Recommend Speakers For Yamamoto

Seriously, you're kidding right?

The A-08S puts out only 2 watts at full-on maximum output. At that point, the amp is pumping a lot of distortion. In the real world, you're probably looking at 1-1.5 watts allowing for headroom.

My speakers are 97dB efficient (with no crossover) and that's not enough power for most listening in my room. At least not with complex or demanding music.

The B&W CM1's are 84dB 2-way configuration. There is no way the A-08S is going to drive those at all. Not to anyone's satisfaction. B&W, itself, states the minimum power for them is 30W.

The JM Lab Micro Utopia's are only a little better at 89dB.

Low powered SET's are really intended for high-efficiency speakers. Neither speaker you are considering qualifies as such. Not even close.

Please consider speakers of 97dB or greater efficiency as a minimum for your A-08S. Crossover-less single-driver or compression horns are your best bet.

Rocky,

I think we've all missed an important question - have you ever listened to a true high-efficiency system(>97dB)? And have you ever heard the Yamamoto or any other sub-2 watt amplifer?

If not, please be sure to find some system owners in your area and check out their setups before ordering either the Yamamoto or Zu's. Be sure to bring a wide selection of your own favorite listening material.

I like both those components(Zu & Yam), but the jump from regular low efficency to low power/high-eff is a big one that takes some getting used to, careful planning, and lots of fine tuning. I'm not trying to talk you out of your choices, just trying to help you minimize frustration and missed expectations.

High efficiency systems general tend to be far more resolving and ruthless on source material and system components/synergy than higher-power setups with multi-way drivers. At least, that has been my experience over the last 5 years.

The first real shock is that many recordings that you love will seem absolutely unlistenable because of the newly revealed poor recording quality or previous cd/LP abuse. It takes a while to learn to accept or ignore these faults and enjoy the recordings again. This is more common with rock & popular recordings than jazz, classical, etc., yet they still have their own share of bad material.

Good SET amps & high-eff speakers give rpeceding components nowhere to hide. It's like looking at your system with an electron microscope. So, you really have to take car in selecting the preamp and cd/turntable the precede them. Components that seemed dead quiet before will be shwon to actually have annoying loud hum/buzzing. Interconnect choices will have a big differnce on sound.

And then there's your home's power supply. I never knew that I had 60/120Hz hum in my AC line until I made the jump to SET's and high-eff. Now, it drives me crazy.

I had to ground all the outlets in my room. Then, reground my electrical panel to my copper water line. This reduced things significantly, but not enough. I now use a series of isolation transformers and filters.

I'm not saying you a going to have these problems, just don't be surprised if they pop up. High efficency systems are a process instead of a purchase. But, the rewards are stunning when you get close to done. There really is no way to go back once you've crossed over.

And with the Yam+Zu's, you are starting with two fantastic choices.

Rocky,

There are plenty of high efficiency owners in the Bay Area. I suggest you post a request to listen to someone's system in Audio Asylum's High Efficiency forum or SET forum. Just explain post that you are interested in making the jump to SET/high-eff and would appreciate listening to few different systems before making the jump. Say you are open to Single/fullrange & true compression horn speakers and any type of SET they've got.

Another great resource to finder help is the FullRange Driver Forum. Somewhere between those two forums, you will probably find 5-10 people willing to let you come over. I got priceless advice and experience from owners in around Los Angeles.

Please take your time and listen to as many varied systems as possible before purchasing any components or speakers. Just diving in blindly without any reference point or knowledge is a recipe for serious frustration and wasted money.

There is a huge difference in sound and character between 100+dB Edgarhorns, 100dB vintage JBL, Cain & Cain fullrange single drivers(FR's), The Horn Shoppe FR's, Omega, Zu's, and every other speaker made. Finding which are right for you is a long, long, term journey unless you get lucky by sheer chance.

The one good thing about Zu is that they have a 30 or 60 day trial money back guarantee. I don't know of any other speaker maker that does that. Just realize that Zu speakers, like all others, are hit & miss as to who will love them and who will not. I personally like them a lot even though I own a totally different type of fullrange driver system that I love.

Ghanson,

I totally agree with your sentiment that we have to sometimes take chances on component purchases. But, hopefully those "chances" are made an exducated or experienced reference.

In Rocky's case, he has never heard a SET amp or high effficiency speakers at all. So, jumping in with the Yamamoto 45 SET is more likely to yield a bad experience then good. There are many, many, limitations to amps with that low wattage(as well as benefits). But, you have to know what you are doing to get a satisfying synergy performance in a system.

And, let's face it, SET's are not for everyone musically. There are people who simply do not like the sound at all no matter which manufacturers products they hear. Rocky should at least find out if he's in this camp or not before dropping $4,000-7,000(used vs. new) on the Yamamoto and Zu's.

He needs to at least hear a few of the most popular SET's - 45, 300B, 2A3, EL34, 845, etc. to get a sense of which sound he prefers. There's such a big difference between each.

Then, he heeds to hear a good fullrange/single drive, true compression horns, and even some SET-friendly two or 3 way regular dynamic speakers.

Luckily, he's in a good city for hearing high-eff systems. There are plenty of owners in the Bay Area.

Congrats Ghanson,

The Yam is a superb amp. As sson as everything is fully broken in, I bet you will begin to hear subtle nuances in recordings that you'd never known existed. There really is no equivelent to well executed SET and single-drivers, it has wholly unique sound of it's own.

"I must beg Darkmoebius's pardon but hum and noise are also ridiculously low and I experienced none of the problems alluded to several postings ago."

I wasn't implying that you were guaranteed to have that problem, just that it was a possibity.

My 6wpc Art Audio PX-25(or Welborne DRD 300B monos), S&B TX-102mkIII transformer volume control, and 97dB Cain & Cain IM-Bens revealed a fairly annoying 60/120Hz AC line noise that I never knew existed. The hum simply couldn't be heard with my mid-efficiency system. As a result, I spent weeks in frustration trying to eliminate the hum from all the wrong places in my system.

Anyway, be prepared for long listening sessions while you rediscover your music collection. That's 2/3rds the fun.