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speakers for low listening levels/tube amp

I just bought a tube amp (a sophia baby) and am looking for speakers that match well. I listen to lots of acoustic music, some jazz and bossa nova and occasionally some heavier music like rush/pink floyd etc. Huge bass is not a big deal for me.

I'm most interested in speakers that sound rich and detailed at low volumes. Having 2 small children and living in a townhome, I listen a lot late at night and want a good soundstage without lots of volume.

I've considered Omega and the Cain abbys (the Cains look great but are a bit spendy for me). I also looked at Klipsch (RB35 and RB75). I'd like to spend in the range of $600, but could go higher. Of course lower is better and leaves more money for music.

Does anyone have any advice? Never having heard these and not having time to demo, I'll be buying blind so to speak.

Thanks!
kunja
13 responses Add your response
trianglezerius's avatar
trianglezerius
119 posts
 
Try Triangle Cometes or Proac tablette ref 8s both are good at what you want......Triangle being more lively of the 2.
larryi
3,969 posts
 
I would look at the cheap, floorstanding Quad dynamic speakers, used Spendors, and used or cheaper Proac. These sound good for the money and are compatible with tube gear.
mauiaudioman
171 posts
 
GMA Europa's. Look in the used section as they can be had for 600-700 used.
gtfsr
29 posts
 
I started out with a pair of Carolina Audio JTM's.
This after having Dynaudio 1.8MK II's.
The JTM could be played at 70db's and offer a full
dynamic and lively sound even at that low a volume level.
The can be placed flat up against a wall also.
The don't need a lot of room or high power amps.

GTF
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
The Hornshoppe
Hammer Dynamics
Reference 3a MM De Capo
Bob Brines FT-1600 MkII
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
kunja-there are a pair of aliante stiles for 500 dollars on the gon as we speak from a reputable dealer-mint.....a better match with the sofia than many speakers including sonus faber, snd they look and sound as good as anything in the 1500 range.....hope this helps
ckorody
643 posts
 
I own a Baby Electric - there is a lot to like about it - but in my experience you need to pay a lot of attention to speaker efficiency, they simply don't have a lot of grunt. I think you are on the right track with the Omegas and Abbys
restock
831 posts
 
If you are looking for a warmer, fuller sound the Abbys would be great for your Sophia Baby. The Omega Super 3 are incredibly fast and detailed, but do not offer a warm and full sound at all. A good inbetween alternative might be the Horn Shoppe Horns: They sound fuller than the Omegas, but are about as quick. I just listened to them with a First Watt F1 and was quite impressed. It gave a full quick sound with good bass. With your Sophia they might need some corner loading and I am not a 100% shure about the match but is would be worth a try. The Horns can be ordered on trial for 30 days and are just a little more than you aimed for. My favorite is still the Abbys, but the Horns were quite impressive.

Enjoy!
jalapenos
81 posts
 
I second the Triangle ES line since you will be pushing them with EL34 output tubes. Triangles absolutely love this particular tube and don't require alot of power to sound great. Triangles are a bit lean on bass, but sound fabulous on acoustic music.
arni
313 posts
 
Kunja,
Per Ckorody recommendations regarding speaker efficiency, this website http://www.commonsenseaudio.com/nirvana.html might be of interest to you.
I would also suggest used Triangle Titus 202, which work well with low power tube amps and can be found for about $350 used.
daimbert
56 posts
 
I second Songwriter on the Europa...extremly efficient and sounds just as good at low levels but still can rock when need be. Good Luck
kunja OP
4 posts
 
Wow, thanks to everyone for the tips and suggestions! You've given me a lot to look at.
restock
831 posts
 
Jalapeno, the Sophia Baby uses 6P1T tubes not EL34 tubes and has only 10 W of output power. While this might be just enough to drive the Triangle or Europa, a little more overhead might be desirable. I heard the GMA Callisto (slightly more efficient than the GMA Europa) on 18 SET Watt and was quite impressed though.

Good luck!
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