Right in the too-many-options budget sweet spot?


Hi folks! Brand new here, hoping to see the benefit of your collective genius (I've lurked for a while).
A couple of years ago, I had the good fortune to listen to Sandy Gross demoing a pair of GoldenEar Triton Twos just before they went on the market. This was right after leaving a demo room with $160k Wilson speakers, and between lots of other esoteric gear, and I left that evening sold on what I heard from GoldenEar, low price and all. Fast forward to now, and after all of my annoyance and begging and patience, my wife's finally agreed to earmark some money out of the tax return for new speakers. The plan at the moment is a pair of Triton Threes, so, accordingly, I have $2200 to work with (taxes, you know), and I've promised not a penny more.
I have an EAR 859 that I love. It puts out a lean 13 wpc, and it's just two channels. I hear anecdotally that it can drive fairly demanding speakers without too much trouble, but I'm wondering if there's a better choice out there than the Tritons. With only two channels to work with, the integrated sub is a huge draw for me, so I'd like something that does full range as well if possible.
My question's threefold:
First, I'm not technically savvy enough to know whether underpowering speakers can actually damage things or not. Advice would be great.
Are there better options in the full-range world for my setup?
I like the EAR, but I'm not married to it. I could probably get upwards of 2k for it. Would it be worth changing amps as well?

Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!
maskdbagel

Showing 1 response by swampwalker

The impedance curve of that speakeris not all that flat and dips down just below 4 ohms in the midrange, which is not ideal for a tube amp, but they are above average in sensitivity @ 91 dB. The reviews say that the EAR can drive Wilson Watt Puppies that are 90 dB sensitivity. I'd say try it out and see. A lot will depend on how big your room is and how loud you like to listen.