Tannoy Westminster amp matching question.

Atmasphere,
This Tannoy is 98 db at 1 watt-8ohms,Reviewer Jeff Day(PFO) said his 8 watt SET drove this speaker with complete control(better than his push-pull Leben)and was the best sound ever in his personal reference system.He`s had this combo for nearly 2 years and his feelings have`nt changed.

My speaker is 94 db(non horn speaker) and my SET is 8 watts 300b mono blocks and replaced my 100 watt(UL)- 60 watt(triode)PP mono blocks amplifier. Why? it out performed the higher power amplifier.I really hope Borg compares the Viva with one of your amplifiers and shares his impressions.He may or may not like your OTL better. There`s only one way to know for sure.I still recall CES 2010, best room I heard there was the Viva 845 amp driving Trenner-FriedL Box speaker(98 db 1 W 8 ohms(it is`nt a horn speaker). The music reproductin was very emotional,realistic, totally extraordinary!

Regards,

Not to debate as to which approach is best. Just thought of sharing my real living
experience with them. I supposed one's listening habit - type of music, genres,
loudness - do play an important role here too.

Sold my Ongaku to a close friend using AudioNote corner speakers - match made in
heaven. My Cary300SE to a guy using AG Trios, again perfect synergy. Just trying to
point out here that although spec wise seems OK--SET friendly, IME, the Tannoys 15"
take a little more than 8-15watts, to fully explore/exploit their FULL potentials - in
utter effortlessness, grandeur (scale), as well - true deep bass (dynamic).

Remembered, we did tests with Sheffield Drum Tracks + few other test CDs, Hugh
Masakela Stimela track, Superman's/StarTrek's Themes back then. When some tracks
containing sustained low bass/huge dynamic swings/effects (ie.rolling thunder, church
organs etc.) started playing, it was quickly obvious that the lower power SETs are a no
go with Tannoy WRs. On the other hand, with most normal music at more normal
listening levels - they are sublime.

So, if total versatility is also a priority, best option is to then keep two variants to play
with for when mood swings!? :p SET+PP / SET+OTL!

*During those toying days, I've always kept my old (then new) FMA611 SS as standby -
never once did they (in any comparison) disappoint the slightest bit even amidst
(against) those tube greats, surpassing expectations, so much so that I've kept them
(the only amp) for 20yrs straight. So there you have it, 'another' viable option to look
at! ;))

Good luck with whichever route you chose to take!

Bvdiman,
You are right in saying so much depends on what you listen to or who`s doing the listening. This is why there`ll always be different opinons for just about anything audio.Your outcome is a bit different from Jeff Day in that he found no practical limitations with any genre of music.His experiences are no more(or less) valid than yours.We all agree on this point, Borg ideally should try the various amplifier choices with his speakers.A larger SS amp(or large PP tube) may likely exceed the SET in bass dominant types of music(no amp does everything the best).Overall and for the vast majority of music I`ll take the SET.IMO it will provide more often than not, better tone,presence, connect with greater emotion and provide the hard to match realism and organic-natural presentation.I once own the highly regarded Symphonic Line (SS amp).It did`nt come close to what `i`ve heard good SET amps provide in pure musical involvement and natural character.

For me this has more long term value and musical satisfaction than ultimate bass or very high volume attributes.Obviously this is strictly personal choice and there`re many preferences and priorities among us. This thread has provided good and interesting discussion.
Regards,

Charles1dad - you are completely wrong when you assume SS only has
advantages in the bass.
I have been listening to Tannoy GRF Professionals ( super rare backloaded
horns similar in size and efficiency to the Westminsters ) for over 15 years
with a Perreaux 5150B ( 500 wpc ) and have had the experience of auditioning
many amps including single ended, OTL's - including Ralph's, ultralinear etc.
I can tell you that efficiency is only half the story. With the 15" driver
what the big Perreaux achieves is superb timing and control that single ended
and many other tube amps cannot achieve. For example on Beethovens 5th by
von Karajan, the relentlessness of the performance is superbly communicated
with 500watts of power, even at low listening levels. This is lost with many
low power amps.
I suspect the amplifier needs to control the big driver, and this is almost more
important than the speakers efficiency in selecting an amplifier.
FWIW I own 2 pairs of 15" Tannoys and a pair of 10" Monitors.
Single ended with these speakers is pretty much a tone control. They very
seldom produce accurate musical timing.

I'm pleased this thread has invoked some very interesting comments.

Atmas, I like your explanation of why DHSET do what they do. Very easy to understand, it makes sense to me, especially in context of what the 45's and Duos did for me. I don't think that a Solista is going to come along anytime soon at a price I can afford say 6.5k (more over time). I'm anticipating time for experimentation.

I'll explain a little more what I like and hope to get out of my new system.

I don't consider myself into huge dynamics or extreme performance, what I am into is a totally sibilant free and natural presentation. Overly Bright and metallic sounding leading edges on s's t's etc are my real pet hate.
Tone, images that are super free from the speakers and depth of image is very important to me. I seem to prefer a more relaxed presentation. I think that this can also be a function of the room, that is in hand. I have a dedicated room 10m x 6m which I can treat for acoustics. Its not a huge room, but I believe I can get the system to work well.
If not I have 12m x 8m room that I can use, but that will take some serious domestic negotiation with my girlfriend, probably including expensive bribes. Money that would be better spent on Vinyl !!

I'll state up front, that the romantic in me (and the fact that Jeff Day got on so well with Sofia 300b) will make sure that I'm going to try a suitable SET with them. If I can find a Solista at the right price, it'll be one of those. It appeals to my Arty side :-). I'm aware, thanks to you guys that Power may be an issue. So onto experimentation......

I regard the Plinius SA250 mk4 as one of the best class A solid state amps (at realistic cost levels). Fortunately I have one, so I've got that experiment covered. I also have access to a friends 50w pp amp that actually sounds really lovely with his speakers, so Ok there as well (cant remember what it is right now ). My AMR AM-77 will be an interesting pairing as well. Just for completeness my front end is a TTweights gem/Kuzma 4point/DL103r.

Originally I started off thinking of a CAT SL2 would be great. There was one on hear last month in NY for 7k ish. In some ways I think that would be a great tube match if the Wests require POWER. I'm not too worried about making an expensive mistake as I believe as long as you're a sensible buyer and not in a rush you generally don't lose to much on quality components. I don't really listen very loud, at least its not something I consciously set out to do. I find tracks generally sound best at a level that they seem to dictate themselves , so I may turn something up or down to get better emotional connection. I have no experience with OTL amps, I'm not even sure what they are other than they have no transformers in the output stage.

Once again, I appreciate your experience and enthusiasm, thanks.