High value, high efficiency speakers for SET amps

"We couldn't be more clear in stating that SETs require appropriate speaker matching"

That's keeping it real.

There will be more limitations with more speakers than otherwise.

As long as people realize this, then they should be fine.

Nothing wrong with building a system around an amp if that is what floats ones boat but keeping it real means knowing this will be the case with a SET more so than with most anything else.

For example I thought it inevitable that Reb would eventually choose to dump the Decapos as a result of moving to SET, though I hoped I was wrong. There was false hope that somehow the combo would work out when on paper it seemed apparent to many that that would not be the case.

Now changing speakers to optimize for use with an amp is not not the end of the world, just another choice that we all make all the time, but the fact is the choice of speakers that will perform optimally with a set is much more limited than otherwise.

Most speakers WILL NOT perform optimally with a SET amp, certainly less so than otherwise. Nothing will change that fact.

The good news is that it is probably not any harder to choose the right speakers for a SET for optimal performance than any other kind of amp. The bad news is that one will find their choices more limited. Also those choices will likely tend to be physically larger than otherwise, which might not work for everyone, and also might be quite expensive in the case of the best and largest choices.

Different strokes for different folks. Let's all just be real about the obstacles one is likely to face. Sugar coatings taste good at first but tend to wear off over time.

Mapman,
You've always said you wanted to see how De Capo's stack up against your Triangle's. I know where you can get a nice pair. ;-)
Oh, and by the way I think you and Charles might want to settle this whole "SET limitations" thing via a gentlemanly arm wrestling match. Or, better yet, you could play "catch" with his Coincident Frankenstein mono-blocks and the first one who drops one has to shut up about SET limitations.

Or something.

Reb,

I've done some downsizing and will be putting some items up for sale shortly.

One item I am planning to part with are my STAX electret "ear speakers". These are entry level STAX and not expensive and tehy always tend to shine in particular with tubes upstream. I;ve always thought these would do some very nice things with a SET amp as a source but that won't be happening with me anytime soon. They connect to an amp like speakers. LEt me know if interested. I would like to find these a new home where they might get more use.

Thank you everyone for your responses, I feel it is worthwhile information to lurkers viewing this thread with interest.

Rob your comments regarding the Decapos sounding thin and lean "yelping down the street" (LOL) kind of underscores MY point. If everyone recalls very early on when Rebbi asked the original question about "best value in SETs" this very point was questioned with some of the manufacturers' claiming "no problemo", others questioning whether 92 db is enough for a SET amplifier for all types of music. I WILL say this Rob, I don't know if you have listened to the Decapos with a good tube PP amp but I can attest they are anything but lean and can throw a HUGE soundstage, up, out and back, for those interested. I've listened to these speakers to date with 5 different amplifiers including a First Watt SE M2 but not an SET where my opinion might be valued less than someone that HAS listened first hand which is fair enough.

The Tekton/Decapo comparsion is a perfect example of how a speaker with higher efficiency is better suited and in direct comparison with a speaker with less efficiency gives a seemingly negative impression to you Rob. Your amp is different than Rebbi's but the power is similar enough. The Kit 1/Decapo combo may have been less objectionable to him but still, not enough for him to keep them, "lets explore further options". So if one is going to explore the options, what might be the BEST option? Good enough for me is not necessarily good enough for someone else. The question has hardly been put to bed as far as I'm concerned, only for some it is quite satisfactory. I have listened to numerous SETs over the years the most recent a pair of 7 watt DHT 300b sets with a 95 db speakers which I've listened to numerous times over the past 4-5 years in different rooms as well. Another I'm quite familiar with are different, integrated stereo 845s in parallel producing a whopping 35 watts with a diy compression driver in a very large transmission line enclosure! In both cases I hear limitations in large scale music, at least I DO. The dynamics on transients are just not the same with less power IME, this is where I HEAR the limitations first, things just sort of level out. The clipping characteristics on these amps are quite benign so I don't hear anything objectionable, just a ceiling.

Roxy, the speakers you are using are getting closer to the type of efficiency required that is going to minimize constraints on the music offered by an SET/DHT 8 watt amplifiers, IME.

It appears that what may be good enough for one listener may not be enough for another, at least speaking for myself. If someone is influenced to try the SET route it is important to pay close attention to all considerations MOST IMPORTANTLY, the speaker used! The higher the efficiency, the greater chance of long term success. There is NO substitute than listening first hand.

Rebbi,
One thing I have found about orchestral recordings is they vary quite a bit in recording technique. Some sound like they were recorded at the first row or actually from the conductor's seat and some sound like they were recorded way back in the cheap seats. Recording an orchestra is a real challenge for recording engineers. I guess what I am trying to say is hopefully which ever speakers you choose they will portray those differing perspectives accurately.