Zu Omen or Tekton Lore

Fusion - I have Lores in a 12 x 13' room and they do not overload. I also have a pair of Tekton Katz Meow (8" main driver)and they play great in here, too. I don't think you'll have any problems with the M-Lores being too big. FWIW - I've had Maggies, Logans, and KHorns in here. They were all too big, although I didn't realize it until I started playing smaller speakers.

I don't know about the M-Lore, but the Lore has a crossover. I thought it was just a cap before the tweeter until yesterday when I looked inside. A couple of coils, a few resistors and a few caps looks like a crossover to me. I don't know the crossover points.

I've had a 2A3 SET amp that I built in my rig for the past couple of years or so and loved it. The other day I got a Manley Stingray for just under your budget and like it a lot with the Lores. It's got the detail of the SET but with balls. I like it a lot better (for now, anyway). The Stingray uses Parallel Push Pull EL84s. I can recommend the Manley, but there are many choices for $1500.

Fusion: Go for a Decware or a Manley. I had a mini Torii from Decware with the Lores and it was an amazing combination in my bedroom which is about the size of your room. Although for rock you may want want to check out one of the Decware amps with a few more watts.

If you have questions about the speakers, I would call the owner and ask him. Tell him your preferences and the size of your room and he can tell you what would be the best speaker for you.

Fusion, you can also look at Niteshade Audio for amps in your price range.

Sebrof.
It's interesting that you have seen a cross-over in the Lore. From all indications, the Lore is supposed to be a full range with a high pass capacitor in the tweeter.
I never looked inside the one I had, but what you're discribing is a cross-over.

Anybody order or has received a pair of the Oriel 10 ? I talked to Eric and explained that I use digital sources via a DAC and through a Dared tube pre and pair of Dared tube mono blocks (18wpc). I am fairly eclectic with my music and listen to everything from Celtic to dubstep / Techno. I was / am a bit afraid of trusting a full range speaker to handle the differet music types but Eric assures me the Oriel can handle it all.

Thoughts ?