8-16 ohm budget speakers

Erik, thanks for that link. There was a time when I I would enjoy making my own speakers however for now I already have too many projects on the books. 

Did look like these speakers would be easy to build and serve my needs.

OK, I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Klipsch RP-160M speakers (at a good sale price). I have been breaking them in and comparing them to B&W 685s as driven by my NAD 326BEE. Thus far comparison made playing system on back deck, thus no room reinforcement. I intend to make comparison in my dedicated room as driven by my main system soon. As a general comparison there are the obvious tonal differences with the Klipsch having a more forward upper mid/lower treble. I believe the B&Ws to be somewhat more refined (again outdoor environment). As driven by the NAD I felt the Klipsch represent themselves well. That said, there is much competition between budget speakers at their asking price of $440. 

I bought the Klipsch based on claimed sensitivity of 96dB. No way they approach this value. Based on listening they seem not much greater in sensitivity to the 685s, maybe 90dB. I have driven them with the Dynaco ST-70 to reasonable levels however remain looking for a speaker easier to drive. I know sensitivity is often overstated by manufacturers, but to this degree. Wonder how it was measured?

Anyway I will continue to keep everyone posted as I continue down this road.  

Well I sold the RP-160s and purchased a pair of DALI Zensor 1s. Not any more sensitive than my B&Ws however an easier load as impedance doesn't go below 5 ohms.  Haven't received the Zensors yet to pair with the Dynaco. 

I expect that the Zensors won't compete with the 160s on the bottom end however expect the midrange to be more cohesive and detailed.  

I don't know the exact dimensional differences but Elac B5 or UniFi B5 would have been on top of the list if I were looking for bookshelf speakers in that price range.

Actually, my old ST 70 seems to have a good amount of power for only 35 wpc.  Does anyone have a guess what it would be equal to in a SS design?