I I thought that I had really pulled off a miracle in getting just enough extra funding for a discounted pair of Volti Razz which I had dreamed about owning. A somewhat dinged up and scratched pair was available, but, in a just in a case discussion, yesterday, with Greg from Volti, he made it clear that my 8wpc would be enough to play music at low levels, and even "polite" levels, but if I wanted to play, say a rock album, they would run out of gas. Not workable for me, as whatever speakers I end up with have to be able to be driven by my amps in all situations. Greg says a good 20 watts is what’s really needed for the Razz to perform well.
Today, a good friend confirmed that a member of the audio group in his area just went from a 10wpc SET amp to a 20wpc amp, with his Razz, and the difference was night and day. So, sadly, my absolute top choice is out of contention. I had dreamed of adding those to my system, but the reports I got from trusted audiophile friends, regarding their sensitivity were apparently inaccurate, as I was sure that 8wpc would be enough.
I also auditioned the Klipsch Forte 4 Heritage Editions over the weekend. Very nice, but, at least for me, no magic was produced.
I’ve now learned that my top two options are either not usable, or not available. To be honest, nothing is left that excites me much at all. I am still considering a pair of Fritz Carbon 7 BE’s, which I know will work with my 8wpc, but as great a bargain as they appear to be, I’m somewhat doubtful that they are the "end game"/"forever" speaker that I am in need of.
If only a pair of Heretic AD614's would appear at a sensible price. Now that WOULD excite me. Unfortunately, they almost never appear for sale, used. And now that the owner and designer has passed away, and the company closed, the very, very few that do appear are at the original list price, or higher.