Calling all SET fans


What is the least expensive, aka cheapest speaker available
that will do a decent job on classical chamber music on 3-8
watts ?
schubert
What is your idea of cheap? The Charney Audio Maestro wit do chamber great at $6500.00
Schubert,
Brownsfan is deeply devoted to classical music as you are. He's very happy with the Coincident Triumph Extreme II with an eight watt amplifier. I trust his taste and discrimination. For less money many people seem to be happy with the Tekton Lores.
Anyone seriously interested in very high efficiency speakers, I would encourage to invest in a modest box modeling program. I see a lot of claims made by manufacturers for bass extension and efficiency that are physically not possible in the size box they are using, unless they make some very optimistic assumptions about boundary reinforcement and/or the contribution of the reverberant field. If you don't believe me, look at Stereophile's measurements of speakers that claim efficiency in the mid-90's or above. Very few come close to delivering on their claims.

Eminence Designer is $79 from Parts Express, and would allow you to make educated evaluations of the claims manufacturers make. This is an easy-to-use and powerful tool, and after a while your own internal "BS detector" will be calibrated well enough that you can just look at a claim and know whether or not it's overly optimistic.

At the very least, something like this would allow you to make valid apples-to-apples comparisons between manufacturers who measure with different yardsticks.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer
Len,

As Charles indicated I really love my Coincident Triumph Extreme IIs. However, at 4K including stands, they are not exactly budget monitors, and at that price, they should deliver the goods (and they do). I will never sell my TEIIs.

Mikirob swears by the Tekton value proposition. He hears as I hear, so if I were looking for something inexpensive, I would start there.

Don't know what amp you have or are considering, but the Coincident dynamo is wonderful at $1250. It is an EL34 based amp running single ended, and has a volume pot so you don't need a preamp if you are using a single source.
Map. yes I still have my Titus202 but I can't see 3 watts doing much for them, but I'll try my 8 watt EE 6Bm8 integrated and see how that goes .
To me cheap is no more than 1 K. I'm aware that Victories
are great , but as I won't be around in 5 years and have nobody to give them to IMO the Save the Child fund or Doctors without Borders should get that much money .

I was always under the impression that Tektons were rockers and there are things I don't like there .

Audiokeninsis, a most excellent post .I came to the same conclusions many years ago and my BS effciency detector is already highly developed, but I could not express it as well as you have .

Fan, thanks for the clue on the Coincident Dynamo. I have
some Mullard, Siemens and Phillips EL34s hanging around
that could use the exercise , good luck with Johnny
Football today .

Thank you , one and all !