Speakers and Tube Amps

I kind of figured anyone that was serious would jump on over there and look for themselves.... but here it is...

http://www.wavelengthaudio.com/speaker.html

I mean if I can find it anyone can.

Good luck.

The idea that an amplifier has to double power as the impedance is halved is problematic. I say this because **in general** tubes sound better than transistors and tubes do not double their power. Instead, they will (or they will attempt) to put out constant power (transistors will seek to put out constant voltage; if you do the math this is why they double power as the impedance is halved).

I know that there are many who will object to my statements above, so I want to be clear that while on the face of it, it appears to be the tube/transistor debate, it really isn't, see:

http://www.atma-sphere.com/papers/paradigm_paper2.html

for more information.

If you read the above article, then you know that all you have to do to find a speaker that works with tubes is to look at the speaker designer's intention: is he using tubes in the design of his speakers?

Audiokinesis, Classic Audio Reproductions, Quad, Lowther, nearly all horns except for the Avantgarde Trio, Coincident, High Emotion Audio, PHY, Feasterex, Audio Machina, ZU, Wilson, Vandersteen, Tonian Labs, Reference 3A... the list is extensive!! I would not worry about finding a speaker that will work for you, regardless of the tube amp you ultimately settle on.

Atmasphere-

I am confused by something. I'm going to use Wilson as the example because I am more familiar with them than some. They are commonly described as s a speaker that seems is "tube friendly". Your previous post recommends one should examine the "speaker designer's intention". Under specs for every model they make the impedence is listed at 4ohms and the sensitivity varies from 89-95dbs depending on the model. My current speakers are Aerial 20t's which are not generally thought of as "tube freindly". They are listed at 4 ohms as well and sensitivity is 90 db. Not really that different from the Wilsons except for maybe the incredibly expensive Alexandrias at 95dbs. Is there something else one needs to consider besides impedence and sensitivity? And if a speaker designer were really designing a speaker to be compatible with lower power tube amps wouldn't they inherently design a higher impedence speaker?

Mmike84,

If you like your current system, particularly speakers, but want to add some tube "flavor", easier to do it with a tube DAC for digital sources only or a tube pre-amp for multiple sources.

Mapman-

I'm just looking for the most realistic sounding system I can get. While my current system is pretty awesome, I can't help but wonder if something else is better. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the only way to be sure is to try them. I guess that's what makes this a hobby? In this instance I think I'll be doing more than tweaking my DAC. Thanks for the suggestion though!