Speaker recommendation for Tube Setup $1500?

Realprober, I have posted initial impressions of the Cain Abby and Omega Super 3 in the following thread:

Fostex based speakers: Cain Abby or Omega Super3R

Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Rene

I just bought a pair of Consonance Eric 3 these are incredable for the price.

Audes Blues. No question. Especially for EL-34 setups.

I love mine: http://www.ajazi.com/stereo.cfm

And you can get them used for less than $1500.

Regards,
George Ajazi

Green Mountain, awesome speaker and first order cross over

Agree on the Vandersteens. I have the 3A Sigs with Rouge tube Pre amp/SS amp, and very nice results. The Vandersteens will provide a very wide soundstage.

Depending on budget, the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors are awesome, also I second the Totem, either Arro or Staff sound great in smaller rooms, I know since Totem always seems to sound great at CES despite having about 5 pairs of speakers in a room the size of a bathroom.

Vandersteen 2Ce Sig, Theil 2.3 will be very nice with tubes they play nice B&W is a bit brigher and to get similar performance you need to spend alot more. I had the 2ce sigs for a year(since upgraded) I would say they are the best bang for buck. Also for a small room they have the bigest most open soundstage.

Thanks guys for advices. Rene, I am very interested in your opinions of those Abby's and Omega's.

Please let me know your comment once you get them.

Well, I am in a similar position, looking for a $1500 speaker for an EL34 based amp: After a lot of reading over the last year I narrowed it down to

Omega Super 3R + subwoofer
Cain Abby

Soliloquy 5.3 or 6.2
Totem Arro
Reference 3A Dulcet or DeCapo

I just ordered the Omega's, but will also listen to the Abby's over the next few weeks. Also, I am moving soon to Calgary and there I will be able to listen to the Arros and DeCapo. Maybe I'll post some more findings here on Agon in a couple of weeks.

Good luck and let us know what you narrow the selection down to.

Rene

I use Totem Arro's with a Conrad Johnson MV-55 el-34 tube amp. An added benefit for you would be that they can be placed near the walls of your aparment. (Even 6 inches is enough!)
Good luck.

For a musical coherent speaker that is in your range new look at the ACI Sapphire. (audioc.com is the website) The older Sapphire III can be had for as little as $400 in some cases and garnered great reviews for a 2 way stand mount. Soundstage is very good and they are an involving speaker with bass useable in the 40hz range. 90dB efficient-great for a small-medium room. They sang with my bottlehead.

Green Mountain Audio-Europa, Europa Max. Well worth your time.

http://www.greenmountainaudio.com/

Thanks for the input. I am interested in Almarro, but I don't see any info online...

Luckyly, I've heard Vandersteen 5A before, and I loved it.
You say M33's similar taste as 5A, but less bass?

If I get a subwoofer, do you think it'll be close to 5A??

Thanks for your help.

I recently purchased a pair of Almarro M33s here on Audiogon. 35-20khz floortstanders ( approx 6"W x36"H X 9"D), 90DB effecient, two 4" drivers per speaker, no crossovers. They sound really great, take up very little floor space and throw a wide, deep soundstage.

My reference speakers are Vandersteen Model Fives, and the M33s don't give up a whole lot to the Vandys, except of course in the bottom octave.

FYI, there is a pair of the M33s up for sale here for $750. Use the money you save to buy new music or upgrade another component. Enjoy!

Galante Rhapsody, Omega speakers, samadhi, audio note type J or E

all good speakers that sound very fine and will work with quality tube amps from 8 to plenty of watts

do not consider thiel of BW for tube applications...thiels are dreadfully infamous to drive and many BW speakers require a LOT of power to work well despite their specifications

Galante Rhapsody, Omega speakers, samadhi, audio note type J or E

all good speakers that sound very fine and will work with quality tube amps from 8 to plenty of watts