Seeking speakers under $3K for 10x12 ft room and driven by 20wpc tube amp


I currently have a pair of Apogee Acoustics Centaur Minors driven by a new Black Ice integrated tube amp. The small but dedicated listening room means I’m doing near-field listening with me and the speakers forming a 6’ triangle. As you might expect, these speakers have terrific midrange but at 85dB sensitivity they are a bit difficult to drive and feel limited in dynamics. The room is acoustically treated.


I almost exclusively listen to small combo acoustic jazz and vocals and I’m seeking recommendations for something easier to drive and more dynamic that provides a more “palpable presence” of the musicians when played at louder levels. Prefer small floorstanders for aesthetics but not essential and preferably a brand where I might have a chance to audition them (I’m in SoCal). Also open to used (e.g. something like Wilson Cubs). TIA!

p.s. thanks for the Sonus faber suggestion.

ristretto

Very happy owner of Fritz Rev 5 SE’s.  They are the runt of the litter but certainly don’t sound small.  The Scanspeak drivers are superb and they are easy on power.  I drive them with a Raven Blackhawk 20W Tube amp barely turning the volume knob sitting 8’ back. Surprisingly nice low volume bass without a sub for their size.  Also, Owner Fritz is an exceptionally nice guy with a great trial period.

Yes those Spendor A1s are a great deal, but with their sensitivity I’m still concerned about its sense of scale or dynamics. I have a pair of vintage Aurum Cantus standmounts rated at 87dB and 8 ohms and I still can’t get a sense of a live performance at front row center, if you will, despite the small room. And the volume knob is already 80% of max. My phone app tells me I’m listening at 70-80dB spl.

All my speaker designs have series crossovers which use smaller and far fewer parts than regular crossovers and are a much easier load on the amplifier compared to other loudspeakers.  
 
Google any loudspeaker and see if they have a Stereophile review and go to the measurements page- the impedance and phase curves are all over the place verses a series crossover loudspeaker which gradually rises and the phase curve is mainly a straight line.
 
I have 8 integrated tube amps with EL84, EL34, 6L6, 6550, KT88 & KT90 power tubes with 12 to 80 watts per channel and a 300B amp @ 8 watts, a EL34 single power tube amp @ 5 watts and a Decware EL84 amp with 2.3 watts per channel that drives all of my speakers great in my 14 x 22 ft living room. 

Happy listening...   Fritz

 

https://www.fritzspeakers.com/images/speakers/new/RosewoodCarbon7SEmk22.3wattDecwareEL84Amp1000%20-%20Copy.jpg

 

Zu DWX will most likely give you the scale and dynamics you are looking for

I think the impedance is more significant than the efficiency. If you plan to continue using a tube amp.