Full-range/horn loaded on a budget?

And the speaker is; Tonian TL-D1. I found a pair which the owner had changed their mind and upgraded to the PHY-HP driver model. I would have preferred that too, or the AER, but budget didn't permit. I'm excited and look forward to hearing what's possible with these speakers. I hope they exceed my expectations. I'm not expecting the same sound as my Horning's, but if they do provide a substantial part of the sound I was accustomed to, and at a fraction of the cost (1/7th) I will be elated. If not, a learning experience. But I'll know from personal experience.

I was also very interested in the Tekton Uruz or KatzMeow in custom wood finish but after no response from multiple emails over 3 weeks I gave up. There was also a used pair of Zu Essence I would have enjoy hearing. But when the TL-D1 and it's great price came to my attention I had to jump on it.

Cfluxa: I concur. Sell the amp. If an SET didn't mate well with my previous Horning speakers the amp would go, not the speaker. Fortunately, that wasn't the case since the pair already had a known synergy.

Finsup: Actually, it's 8 musically pure, spine tingling, evocative, orgasmic watts. And what kind of music did I play with these flea-powered SET's paired with Horning Agathon Ultimates? Everything and anything. And to more then satisfying levels. The most natural, neutral, accurate and tonally pure sound I've come to hear from my system in 20 years of high-end audio. But please don't take my word for it. Listen for yourself. Even my 15 watt ViVa VeronaSET monos demolished my 150 watt Rowland Model 10. And that was with 89dB Kharma Ceramique 2.1 SDSS speakers. The ViVa may not have played as loud without distorting, but then again this was 15 watts with an inefficient speaker. Regardless, the SET sound was glorious, beyond words, and even the bass was better. How can that be you ask? I was skeptical too, and then disbelief. But there it was, hearing it with my own ears. Sure there are going to be situations where it doesn't work, but that's also true of solid-state. But once you hear that veil of distortion wiped away you'll realize what you've been missing, especially in terms of that emotional connection to the music. And then NOS tubes took it to a whole other level.
Check out the Positive Feedback review where the TL-D1 challenges a reviewers skepticism and his $9K Dali Euphonia speakers putting the myth of efficient, full-range driver, light weight cabinet speaker design inadequacies to rest, at least in this case. Note: The review TL-D1 was the original kit version. The new MKII has different plywood, modified woofer and tweeter, plus higher grade crossover and hookup wire.

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer

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Sakahara - congrats, and do keep us posted! Will you be pairing them with those 300B monoblocks? If so, that's the only thing that gives me pause, given the recent experience of a friend I related in my above post - he ended up selling his Mastersound 300B Reference to keep his TL-D1s. But there are a lot of amps that will really make them sing!

Cfluxa,
Keep in mind they`re many 300b amps on the market that vary considerably in performance. Numerous varibles matter, output and driver tube, circuits, power supply size and quaility, built quality etc. Sakahara`s Tron 300b amps are of first tier level and should be fine with the Tonians.

Correct. The TL-D1 will be mated with TRON Cantata SET 300B monoblocks*. If unsuccessful, I will not be selling my amps. But lets hold off on conjecture until the speakers, and system, has settled in.

Funny thing, the person who bought my Horning speakers has Tonian (PHY-HP version). His initial impression was the Horning mid/highs were not as good, but bass was better. His thought is that it's his amps; OTL and PP designs. The PHY-HP drivers prefer those amps whereas the Horning might be better suited with SET. This is only an initial impression based on very little listen time and quick set up. He mentioned trying an SET soon to hear for himself. Personally, I was surprised to hear his comment, especially about the Horning mids/highs. That is the Golden Ticket as reviewers have also noted. But as he said, it may be his amps are just not as well suited for this speaker as they are with the Tonian. Different full-range drivers, different and custom designs, mainly with Horning - hybrid.

What this comes down to though is does the sound satisfy my senses? If so, that's all that matters. There's always a level or so of compromise when changing gear and speakers. I've been fortunate enough over the years not to have had any major mismatches and always happy with those changes made. Being able to audition at home is key to that, but also pure luck. I do the research as best I can and make informative choices, which have resulted in an improvement each time. I also tend to keep with my choices for 3-5 years, sometimes longer. I'm not one to constantly change/upgrade my system. I do this for the music. The gear is just the means to that end. I can't be content if the sound is constantly being altered. Then you're consumed by that, it becomes obsessive. It's good to hear recordings in a different way, but it gets to a point of where does it end. I want to relax, enjoy the music, not play endless musical chairs with the gear.

*All internal silver, Sophia 300B Carbon Plate, NOS '42 Sylvania CHS-274B, and NOS '56 WE 417a.

Sakahara.
I`d be very interested in an update on the Tron 300b and Tonian Lab speaker.
Whats `s different compared to the Horning Agathon? Personally I`m very curious to hear the Tonian Classic 12.1 the uses that legendary PHY 12 inch wide band driver.