What speakers would match well to my tube system?

What kind of music do you listen to? This is important because not all speakers are completely versatile.

My choice of music for your speaker suggestions are 1. classical, 2. jazz, 3. rock/pop (James Taylor, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, etc.).

I recommend high sensitivity coaxials: Tannoy System 12 DMT or 15 DMT; Tannoy Monitor Golds or HPDs; Altec 604-8G, 604-8H, 604-8K.

All these drivers work well with solid state as well.

Plus if at some later date you decide to bi-amp you'll realize their true potential.

Regards,

Joel.

Merlin VSM-Millenium's used could be had for slightly less than $4K. These can play all sorts of musical genres with incredible resolution, detail and soundstaging. World class speakers that have incredible bang for your buck. I'm running mine with a VAC PA100/100 amp and they sound amazing!

Jcbach,
Having seen your musical choices makes it somewhat easier to suggest several speakers within your price range since, like you, my music repertoire leans heavily toward classical & opera (60%) with the remainder shared among jazz vocal, jazz instrumental, blues, big band, folk, rock, world and miscellaneous electronica in this particular order.
The names that came readily to mind are:
1. JM Reynaud (Offrande): known for palpability, expressiveness, immediacy, clarity & warmth. Great for Classical and Jazz, although the specs don’t look outstanding. 4 Ohms, 89dB/W/m, 30-20000 Hz. There are a few currently available on A’goN for under $4K.
2. Totem Acoustic (Forest): same as above. The specs don’t tell the whole story but let your ears do the judging. 4 Ohms, 87dB/W/m, 33 Hz to 20 kHz +2. Again, very versatile but the least efficient speakers of the 4 choices.
3. Chesky C-1: I heard these at the HE2003 and thought they were so refined! There were a few of us in the room who were classical & jazz fans. We were so taken by the speakers that we ended up staying about 1 hour and a half playing Mozart, Mahler, Dvorak and various Jazz tracks. The C-1’s were driven by a pair of Atmasphere monoblocks. 6 Ohms, 89dB/W/m, 40Hz - 25 kHz (+/- 2 dB). The only let down is with Renaissance Baroque music where I felt they could be livelier.
4. Meadowlark Audio (Heron-i, old model): Same as above. A tad laid-back. Blossoms with tubes though. Great on classical and Jazz. I currently own these and most likely will go with the JM Reynaud Concorde or Totem Wind in the future.
These a are revealing speakers and should be complimenting the quality of your new amp. Again, some may not agree with me. But c’est la vie.

The Equation 25s should work well with your amp! There's a pair on audiogon for 2900.00 right now!These speakers don't even have Xovers and throw a huge soundstage.They stand almost 6 ft tall and use a ceramic tweeter and a 8 inch metal driver.The speakers are also beautiful pinch spanish maple (hand made).They are very efficient and rated at 0 db down at 29 hertz.I haven't heard a two way design that could hold a candle to these speakers( bar none)! Good luck!

Along with Tmoran I would also recommend the VSM-M used. These are extraordinary 2-way floor standing speakers that have been refined since their original introduction in 1994 and they love tubes. At least try to listen with a dealer that knows how to set them up or better yet you could post a request to listen to a local owner in your area or call Bobby P. at Merlin, he'll definitely help you listen. They are stellar on large scale orchestral, chamber, jazz, vocals, pop and most rock. For headbangers, they may not have enough bass punch but your tastes indicate that you don't favor that genre.

They are very refined and detailed without sounding etchy unless you have a mismatch problem upstream. They are great to listen to off axis because of their wide radiation. They scale music realistically without any undue emphasis. I have heard most of the aforementioned speakers though not necessarily in the best of settings. The music these speakers are capable of reproducing is as good as I've heard across the board with a seamlessness and coherence that comes close to single driver panel systems. I really can't think of one box speaker that is better across the board but many that have more bass energy and go lower than the 30hz these are capable of. Yes I have owned them for the past 3 years and am still amazed at their capabilities.

Good luck in your search!