Requesting Your Expertise - Best Options - High Sensitivity Speakers For A Smaller Room

fritzspeaks

45 posts

08-15-2025 at 12:35am 

My 87 db speakers with series crossovers work and sound great with low powered tube amps including my 8 watt 300B, single EL34 SEP amp with 5 watts and my single EL84 2.3 watts per channel Decware amp in my 14 x 22 ft living room.  Series crossovers use much smaller and far fewer parts than regular crossovers that have many components that suck up power and sound.

Google any loudspeaker and see if they have a Stereophile review.  Go to the measurement page & check out the impedance & phase curves.  They will look like mountain ranges with peaks & dips.  No other loudspeakers will have smooth curves unless they use series crossovers.  Series crossovers sound much better in loudspeaker designs than old style regular crossovers. 

Here's a link to my Carrera BE loudspeakers with Dan Wright Modwright's 6 watt 300B tube headphone amp at the Capital Audio fest a few years back-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbroWg_cwCQ

Fritz, I would not have guessed it remotely possible that speakers of that sensitivity could be played with 8wpc. So much for what I know. Your speakers in that video are performing simply incredibly well. I am more than impressed. And I know Dan a little, and for him to be as impressed as he was, is really something. Kudo's to you for some brilliant speaker design. 

Do you still offer the Carrera BE's, a shown in that video from some years back? Or are they now known as the Carrera 7 BE's? Apologies, but I am struggling to find the answers on your website. 

Coincident Invictus at $3k USD should be a great choice for a stand-mounted monitor if you intend to keep it for a long time. You're paying for a very high-quality speaker with Coincident. I've kept my small Partial Eclipse for a couple of decades, now. 

If you are thinking this might be an interim speaker for a few years, consider a Tekton Design Lore Reference ($800). The cabinets are not fancy, but they have a small footprint, high efficiency, and are an easy drive for an 8 watt amp. And they are way better than their price suggests. I gave my pair to my son-in-law to use with a Coincident Dynamo 34SE (6 wpc) in a room much larger than yours, and it works spectacularly.

Another vote to look at Audio Note J, E and especially Type K speakers. Any of these might be a great fit for you in that small listening space, the Tyle Ks are a sealed box and work well in small spaces.

longplayer

26 posts

08-17-2025 at 03:23am 

Coincident Invictus at $3k USD should be a great choice for a stand-mounted monitor if you intend to keep it for a long time. You’re paying for a very high-quality speaker with Coincident. I’ve kept my small Partial Eclipse for a couple of decades, now. 

If you are thinking this might be an interim speaker for a few years, consider a Tekton Design Lore Reference ($800). The cabinets are not fancy, but they have a small footprint, high efficiency, and are an easy drive for an 8 watt amp. And they are way better than their price suggests. I gave my pair to my son-in-law to use with a Coincident Dynamo 34SE (6 wpc) in a room much larger than yours, and it works spectacularly.

Thanks for the suggestions. I once owned a pair Total Victory speakers for a much larger room and setup, and they were exceptional, with great build quality. I gave some thought to the Invictus, initially, since they should play beautifully with the amps, but cannot find any reviews, or even forum comments associated with them. This is odd, since they appear to have been available since 2022?

I am definitely looking at this is a longtime speaker to last through my retirement. That is the major factor (other than sound) which makes this a critical purchase. 

"doodle6

74 posts

08-16-2025 at 03:45pm 

Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 EX V2.  Small, mid weight, wonderful timbre, astonishingly deep bottom end, low priced, easy to drive...  I think they’ll send you a demo pair, but not sure about that.  Ask and see - if not, what’s the return policy.  You’ll be amazed.  Sensitivity is 86, but I have used them in a 12 X19 room with that sized SET amp and they filled it very well.  

BMR Monitor is another great option.  Read the accolades, including Stereophile Recommended:        https://philharmonicaudio.com/products/bmr-monitor?variant=44392808612084  Sensitivity and my experience with these?  Same as the Ascend Acoustics above.   Both of these models are real jewels.  I own several pairs of $50K+ speakers and the BMRs and Ascend Acoustics continue to get a lot of listening.  I would not consider selling either. "

Appreciate the recommendation and found the BRM monitors very interesting, especially the higher end speakers that you own, until I read the Stereophile review where the owner of the company recommended 40-60 wpc for use with them.