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Speakers for low power tube amplifier

Hi,
I´m loocking for speakers for my Silvaweld tube monoblocks (22W with 300B in push pull configuration).
Up to the moment I used two bookshelf monitors with great results (Reference 3a De Capo i and Merlin TSM-MXr) but I want to move to floorstanding speakers. They must be easy (8 ohms) to drive with more than 90db sens.
Some contenders are:
Verity Audio Finn
Reference 3a Episode or the discontinued L´Integrale Noveau
Living Voice IBX-R2
Lawrence Violin (they are not floorstand but has excellent bass response)
I will apreciate your opinion and recomendations.
Thanks
elduende14

Showing 2 responses by martykl

martykl
3,578 posts
 
You might consider the Merlin VSM. You seem to like the TSMs a lot and the VSM offers an extended bandwidth variation on that theme. I got good performance at adequate (for my listening habit) spl from my VSM in a moderate sized room drive by 15 wpc Cary 300b amps.

Marty

PS - The I also own the Verity P/E (unfamiliar with the Finn) and have owned deCapos in the past. I concur with your description of the Merlin and Ref 3a, so I suspect that you're hearing a lot of the same things that I do, so...

The Verity P/E barks up a 180 degree different tree than the Merlin and/or the Ref 3a. Both the Ref 3a and the Merlin have tight, well damped bass response that IMHO gives both speakers some commonality to their voice. My take is that he Merlin has significantly more energy as frequencies climb, which really distinguishes their respective voices.

OTOH, my P/E has a gently rising but pronounced elevation thru the mid bass region. This makes it a much more forgiving speaker than either the Merlin or (to a lesser extent) the deCapo, but one that sounds quite different overall. It's a very, very good speaker, just one that approaches the task from the opposite side than Merlin or Ref 3a, so to speak. I don't know whether the Finn shares this quality, but - if you're coming from Merlin/Ref 3a - I'd say that an audition is 100% required before you switch to Verity.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Elduende,

Sorry - I've never heard any of the 3a speakers beyond the deCapo and the deCapo i.

I do like the Vandy 1s being recommended here quite a lot, but would again note that they are IMHO more on the warm/forgiving side of the spectrum than either Merlin or (again, to a lesser extent) Ref 3a, so I'd again suggest an audition before making such a move, as well.

I certainly understand your issue with the BAM, so the VSM is out.

One thing to bear in mind is that both the Merlin and the Ref3 are unusual designs in that they are ported speakers with a tight character to the bottom end that does not sound (to me anyway) like most ported speakers. I'm not aware of too many speakers out there that offer that "flavor" of bass in a tube friendly design.

I'm sure that they're out there, though.

Good Luck.

Marty
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