2. speakers
  3. 1180202608

Best speakers under $2000 to match with a SET amp?

Hello all,
I live in a small NYC apartment my room is 11' deep, and 12' wide. I own a Unison Research S2K amp that can produce 15 watts ultralinear class a. It's linked with Audience AU24 cables to a Meridian 596 DVD and Von Schweikert VR1 speakers. Time for an upgrade in the speaker department. I listen to a lot of rock, samba, funk, jazz, disco, electronic, and hip-hop. However, I'm not a total bass freak. My room is too small, and I listen at normal levels, afterall I have lots of neighbors. I'm looking for tone, natural tone. That's why I bought a SET amp in the first place. Now I need the speakers to match any ideas?
Thanks to all!
g_goodwin
tweak1
3,535 posts
 
THe problem with most speakers is they need to be well out into the room (think 1/3) to breath.

You might look at maggies small wall mounts. I think you can buy them direct with a one years trade up I THINK
myraj
351 posts
 
I'll 2nd Kehut on the de Capo i recommendation. I used them with my 8w 300b SET with excellent results. You'll be really pleased with their bass response in your size room.
leahy's avatar
leahy
80 posts
 
I have had two sets of Cain Abbys. I let one pair go, and the 2nd pair is staying. Using the Abbys with the Cain Bailey fills out the bottom when needed. I use the speaker cable from the amp type of connection with the Bailey instead of line-level.

Sounds great at both soft and loud settings. Plays blues, jazz, country, rock, movie soundtracks, etc.

Much more full (Abby only) than the Horn Shoppe Horns I used a year ago, especially at low volumes.

My room is only 8' wide by 14' long, and I use the regular Fostex driver. I got the 2nd hand setup (Abby/Bailey) for $1,850 including shipping.

Sounds great with push-pull EL84 and single ended EL84. I'm keeping my Sam Kim Audio EL84 push pull amp and retiring from the rat race.

Good Luck!
heli_dog
45 posts
 
I'll 3rd Kehut on the Reference 3A MM de Capo i speaker recommendation. Using them with a Blue Circle BC6, 25 watt class A hybrid amp, 3 feet out from the wall in a relatively small room (16' x 12' x 8.5').
jax2
3,031 posts
 
Galante Rhapsody's are a superb match with my 8 watt SET amps (Disclaimer - I am currently selling my Galantes as my SET amps are going into storage for a while). I'd normally tell you to consider Klipsch K-Horns or LaScalas, but both are too big for your room. You could use vintage Cornwalls in that space for much less than $2K. I'd also highly recommend considering Silverline Sonatinas. You can get a used pair in your price range, and they'd likely be a great match with your 15amp SETs. You should also try to solicit answers specifically from those with your amps as that interface is critical. I have no experience with your amps - I'm using 8 watt 300B SET amps.

Marco
More to discover