I have been wanting to try a pair of single end triod (SET)tube mono blocks (mostly like from Cary Audio) to run my dyn audio contour 3.3. My guts tells me that a 15W SET amp may not be enough. Has anyone try this or similiar setup?
If your room is large, you need at least 95dB sensitivity to approach the dynamics of live music with only 15 watts. In a smaller room the sensitivity matters less because of the room reinforcement. Dynaudios have around 87dB sensitivity, and the 3.3s have several drivers, an additionally taxing load for an amp.
The guess of the top of my head is "NO WAY". Dynaudio's use very "parts heavy" crossovers and are known to be "power suckers". Even with the "tube watts are more powerful than SS watts" argument, that amount of power will barely make those speakers "flinch".
In terms of of using a 15 wpc amp, i would look for speakers that were at least 95 - 96 db's unless your room was relatively small. Keep in mind that dispersion patterns and listening distances come into play with equations like this. A 96 db horn load sounds a LOT louder than a dynamic driver of the same sensitivity at a 10' distance. Another key factor would be the the type of music that you listen to. This will also dictate quite a bit about what will work and what won't. Rock & roll will eat up power much faster than classical music ( on an average basis ). Then again, i doubt that your "headbanging" if your considering low powered tubes and using Dynaudio's : ) Sean >
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