Hi johnstax,
Man, you've assembled some great components for going at this hodge-podge!
I just went through exactly what you are facing a few years ago. It is a daunting task and try to go into accepting that the odds of "getting it right" with your first few choices are slim. So, look at this as an extended trial period. Buy used amps/speakers to maximize you purchasing power & resale value. Get something and listen to it for a few months, get a good feel for it. If it isn't right for your taste, resell at the price you paid and try something else. It is easily possible to try multiple amps, preamps, etc. and not lose money if you are patient and methodical.
Having said all that. I currently own the Welborne DRD 300B's and used to own 90dB/4ohm Jean Marie Reynaud Twins mkII's. The combination was great on smaller acoustic/jazz and most other music at moderate volumes, but after a while I felt that it wasn't enough. Higher efficiency was definetly needed. For me, I don't think there's anyway the DRD 45's two to three watts could have been satisfying with 90dB speakers.
You really should try to aim for 95-97+dB and a stable impedence curve. It will allow you to fully explore a wide range of SET amps from 45's to 2A3's to 300B's and 845's.
For speakers, seriously think about picking up the demo Cain & Cain Abby's listed here for $1,200. I have the much larger I-Bens, but listened to the Abby's last weekend at a dealer's house. They are unbelievable good, a true rarity at that price.
The first high-eff speakers I bought were Hammer Dynamics Super-12 single-driver kit. They are a absolutely fantastic. Excellent bass(rare w/ single drivers), dynamic, rich midrange and seriously affordable at $650. A perfect introduction to high efficency. You can do various affordable (<$200)mods to improve the performance as your experience with SET's and the speakers increases.
The Super-12 really can compete with many speakers in the $1.5k range after the easy upgrades. You can get many, many, years of enjoyment out of them.
While I'm on a single-driver groove, check out The Horn Shoppe "The Horn". At $850, it is another affordable well-made step into high efficiency.
On a related note, the Welborne DRD 300B's are some of the best SET's I have ever heard at all price points. They are supremely transparent, holographic, and nearly "colorless". Tonal purity is how I would describe them. After getting them, I came to realize that many, many, other 300B SET's have an artificial form of midrange lushness. Several other amps have come and gone through my system, but the DRD's a mainstay. I enjoy them as much as my Art Audio PX-25 that cost 3-4x as much. You cannot go wrongwith DRD's and Rob Welborne is great to deal with.
Anyway, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, they are a lot of people around here with plenty of of SET experience
Man, you've assembled some great components for going at this hodge-podge!
I just went through exactly what you are facing a few years ago. It is a daunting task and try to go into accepting that the odds of "getting it right" with your first few choices are slim. So, look at this as an extended trial period. Buy used amps/speakers to maximize you purchasing power & resale value. Get something and listen to it for a few months, get a good feel for it. If it isn't right for your taste, resell at the price you paid and try something else. It is easily possible to try multiple amps, preamps, etc. and not lose money if you are patient and methodical.
Having said all that. I currently own the Welborne DRD 300B's and used to own 90dB/4ohm Jean Marie Reynaud Twins mkII's. The combination was great on smaller acoustic/jazz and most other music at moderate volumes, but after a while I felt that it wasn't enough. Higher efficiency was definetly needed. For me, I don't think there's anyway the DRD 45's two to three watts could have been satisfying with 90dB speakers.
You really should try to aim for 95-97+dB and a stable impedence curve. It will allow you to fully explore a wide range of SET amps from 45's to 2A3's to 300B's and 845's.
For speakers, seriously think about picking up the demo Cain & Cain Abby's listed here for $1,200. I have the much larger I-Bens, but listened to the Abby's last weekend at a dealer's house. They are unbelievable good, a true rarity at that price.
The first high-eff speakers I bought were Hammer Dynamics Super-12 single-driver kit. They are a absolutely fantastic. Excellent bass(rare w/ single drivers), dynamic, rich midrange and seriously affordable at $650. A perfect introduction to high efficency. You can do various affordable (<$200)mods to improve the performance as your experience with SET's and the speakers increases.
The Super-12 really can compete with many speakers in the $1.5k range after the easy upgrades. You can get many, many, years of enjoyment out of them.
While I'm on a single-driver groove, check out The Horn Shoppe "The Horn". At $850, it is another affordable well-made step into high efficiency.
On a related note, the Welborne DRD 300B's are some of the best SET's I have ever heard at all price points. They are supremely transparent, holographic, and nearly "colorless". Tonal purity is how I would describe them. After getting them, I came to realize that many, many, other 300B SET's have an artificial form of midrange lushness. Several other amps have come and gone through my system, but the DRD's a mainstay. I enjoy them as much as my Art Audio PX-25 that cost 3-4x as much. You cannot go wrongwith DRD's and Rob Welborne is great to deal with.
Anyway, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, they are a lot of people around here with plenty of of SET experience