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Requesting Your Expertise - Best Options - High Sensitivity Speakers For A Smaller Room

As the title says, I am looking into the best options for higher sensitivity speakers for a somewhat small room. The room itself is 12.5 feet by 9.5 feet. The speakers would be placed along the 12.5 foot wall. Amplifier power is 8wpc. 

The system will be used for a variety of music, including folk, instrumental, rock, jazz, and singer songwriter offerings. Budget is a max of $3k, used. And a quality subwoofer, chosen specifically for the room, and use with whatever speakers that I choose, is available to employ.  

I already have some ideas, but, clearly, none of us are aware of everything, and, in the higher sensitivity space, things can get a bit tricky. Your experiences, thoughts, recommendations and expertise would be appreciated in terms of outlining all the worthwhile options available. Thanks. 

nightfall
georgemunn
21 posts
 

+1 ZU, they make several speakers in your price and size range, new. 

I drive my ZU ODS’s (I'm not recommending these for you there 55” tall and 105lb ea) with a 25 watt pass labs XA25 amp in a 24x21x8’ room easily to concert levels bringing in 2 15” sealed Rythmic subs at 40hz no cut to the ZU’s. They make several speakers in your price range and more appropriate to your room size. I think the ODS’s are 98 db sensitive their smaller platform units are 95 db’ish I think. They have a return policy so very little risk. Build quality is excellent, these are likely my last speakers, for my listening room anyway.

lanx0003
1,926 posts
 

Wharfedale Evo 5.2.  88 dB is high enough, and you shouldn’t overemphasize sensitivity over sound quality itself. High sensitivity does not guarantee either superior SQ or good sound at low volume. The host below compared the 5.2 with the 4.2, which I owned for a short while and absolutely loved—except for its low end. This younger brother greatly enhances the weight and punchiness in the low frequencies that Terry was raving about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL0DtZDhOMw&t=1177s

kennyc
2,854 posts
 

High efficiency speakers within budget:

  1. Tekton Perfect SET
  2. Klipsch Heritage
  3. Zu
fritzspeaks
45 posts
 
My 87 db speakers with series crossovers work and sound great with low powered tube amps including my 8 watt 300B, single EL34 SEP amp with 5 watts and my single EL84 2.3 watts per channel Decware amp in my 14 x 22 ft living room.  Series crossovers use much smaller and far fewer parts than regular crossovers that have many components that suck up power and sound.
 
Google any loudspeaker and see if they have a Stereophile review.  Go to the measurement page & check out the impedance & phase curves.  They will look like mountain ranges with peaks & dips.  No other loudspeakers will have smooth curves unless they use series crossovers.  Series crossovers sound much better in loudspeaker designs than old style regular crossovers. 
 
Here's a link to my Carrera BE loudspeakers with Dan Wright Modwright's 6 watt 300B tube headphone amp at the Capital Audio fest a few years back-
 
 
nightfall OP
257 posts
 
georgemunn

20 posts

 

+1 ZU, they make several speakers in your price and size range, new. 

I drive my ZU ODS’s (I’m not recommending these for you there 55” tall and 105lb ea) with a 25 watt pass labs XA25 amp in a 24x21x8’ room easily to concert levels bringing in 2 15” sealed Rythmic subs at 40hz no cut to the ZU’s. They make several speakers in your price range and more appropriate to your room size. I think the ODS’s are 98 db sensitive their smaller platform units are 95 db’ish I think. They have a return policy so very little risk. Build quality is excellent, these are likely my last speakers, for my listening room anyway.

You have a truly exceptional amp there, in your XA25. The only power amp I would consider if I decided to go without tubes. I do know the Zu speaker line well. I have previously owned the exceptional Druid MK IV’s, I have had many discussions with Sean, and have tremendous respect for the speakers they make. I once also owned the first generation of the Perfect Sets, from Tekton. I would seriously consider the current version of the Perfect Sets, but Eric has told me that really need at least 12-15 wpc, to truly perform well, so that eliminates that option.

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