Speakers for low power tube amplifier

Does anyone have or heard the floorstanding Casta Acoustic D8's with any tube gear? I've heard from a few it needs tube and not S.S power. They are 93 dB efficient with a large compression driver & horn tweeter with an 8inch mid bass and 8" bass driver. Any help would be appreciated....thx......

To get exelenent sound with low power Amp you must get
speakers with active bass section ,
low freg driver connect direct to bult in amp with no
coil between- is the best . You power 10-20 watt just to drive mid and high. Shop arround. i buld this speaker too.
bache audio. ialso made speakers clone to living voice
auditorium New model with active bass section is not on
website yet BACHE

I hear Casta Acoustics has some pretty incredible sound. Check E'm out.

Regards Bacardi

High End audio offers so many enticing possibilities.I`m enthralled with my speakers but I`d love to hear the Horning,Ocellia and Audiokinesis with my amp just for pure curiosity. They`re all different approaches with very good reputations.

I am putting another vote for Audiokinesis- that is if you want bass along with easy-to-drive. They are highly detailed and very easy to listen to.

If the room is very large you will want to consider horns- that is about the only way you can get 22 watts to work in larger rooms.

dc10audio Berlin.

You might also look at Tekton.

Elduende,

Sorry - I've never heard any of the 3a speakers beyond the deCapo and the deCapo i.

I do like the Vandy 1s being recommended here quite a lot, but would again note that they are IMHO more on the warm/forgiving side of the spectrum than either Merlin or (again, to a lesser extent) Ref 3a, so I'd again suggest an audition before making such a move, as well.

I certainly understand your issue with the BAM, so the VSM is out.

One thing to bear in mind is that both the Merlin and the Ref3 are unusual designs in that they are ported speakers with a tight character to the bottom end that does not sound (to me anyway) like most ported speakers. I'm not aware of too many speakers out there that offer that "flavor" of bass in a tube friendly design.

I'm sure that they're out there, though.

Good Luck.

Marty

I drive the Vandersteen 1CI with a lowish 25 WPC Quicksilver Mini Mono,s in a 12 x 14 room with fine results
After trying 12 or so pairs of stand mounts it was obvious Johnny Cash sounded best on this floor standing design.
"Bass is the foundation to the music"
Without it there is no music.
When we pressurize the room with a neutral speaker-all music sounds right.
Dealer for both
JohnnyR

Please also consider Vandersteen 1C. One of the finest budget floor standers out there; time and phase aligned with exceptional bass response.

Thank you Marty for your response.
I like the Merlins and I will still use the TSM for a second system, but I don´t want to move to the VSM. Why? I don´t like the use of BAM. My system is real balanced configuration. The balanced BAM is too expensive and I have to add an extra expensive interconnect cable. I don´t know if I can use the VSM without the BAM.
Did you hear the Reference 3a Episode or the L´Integrale Noveau?

You might consider the Merlin VSM. You seem to like the TSMs a lot and the VSM offers an extended bandwidth variation on that theme. I got good performance at adequate (for my listening habit) spl from my VSM in a moderate sized room drive by 15 wpc Cary 300b amps.

Marty

PS - The I also own the Verity P/E (unfamiliar with the Finn) and have owned deCapos in the past. I concur with your description of the Merlin and Ref 3a, so I suspect that you're hearing a lot of the same things that I do, so...

The Verity P/E barks up a 180 degree different tree than the Merlin and/or the Ref 3a. Both the Ref 3a and the Merlin have tight, well damped bass response that IMHO gives both speakers some commonality to their voice. My take is that he Merlin has significantly more energy as frequencies climb, which really distinguishes their respective voices.

OTOH, my P/E has a gently rising but pronounced elevation thru the mid bass region. This makes it a much more forgiving speaker than either the Merlin or (to a lesser extent) the deCapo, but one that sounds quite different overall. It's a very, very good speaker, just one that approaches the task from the opposite side than Merlin or Ref 3a, so to speak. I don't know whether the Finn shares this quality, but - if you're coming from Merlin/Ref 3a - I'd say that an audition is 100% required before you switch to Verity.

Some good recomendations already. I have used Living Voice, they are quite nice. I might add Silverline and Devore Fidelity, Tannoy.
I use Daedalus now the DA-RMas, with a hybrid and also a 20 watt SET integrated, the Ayon Spark. They sound wonderful and are a long term keeper. They are also good value for money, though not cheap, because of direct sale. No retailer distributor to add 50% + to the cost

Yes, both, the Merlins and the Reference 3As represent good option for bookshelf speakers and excellent value for the money.
The De Capo i have more deep bass and very extended highs.
The Merlins dessapear and you only hear the music with incredible soundstage. They have 87db sens. but they are easy to drive and for my small listening room 22W is enough.
Now I´m moving to a bigger listening room and I´m loocking for floorstanding speakers.
Friends, remember that my Silvaweld are push pull with 300B not SE. I also tried Silvaweld 300B SE (7W) and they are very different from my PP amplifiers.
Thanks

Up to the moment I used two bookshelf monitors with great results (Reference 3a De Capo i and Merlin TSM-MXr)

I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on these two speakers in your set-up.

Don't know your budget, but Daedalus Audio speakers are incredible with small power tube amps.

You might be surprised in that your amp may be more powerful than you think. I have a VAC 30/30 which is also 2 300B's in push pull. It has a bit more power than your amp, but not that much. Right now I have it working very well with a pair of Wilson Cubs. They are very easy to drive. In the past, though, I had no problems driving: ProAC 2.5's, Vandersteen 1 & 2's, and even a pair of Martin Logan SL-3's. You should have no problems, at all, finding a speaker that will work well.

Hi,
Coincident,Rethm,Ocellia,Tonian Labs, Tannoy,Vaughn,Sonist,Zu etc. You have many good choices available.Low power tubes with high efficiency speakers is a good pathway to natural and realistic sound.You`re starting with a very good amplifier to build a system around..
Regards,

you've already got some great suggestions - one more to think about would be Zu Audio.

Clearwave Symphonia 72R's are probably sensitive enough for that amplifier. I am a dealer.

The legacy focus and se are good choices as is their new classic hd models. Great prices for stunning sound. You have to spend a lot more to get all this in one package. Great bass wonderful mids and top end. They were in very fine form at the CA audio show. They are deserving of an evaluation. Jallen

You should consider Audiokinesis speakers. They are easy speakers to drive and offer great value for the money. I have used 12watt SET amps, 30 watt OTL amps, 35 watt push pull amps, and 225 watt solid state amps with my Jazz Modules and all sounded great. So 22 watt push pull should be no problem.

Lowther Medallion 2 amd Omega Super 8 Alnico XRS

When I had my 8w 300b amp both of these speakers performed and very well. Your Silvaweld is an exceptional amp will shine on both speakers. Of course your room will tell the tale of which is best for you.

http://omegaloudspeakers.com/products/super8series#xrs

http://www.lowther-america.com/Cabinets/Medallion/Medallion.html

Good luck