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SET with inefficient speakers

i've always wanted to hear how an SET amp would sound at home, but my speakers aren't a good match in theory. they are dali euphonia M4's. floorstanding with two 6.5" woofs. 88db 4 ohm.

however, my listening room is smaller (10'X16'), i sit very close to the speakers, and i don't listen very loud (usually around 80 db level, per recent fooling around with the radio shack meter).

anyone have success with low powered tube amps under similar situation. there is no loacal dealer to do an in-home audition, and i don't want to hassle with different speakers. thanks....
tim1
chuckie
74 posts
 
Tholt
Yeah, Audiogon has given me the chance to "find" nirvana in this maddness.I don't roll amps often. I was once on the high power kick but found that's not always the solution in trying to get that "match made in heaven" sound.Well,with the addition of the NAT SE2SE amps I think and hope this is the end of this journey searching for amps to power Soundlabs.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
Sonic,
One of the biggest myths in audio is the impedance myth. Tube guys will talk about various tube till dawn, spouting opinions about what does or doesn't sound better, but audiophiles of all stripe typically ignore some of the measurables which are known to effect quality and equipment compatibility.

Yep, by all means enjoy, but don't frustrate yourself by trying to get a SET shoe to fit a B&W foot. You may get your foot in there, but will be in pain after walking 5 minutes.

If my references were a little opaque for you, try reading up on some of that kind of theory. Instead of turning compatibility into a guessing game, a little info going in will enable you to avoid some blind alleys, perhaps.

Sorry for getting wound up. I think speaker designer/builders need to sit down for a long chat with amplifier guys.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,784 posts
 
Magfan, you got that right... I usually show the speaker guys this
http://www.atma-sphere.com/papers/paradigm_paper2.html

-and then see if they have any questions. If the question about which paradigm group the speaker or amp fell into was marked on the specs, and if everyone knew what that meant, speaker/amp selection would be a lot easier!
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