After many years with inefficient speakers and the appropriate amps to drive them my own curiosity got the best of me. I’m somewhat budget constrained (lower end of the audiophile totem pole) which is a bit challenging when trying to put together a SET/high-efficiency system but with plenty of research behind me I started with the speakers and purchased Omega’s Super 3i. To get a handle on the sound I paired them with several amps I have in storage. Good start. Long story short, about 3 months later I ordered a Decware SE84UFO (2 wpc). The reported synergy I read about was immediate and obvious. I’ve since added a nice NOS DAC and Omega’s DeepHemp 8 Subwoofer. This is the most satisfying system I’ve put together .. tone, nuance, coherence, soundstage .. everything improved. Late night listening is a joy. No doubt this type of system isn’t for everyone but for me, I can’t imagine going back.
Experiences moving from high-power to lower-power system
Dear all,
For years I have been pursing a track of higher and higher power solid-state amplification with medium-to-low efficiency floorstanding speakers. I don't wish to start another tube vs. solid state thread. And we all know the benefits of more, often Class A, power: better headroom, transient response, imaging, soundstage, low-end control. Rather, I want to ask about the experiences of folks who have traded in higher-power for lower-power setups. What were the tradeoffs? What got better? What got worse? Was it a question of fit with the space? Answers can be from folks with super-high-efficiency speakers and flea-watt amps, tube or solid state, or transitions to setups that are less extreme.
Thank you,
Paul
For years I have been pursing a track of higher and higher power solid-state amplification with medium-to-low efficiency floorstanding speakers. I don't wish to start another tube vs. solid state thread. And we all know the benefits of more, often Class A, power: better headroom, transient response, imaging, soundstage, low-end control. Rather, I want to ask about the experiences of folks who have traded in higher-power for lower-power setups. What were the tradeoffs? What got better? What got worse? Was it a question of fit with the space? Answers can be from folks with super-high-efficiency speakers and flea-watt amps, tube or solid state, or transitions to setups that are less extreme.
Thank you,
Paul