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How to shop for speakers?

OK, I've got the upgrade bug. My problem is how to evaluate speaker auditions given the limited local choices and the inevitable differences in amplification, room, etc. I have a local dealer who will let me do home audition, but he does not carry 4 of the 5 brands I am interested in after attending RMAF. He is even getting the mfgr to send a pair for my audition. My problem is how do I judge the various speakers given the variability in listening environments and the time lapses between listening. Buying used for home auditioning and selling what I do not like does not seem practical to me given the price range I am looking at - not much available used in this range and too much potential for significant loss with each transaction. Besides what if I sell one I later decide was the best.

My short list after attending RMAF:

B&W 800d or 802d - not so impressed after dealer demo
Dynaudio Confidence C4 - waiting for dealer to get one for demo
Wilson Sasha or Sophia3 - was blown away by the soundstage of the Sophias at RMAF
I would like to audition Revel Salons or Studios or Sonus Faber Elipsa but local dealers are installers and do not have demo capability

My favorite at RMAF was JM Labs Maestro Utopia but they are out of my price range new.

Amplification is McIntosh MC501 ( this makes me a non-audiophile since I read in another thread that audiophiles do not use Mac equipment - I'm fine with that since I really like the music more than the equipment). But, I would like to hook up a MC275 during the hot summer months to listen at low to moderate levels.o

Not sure if this is a gripe or a request for advice, but I will appreciate any guidance that is offered other than the usual " you listen and decide" I already appreciate that.
altbrewer
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,936 posts
 
The issue here is matching- you might want to look at this:
http://www.atma-sphere.com/papers/paradigm_paper2.html

IOW, If you know that you are wanting to use tubes (Mac275), you have to look at speakers that are friendly to tubes. Since tube power tends to be more expensive, I would reject speakers that have low efficiencies (less than 90 db) unless you are in a small room.

Its helpful to look at the designer's intention- does he use tubes or transistors? In many ways, that is the easiest guide to start with. Wilsons, FWIW, are tube-friendly. B&Ws generally are not.
hifitime
715 posts
 
Atmasphere,you are saying,get at least 90 db at 8 ohm speakers.If you get 4 ohm speakers,wouldn't 93 db at 4 ohms,for efficiency ratings,be a more comparable match? Or,would it be better just to shop for 8 ohm speakers to play it safe? There is a roughly 3 db volume drop(going by ear),using the 4 ohm tap instead of the 8 ohm tap of a transformer coupled amp.
hifihvn
943 posts
 
Yes, good point.I don't know about the figure given by the prior post,but nobody ever seems to mention this for a tube amp.Its common to see the double the wattage for a solid state amp.I tell my friends to try to shop for 8 ohm speakers for use with a tube amp,but tell them if they find a stable 4 ohm, expect some volume drop,so shop for a little more efficient speaker,going the 4 ohm route.
timlub
2,041 posts
 
Speaker typically lean toward having a inductive load or capacitive load, these are normally called phase angles, they are measured in degrees. Phasing that tends toward the plus side(inductive) are tube friendly, speakers that lean toward the negative side (capacitive) are not. This is the more important factor, most tube amps will handle a 4 ohm load just fine with an inductive load. And many will handle an 8 ohm load that leads capacitive ok, but hard capacitive spikes are hard on tubes,even on an 8 ohm load and not tolerated on a 4 ohm load. Many impedance charts also include phasing on those charts. On one side of the chart you will see numbers that indicate impedance 2-4-8-12-16 etc. The other side will have a 0, then degrees going
up (inductive) and degrees going down (capacitive). If using tubes, it is almost imperative to get phasing charts on a speaker. I hope this helps, Tim
timlub
2,041 posts
 
Sensitivity won't matter, if you have inductive speakers and enough power to get to the listening levels that you require. I looked up the Mac MC275, it is 75 watts, you should be fine with a minimum of 86db sensitivity. That will give you 101db output @ 32 watts. Not rock concert levels, but certainly live Jazz venue volume levels.
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