Recommend Speakers For Yamamoto

You are going to need a high efficiency speaker with a low powered SET amp. I don't know about the B&W or JM Labs speakers, but I don't think they are going to be efficient enough to work with a 45 SET amp. It is going to depend on your room size and volume requirements, but I think you are going to need speakers of 94db efficiency or better. I'm sure that you will get recommendations that you only look at speakers that are about 100db or more efficient.

I'm currently listening to a speaker built around the HempAcoustics FR8.0DIY driver. It is a high efficiency full range drive. The speakers are excellent for most types of music and they play very loud with my 3.5 watt 2A3 SET amps.

Good luck. If this is your first venture into SET land, you are probably in for a treat!

Enjoy,

TIC

I'm with Microjack on this one. I was under the impression that you already owned the Yamamoto amp and were looking for speakers to match. Since that is not the case, personally I would recommend a different approach.

I've heard several 45 based amps and they can sound very good with the right speaker. However, you are greatly limited in the speakers you can use because of the very low output power of the 45 tube.

Specifically about the Yamamoto, I'm not too thrilled with the way it is made. Take a look at this one which just sold on AudiogoN:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1159237527

Screwing the legs into a thin wood panel, near the edge, is an accident waiting to happen. A small bump on the end of the leg, or if the box gets dropped in shipping, is going to cause the unit to become physically damaged like the one shown in the photo.

Personally I would look for an amp with somewhat more power. There are some great 2A3 SET amps out there. For instance, take a look at some of the ones from Larry Moore at Ultra Fi Times. They are extremely well built and sound great! Also, the designer and builder is the same person.

Enjoy,

TIC