Minimum Power Needed to Drive Klipsch Cornwall IVs? - Considering Erhard_Audio Ray


Hi,

I'm new to the the hifi world but have taken up the hobby with alacrity. I recently purchased a pair of Cornwall IVs to go with my Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2. At the time I purchased the speakers I had no idea what speaker sensitivity is. Now that I do, I realize that I have a lot of interesting options when choosing an amp. I have been toying with the idea of getting an Erhard-Audio Single-Ended Ray along with their Aretha pre-amp. The amp is only 4W/channel. I'm highly skeptical but I've been told that 4W is plenty to drive a 102db speaker and that the sound of an SE amp is amazing.

Wondering if anyone has experience driving Klipsch Cornwall IVs (or other high sensitivity speakers) with a low wattage amp. I'm also interested in experience with SE amps.

My system consists of the following:

Technics 1200G
VAS Nova cartridge
VAS SUT
Rogue Audio Triton 2 phono pre-amp
Bluesound Node
Musican Pegasus DAC
Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2

My room is 15' x 30' with 14' ceilings. It's a photo studio in an old mill. I'm often moving around so I need the sound to fill the space. BUT I've gotten noise complaints from my neighbors so...

Musical preference is all over the place. Today I'm listening to Dire Straits, Sturgill Simpson, Paul Simon, Miles Davis, Tycho, Post Malone, Taylor Swift, Michelle Gurevich etc.

katokaelin

Wow. Thanks for all the responses.

@skids - my experience with the Cronus has been great so I intend on sticking with tubes. That ARC75se looks sweet!

@tomic601 - First I’m hearing of Toolshed Amps - very cool stuff.

@mofojo - I like the Cronus with the Cornwalls. I would describe the sound as warm, but it is highly influenced by the center driver tube. Tube rolling has made the Cronus very fun to own. And as far as power goes, I like my music on the loud side and have never had the dial past 11 o’clock. I was considering sending it in to have it upgraded to the latest Dark version, but then started wondering what else my money could get me, if there was a more interesting pairing for the Cornwalls... I will likely keep the amp for my living room at home, that how much I like it. And, I’ve had a number of conversations with the guys at Rogue Audio. Their customer service is top notch.

@corelli - It’s nice to hear feedback from someone that has direct experience with the Ray. There isn’t a lot of info online about the amp. I’ve been in touch with Holger, who builds the amps in Montana, and he has been really nice to work with. I’m looking forward to giving him my business. I like your "color saturation" analogy!

@mlsstl - I just downloaded a db meter for my phone. It looks like my typical volume is between 65-85db at 20’ and between 70-90db at 3’. If I’m understanding you correctly it sounds like the 4W should be enough.

@atmasphere - Very interesting. If I decide to pass on the Ray I’ll likely go for Erhard-Audio’s Saturn, which is a 15W PP...

Very interesting. If I decide to pass on the Ray I’ll likely go for Erhard-Audio’s Saturn, which is a 15W PP...

@katokaelin Too bad there's not more information on their site- that amps sounds interesting!

The cleaner the amp is, the more you'll turn up the volume control without really thinking about it. That's because an amp with less distortion won't sound as loud and so you'll naturally use the power.

I'm very curious about Erhard's stuff.

Some SIT amps could be very nice, too.

I agree with @atmasphere 

I drove Cornwall IVs with an SE amp using EL34s, about 10 wpc. That worked great. I am now driving Lascala IIs with a 300B, also a great match. I would have concerns with 4 watts in a room as large as yours.