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High value, high efficiency speakers for SET amps

Hi, Gang,
I know that some of what I want to discuss here has been dealt with in other threads, some of them quite old, but I wanted to see if any of you fine, knowledgable folks are willing to help update and consolidate some of this info in a more current thread.
I am currently running my new Audio Note Kit 1 300B SET amp with a pair of Reference 3A De Capo speakers. I think it's a fine pairing and I am really enjoying what the 300B SET experience brings to the table in terms of musicality and emotional connection.
Still the De Capo, while supposedly an easy load due to its crossover-less design (only 1 cap on the tweeter with the mid-woofer directly coupled to the amp), is "only" rated at 92 db efficient, and based on the most recent Canadian NRC specs, that rating may be optimistic.
So, I am toying with the idea of trying a pair of more efficient, deliberately SET-friendly speakers in my rig, something that might also play lower and with greater dynamic swing than the De Capo's. Note that the De Capo's have served me well and I am very fond of them, but I can't help but wonder if my lovely Kit 1 would shine even better coupled to a VERY easy to drive speaker.
Devore and Audio Note are obvious options - the O/96 looks really tasty. Unfortunately, both of those choices are out of my budget, which I'm thinking maxes out (for real) at around $1500. I am willing to consider used equipment.
Tekton Lore 2.0: This is the speaker that Eric Alexander of Tekton has recommended when we've spoken on the phone, based upon my medium-small listening room and amp. I've read the epic "Lore vs. Zu" thread elsewhere in this forum, and clearly Tekton has its enthusiastic fans here. What I wonder is whether the Lore 2.0 has the refinement of the De Capo in terms of resolution, sweet high end and imaging. Audiogon'er Mikirob has pointed me to the many rave reviews of Tekton's speakers and I'm definitely interested.
I've corresponded with the Sonist folks (who are super nice) but their really high-efficiency, nearly-full-range floor stander is out of my budget.
Then there's the "vintage" route, going after some used JBL's or other high-efficiency "classics" from the 80's (or '70's). I am not inclined to go in this direction, but mention it because it's been suggested to me.
And then there's Omega. I spoke to Louis some time ago and he recommended his 7XRS hemp cone model. But I know all the raps on single driver designs and I'm cautious, although I would like to hear from any of you who own or have owned Omega's.
I'm in no rush to make a switch but I am very interested in your thoughts. Thanks, folks!
rebbi
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Hi Rebbi,
How were the Lores in comparison to the DeCapo with your SET? Did the higher efficiency of the Lore matter?
Charles,
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Charles,
Well, after three years of ownership, my De Capo's are now up for sale on Audiogon (and elsewhere)!
The Lore Reference is a VERY different speaker than the De Capo. It's not that the De Capo doesn't sound fabulous with the Kit 1 - it does, especially since I added the vintage 6SN7 and a Signal Cable power cord (thanks to Roxy and Almarg for those tips!)
The De Capo's are so much about finesse - astonishing imaging, coherence, resolution, etc. The Lore Reference is more about dynamics and expansiveness. With the Lore Reference, the Kit 1 sounds more relaxed and it plays far "bigger" than 8 watts! Really, I have discovered that a higher efficiency speaker makes the Kit 1 sound like a monster!
:-D
And of course, the Lore Reference digs deeper than the De Capo (although for its size, the De Capo is no slouch in that department, either), making music sound more fleshed out. I must say that I was surprised and impressed at how well controlled the bass on the Lore Ref was. Interestingly, it uses a smaller, Eminence designed, 8-inch main driver, as opposed to the big, bass guitar driver on the standard Lore and Lore 2.0.
Both speakers throw a large soundstage, but of a different quality. The Lore Reference is more room filling, the De Capo more holographic. I will say that I found the Lore Ref's imaging a little vague compared to the De Capo, but that may be a placement fine tuning thing, too.
So while I'm not 100% sure that I'm going with Tekton, I am convinced that there are benefits to moving on to a substantially more efficient and easy to drive speaker. I am considering a number of options, depending upon what I get for the sale of the De Capo's.
Interestingly, the fellow who lent me the Lore Ref's felt that, in contrast to Eric at Tekton, the Lore or Lore 2.0 would be too large for my room. Hmm...
I'll keep y'all posted!
By the way, if any of you have heard the various flavors of the Lore side by side and can comment on similarities and differences, I'd love to hear them, because Tekton's web site isn't much help in this regard. At last count, you have a choice of:
Lore
Lore 2.0
M-Lore
S-Lore
Lore Reference
jetrexpro
506 posts
 
Rebbi, Today some older version AN-e's came up for sale here on Agon. Very good price and the AN stands are included. By this point you may have written AN speakers off of your list but wanted to bring them to your attention.

On another more aspirational note there are some Coincident Pure Reference speakers for sale here as well. I've heard these and they are wonderful. They need some real space (more than I have) to breath but should pretty great with a 300b amp.

Regards-Jet
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Jet,
Thank you very much for the tip. Those Audio Note speakers look like a great deal. But I have to wait until my De Capo's sell to purchase anything else, and I would guess that those Audio Notes will be gone by then. :-(
But I will definitely keep an eye on them!
As for the Coincident's, yes, I would say that they are VERY aspirational. ;-)
mikirob
955 posts
 
Get the right speaker cables and interconnects and there will nothing vague about imaging. In my system when I borrowed my brother DeCapo, the imaging wasn't any less in the Tekton in absolute terms, yet it slayed the DeCapo in almost every other parameter. All rooms are different. Tubes, interconnect, speaker wires all make difference. And of course we all differ in how we like music presented, what we value most/least. When it comes to presentation of the music I'm a timbral listener, the tone, natural, organic flow, the harmonic rightness, texture, fullness, weight, mean more to me than spotlight imaging. In real life music that spotlight imaging doesn't exist. And when it comes to beer budgets with Champange tastes the Tektons are a remarkable feat. The reviewer in Stereotimes stated that the Tekton Reference was kissing cousins to the DeVore 0/96 in sound, they cost $12,000, the Tekton Reference $799 in its Plain Jane/beer budget form, or you could upgrade the veneer and get better capacitors for a few hundred more.

When I get the Franks from Coincident I 'm going to pause long and hard about speaker match. I've listened now to the DeVore 0/96 and O/93, $12,000 and $8,000 respectively, and I know now from personal experience (not in my room), the Tekton gives you 95% of same. I also know AN/Snell which I've owned in past, same comment as above. The New Omega Alnico sounds intriguing at about $3,000 plus. Rabbi, what's the budget? People keep recommending speakers, even used, that seem to exceed what you want to spend...best, Rob.
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