What speakers to use with vacuum tube amplifier?

[jtgofish]

The brutal truth is that very few speakers sound their best with tube amps.Find the right combination of tubes and speakers though and the result can be hard to beat.
I can understand RGAs enthusiasm for this type of system and frustration at people not grasping the subtleties of tube amp matching.

People who say they do not like tube amps have probably never heard them with the right speakers.
A great starter speaker for anybody entering into the tube amp world is the old Klipsch KG4.These are cheap second hand but can sound superb with tube amps.I used to run mine with Leak Stereo 20 and Lux KMQ7 but with a modern SET they would be superb.
They MUST be stand mounted though by removing the timber skirts on the speaker base.On the floor they sound pretty crap.

[RGA]

The brutal truth is that very few speakers sound their best with tube amps.Find the right combination of tubes and speakers though and the result can be hard to beat.
I can understand RGAs enthusiasm for this type of system and frustration at people not grasping the subtleties of tube amp matching.

People who say they do not like tube amps have probably never heard them with the right speakers.
A great starter speaker for anybody entering into the tube amp world is the old Klipsch KG4.These are cheap second hand but can sound superb with tube amps.I used to run mine with Leak Stereo 20 and Lux KMQ7 but with a modern SET they would be superb.
They MUST be stand mounted though by removing the timber skirts on the speaker base.On the floor they sound pretty crap.

It's funny you mention the KG4 -- back in the day when I was firts buying loudspeakers this was the runner up to what I did purchase - the Wharfedale Vanguard which was the speaker that replaced the classic E-70. The Wharfedale is 95db sensitive using a ringdac horn and runs mostly in the 10 ohm range. At that time before ever hearing a tube amp my favorite amp was the Sugden A21a. This amp I would later find out is a SET - Single Ended Topology pure class A.

The Wharfedales have plenty of problems so does the Klipsch but what they offer in speed dynamics and visceral scale is almost absent from the vast majority of new loudspeakers that may very well image better but in live music nobody pays attention to imaging or soundstaging but tonality and timbral accuracy and I dare say the music itself.

But since virtually everything in stores today do not have a single set-up that is even LIKE what an AN system offers up (SET/HE) then it is impossible to have a conversation on the subject - you can't even find speakers like the Wharfedale and Klipshes anymore not even from them unless you count the heritage line but so few places carry those.

Most Higher end dealers carry 2-4 speaker lines and mostly it goes something along the following:

They carry a budget line like a Wharfedale, Boston Acoustics, Paradigm. Then they will carry some sort of upscale brand like Sonus Faber. Then they will carry the complete line from say a B&W which is what dealers like best because you can start from $400.00 to $15,000.00. This they usually hard sell because it offers clear upscale paths and it's easier to take back on trades.

Conversely dealers dislike SET because they are a pain in the ass usually do not come with remotes and usually have a high price of entry. Audio Note for example starts at around $2500.00 for an amp and that is simply not going to be something a dealer in say Winnipeg is going to want to carry. I know a guy who thinks it's the best stuff around but it would bankrupt him to carry a line especially when the company wants you to carry a complete line of gear (turntables, DACs, transports, speakers, cables, stands etc).

It is far easier to carry mainstream feature friendly SS stuff from an import country and then get people to believe it's so much better than a Japanese receiver. It is often only marginally better but...

But hey I offer the suggestion they can toss it if they wish -- no big deal AN can't keep up with the orders anyway.