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Speaker Pairing - First Watt F8

Entering into 2024 with a mid-term (12 month ) plan to add a set of new speakers to my system.  I have the time to do the research and as geography permits to listen to a narrowed down list of choices - would like to consider three finalists.  

My system consists of the First Watt F8, Modwright LS 100 preamp, Aurender N200, Schitt Yggy LIM, ClearAudio Concept with MCRU power supply & AT- ART9XI cartridge and Modwright PH 9.0 phono stage.  Speakers are the Zu DW6 Supreme.  I plan on repurposing these speakers to a separate system.  I find the Zu's to be easy to listen to and a sound that I would describe as warm, clean and able to punch.  I would like to take it up a notch and have a more detailed speaker thats in line with my other components.  

Listen to mainly jazz, female vocals ( think Melody Gardot, Madeline Peyroux, etc), R&B and Indie. Large room thats a combination great room/ kitchen/bar  thats 23' by 27' with 10 ft ceilings. Furniture, rugs, island etc with the speakers on a back wall and 12' apart.  

In an article by Herb Reichert in Stereophile, Herb asked Nelson Pass what speakers could most effectively be driven by the F8.  Nelson goes on to say the F8 excels with efficient speakers ( 90 db & above ) that have good dynamics and an impedance above 8 ohms.  The article also has Herb stating that in his experience choosing a speaker with high impedance and a benign phase characteristic is more important than high sensitivity.   Maybe someone can help me out with what is meant by "benign phase characteristic" ? 

Lastly, budget is in the neighborhood of $7.5K and certainly would entertain lightly used preowned speakers.  On my beginning list to further research at this time are the Zu Soul 6, Living Voice Avatar 4, Devore O 93 and Volti Razz.  

Net is that I would really appreciate your thoughts on the above.  Thanks in advance!  

norust

Showing 3 responses by decooney

decooney
1,906 posts
 

To @doyle3433 - nice, that would be a real treat and experience in the journey to be able to go onsite, and sit with the designer-creator of special speakers - and even listen to them on a well orchestrated setup [away from a show setting - if possible]. We don’t often get to do this in our industry. I’ve always enjoyed meeting and learning from other designers, and their different approaches. 

I’d highly recommend doing this for anyone who can go do it. And, if you buy the speakers, and like them, it can be a memorable experience you’ll never forget.

decooney
1,906 posts
 

@norust decooney - thanks for the article link on the Razz. I have communicated with Gregg at Volti and he has been helpful. Since I am in the southeast, I plan on making a roadtrip to TN to hear his speakers in the next 6 months.

 

Sure.  I’m coming from a different side of the fence - from the BorderPatro vantage point some - and noticed these a few years back. Each time a show occurs, TriodeWireLabs, BorderPatrol, and Greg at Volti pair up. Visitor feedback is usually very positive. Also comments about a particular type of sound I keep eyes and ears out for with amps, dacs, and speakers fwtw.

This brought my own attention for some friends I was helping with Klipsch, and started wondering what Gary was doing differently with his Volti Razz and Rival speaker offerings. While they are not a candidate for my current setup, or room, a few colleagues bouncing back and forth with different higher & lower power amps, might be interested in these too. Please report back on your site visit findings later, here, if you think of it. Thanks.

decooney
1,906 posts
 

@norust - from your list above, I’d pick the Volti Razz for your FW F8. That’s my .02 cents. Also, a comment from stereophile recently on impedence with Razz, fwiw. Lots of others out there you could check out, but this is a good example. I agree with the pick impedance vs. sensitivity thoughts and comments though - on that note... Getting the right speakers for your F8 will make a difference.Best of Luck on your search.

Stereophile Quote December 2023:

"Although the Razz’s nominal impedance is specified as 6 ohms, the magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) rarely drops below 8 ohms. The average impedance is around 12 ohms, though there is a minimum value of 4.1 ohms at 100Hz".

 

 

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