for such a small speaker (I attribute that to the extremely solid cabinet, with metal plates reinforcing the cabinet walls. Have you tried lifting one? Gruuunt!). However, it was their rendition of female vocals that won me over, and that's probably what they do best. Designer Ian Smith did a superb job on the driver selection (using a dome midrange in a size/price league where virtually everything else is a two-way) and on driver integration (as an amateur speaker builder, I can attest that crossover design is what separates the men from the boys).
Yup, you got yourself a right nice pair of speakers there. I don't think you'll regret buying 'em after only the one listen!
Best wishes,
Duke
Interesting that you bought 'em after only one listen, when that's something you never do. You see, I became a dealer for 'em after only one listen, and that's something I never do. So at least we both know we're not alone.
The Bulldogs do like plenty of power, but I think your Joules will do the job. I signed on after hearing them driven by a 100 watt JoLida push-pull tube amp. They need to be on stands in order to have proper tonal balance - if they're too close to the floor, they don't really come to life because the lower octaves are emphasized, which thickens the sound. That lovely little ribbon tweeter is inherently fairly directional in the vertical plane, so you want it aimed at ear level. Horizontally, the radiation pattern is quite wide.
So position 'em well and feed 'em generously, and the Bulldogs will be very lively and musical. I'm not normally a "bass freak", but their bottom end really is remarkably solid and enjoyable for such a small speaker (I attribute that to the extremely solid cabinet, with metal plates reinforcing the cabinet walls. Have you tried lifting one? Gruuunt!). However, it was their rendition of female vocals that won me over, and that's probably what they do best. Designer Ian Smith did a superb job on the driver selection (using a dome midrange in a size/price league where virtually everything else is a two-way) and on driver integration (as an amateur speaker builder, I can attest that crossover design is what separates the men from the boys).
Yup, you got yourself a right nice pair of speakers there. I don't think you'll regret buying 'em after only the one listen!
Best wishes,
Duke