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Would a Miniwatt N3 be enough to move my speakers?

I currently have a Music Hall MMF-2.2LE and Music Hall Phono Preamp that I'm buying from a member on here, and I really want to hook the Miniwatt N3 Tubes up to my speakers because of price, looks, and the rave reviews I've read on the tiny little amp.

The speakers I have are Phase PC-9.1s (they're "hand me downs"), and their sensitivity are 92dB. The Miniwatt N3 is rated at 3.5WPC, but would it be enough to power the speakers? I don't play music too loud, but at times I do enjoy cranking it up a bit.

I really like the speakers b/c they do have a good sound stage on 'em, they sound pretty precise and have a good bass response (not quite as tight and fast as I'd like, but no where near boomy when hooked up to a good source), although they can be a bit "cold."

I'd rather not buy new speakers, but I'm willing to go up to $1000 ($500 to $750 is preferred) for some good bookshelf speakers. Likewise I'm not dead set on the Miniwatt. I'd prefer to keep the amp around the $500 range, but can go up a little bit in price.

What would be another good tube amp to go to? What speakers would work with the Miniwatt?

I'm fairly new to buying/setting up my own Audiophile equipment, so I apologize for my audionoobness.

Thanks guys!
csedl87
3 responses Add your response
j_bailey
53 posts
 
Hello,
That amp/speaker combination is probably marginal at best. 1 watt gives 92 dB. 2 watts gives 95 dB. We would need 4 watts to get to 98 dB which we do not have. We also do not have any additional capacity for "headroom". If the speakers drop below 8 ohm and they probably do, then the output will be less than 3.5 wpc.

A better speaker choice would be high efficiency single drivers. Fostex and the like rated in the high 90s dB.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
Do you like these speakers? If not sure then either as J-Bailey says single driver but I don't know which would be quality and about $500.
An alternative are high efficiancy Horn speakers like Klipsch Heresys which you can pick up used for about $400. They are not really a small bookshelf speaker but are rated at 98db/W/M. You will hear a lot of arguements about the coloration of horns versus the "purity " of single drivers.
On the other hand there are plenty of Chinese PP EL 34 amps yielding 35-40 wpc that may be more realistic for you. Many of them go for a song used in good shape.
pjudice
5 posts
 
Where did you end up on this? I have the Miniwatt with the new upgraded Chinese tubes they pair with it plus a high grade fuse. After 3 months as my primary music source, I'm a big fan.

I'm using it with Sonics Anima speakers (about 86 db efficiency) and I can shake the house. Three and a half watts sounds weak, but this thing will drive a lot of speakers with elegance.It's also built at a level of quality that would surprise you for a product under $400.
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