How to Choose Speakers Appropriate for My Amp


Greetings,

I'm starting my journey into the better realms of audio gear and I'm looking for some help matching speakers to my newly acquired amps.

I've never had the budget for higher end audio, but some equipment has more or less falling into my lap. So, what I'm currently working work:

  • Bang & Olufsen Beogram RX2 Turntable w/ SMMC4 Cartridge
  • Deja Va Audio LTD 300B Pull Pull Monoblock Amplifier x2 (One needs some work, so I won't be immediately heading out and buying anything until this is fixed)
  • MOSCODE Super It Phono Stage (Picking up tomorrow)
As you can surely see, the list is missing speakers. Sure, I have some extra bookshelf speakers that I've used as surrounds in my home theater, but it seems kind of silly to use them when there's something much, MUCH better out there.

The amps are hand built and on the underside note the output as 30W/8Ω. You can see an image of that here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/180HQu90tLWnNFlIB_ugAGdoWTY1t6_YE or a folder w/ images of one of the amps here:  https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1bEqqi_-50ki9y8H8i81bwie7vVTbU99A if you're more curious.

So, what I'm seeking is help choosing some speakers that will provide reasonable to good performance at a price that won't break the bank. Like I said before, my budget isn't exactly large. The only reason I have the amps and the phono stage that I do is because they more or less fell into my lap. I obviously have no issue buying used, and I also would not be averse to building a kit. I have reasonable woodworking skills (at least enough to build/assemble a cabinet) and my soldering skills should be adequate.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Andy
andymckay
millercarbon,

The funny thing is that before the amp appeared I’d been upgrading and modifying my home theater system with an eye towards simplifying it, at least operationally. That was how I ended with with the B&O turntable. There certainly are better tables out there, but it still is of reasonable quality and it’s as simple as it got. It needed a little bit of mechanical adjustment and a new belt, but setup consisted solely of installing the cartridge, balancing the tonearm and setting the tracking force. No alignment issues, etc. These amps have greatly changed all of that, but not in a bad way. My backup turntable will make it’s way to my receiver, where it was before and the B&O will make the move. Who knows, once I get the amps and speakers sorted, further turntable upgrades will be in my future. But that’s another discussion entirely.

That’s all definitely great advice above. I found a nearby shop that works on vintage tube stuff that can give them a once over and I’m bringing them by tomorrow. I haven’t hooked them up yet due to the fact that I didn’t have an external phono stage with an adjustable output, just a fixed output POS Pyle mini phono stage. I didn’t want to hook anything up w/o a way to start low and work it’s way up. The MOSCODE will give me that, and I pick it up tomorrow morning.

I’ve also read similar reviews of it. Some like it, some don’t, but for the price there’s as close to zero risk financially as could be possible. There amps and the MOSCODE came from the same seller and I’m willing to bet there was a deal on speakers that I missed.

Once I verify the suspected good amp and repair the other I have a pair of bookshelf speakers I’ll start messing around with. They’re 8ohm, though the sensitivity could definitely be better (89dB). That will at least allow me to play with my new toys until something more permanent arrives.

Thanks,
Andy
Buy some vintage klipsch speakers from the heritage line. All are very efficient, can be had at different price points and sound great with tubes. 


Second the Klipsch suggestion, and I’d suggest the RP600M’s at around $500.  Efficient, and great sounding.
I am with the Efficient Speaker camp.  Not much to add but (1):  It is generally easier to buy efficient floorstanders than bookshelves.  (2) I reckon 90 db speakers should be ok.  I say this because I have this amp where the front meter does not move until it outputs approximately 13 watts.  I had Triangle speakers of 91 db efficiency and music above 13 watts was enough to annoy the neighbours!