Speaker recommendation for Tube Setup $1500?

Galante Rhapsody, Omega speakers, samadhi, audio note type J or E

all good speakers that sound very fine and will work with quality tube amps from 8 to plenty of watts

Galante Rhapsody, Omega speakers, samadhi, audio note type J or E

all good speakers that sound very fine and will work with quality tube amps from 8 to plenty of watts

do not consider thiel of BW for tube applications...thiels are dreadfully infamous to drive and many BW speakers require a LOT of power to work well despite their specifications

I recently purchased a pair of Almarro M33s here on Audiogon. 35-20khz floortstanders ( approx 6"W x36"H X 9"D), 90DB effecient, two 4" drivers per speaker, no crossovers. They sound really great, take up very little floor space and throw a wide, deep soundstage.

My reference speakers are Vandersteen Model Fives, and the M33s don't give up a whole lot to the Vandys, except of course in the bottom octave.

FYI, there is a pair of the M33s up for sale here for $750. Use the money you save to buy new music or upgrade another component. Enjoy!

Thanks for the input. I am interested in Almarro, but I don't see any info online...

Luckyly, I've heard Vandersteen 5A before, and I loved it.
You say M33's similar taste as 5A, but less bass?

If I get a subwoofer, do you think it'll be close to 5A??

Thanks for your help.

Green Mountain Audio-Europa, Europa Max. Well worth your time.

http://www.greenmountainaudio.com/

For a musical coherent speaker that is in your range new look at the ACI Sapphire. (audioc.com is the website) The older Sapphire III can be had for as little as $400 in some cases and garnered great reviews for a 2 way stand mount. Soundstage is very good and they are an involving speaker with bass useable in the 40hz range. 90dB efficient-great for a small-medium room. They sang with my bottlehead.

I use Totem Arro's with a Conrad Johnson MV-55 el-34 tube amp. An added benefit for you would be that they can be placed near the walls of your aparment. (Even 6 inches is enough!)
Good luck.

Well, I am in a similar position, looking for a $1500 speaker for an EL34 based amp: After a lot of reading over the last year I narrowed it down to

Omega Super 3R + subwoofer
Cain Abby

Soliloquy 5.3 or 6.2
Totem Arro
Reference 3A Dulcet or DeCapo

I just ordered the Omega's, but will also listen to the Abby's over the next few weeks. Also, I am moving soon to Calgary and there I will be able to listen to the Arros and DeCapo. Maybe I'll post some more findings here on Agon in a couple of weeks.

Good luck and let us know what you narrow the selection down to.

Rene

Thanks guys for advices. Rene, I am very interested in your opinions of those Abby's and Omega's.

Please let me know your comment once you get them.

Vandersteen 2Ce Sig, Theil 2.3 will be very nice with tubes they play nice B&W is a bit brigher and to get similar performance you need to spend alot more. I had the 2ce sigs for a year(since upgraded) I would say they are the best bang for buck. Also for a small room they have the bigest most open soundstage.

Depending on budget, the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors are awesome, also I second the Totem, either Arro or Staff sound great in smaller rooms, I know since Totem always seems to sound great at CES despite having about 5 pairs of speakers in a room the size of a bathroom.

Agree on the Vandersteens. I have the 3A Sigs with Rouge tube Pre amp/SS amp, and very nice results. The Vandersteens will provide a very wide soundstage.

Green Mountain, awesome speaker and first order cross over

Audes Blues. No question. Especially for EL-34 setups.

I love mine: http://www.ajazi.com/stereo.cfm

And you can get them used for less than $1500.

Regards,
George Ajazi

I just bought a pair of Consonance Eric 3 these are incredable for the price.

Realprober, I have posted initial impressions of the Cain Abby and Omega Super 3 in the following thread:

Fostex based speakers: Cain Abby or Omega Super3R

Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Rene