Cain&Cain Abby

I use a 1 watt Berning MicroZOTL as a main amp, so I am familiar with your needs. The Cain and Cain Abby is a Voigt Pipe Speaker that uses Fostex drivers w/92db efficiency. I have used those drivers on single driver systems that I have built, and they are pretty good, but pale in comparison to the new Voigt Pipes I just made with Lowther EX3 drivers. With 1.8 watts, you must go single-driver, and the Lowther is the way to go. I just spent the last 6 months going down the road you are looking at, and I can tell you to skip the early and intermediate steps, and go straight to the Lowther. The Fostex drivers are not efficient enough to give you what you are looking for in volume, nor are they detailed and open enough to get you into SET nirvana with your nice amp. Lowthers are the way to go. They're 100db efficient in a cabinet and have everything you want. To get out as cheap as possible, you should make your own cabinets(I built the very simple Voigt Pipes) and save yourself the $ that cabinets will cost you. The drivers you should get are either the new DX3 or EX3. Do not get the older or used Lowthers, because they have just made some improvements to the new series that totally transform the speaker from great to superb. BTW I am getting a new amp based on 45's also. That is all you need with these speakers. I get LOUD with 1 watt. If you don't want to build a cabinet, the Abby cabinet is exactly the same for the Lowthers as it is for the Fostex. You just have to cut the driver hole out to 7.5 inches instead of the smaller size for the Fostex. That's it. Everything else is the same. Maybe Terry Cain will cut the hole to the right size for you. Then buy the Lowthers instead of the Fostex, and you're in business for real. The port size may have to be opened up some also. The cabs are so easy to make, that I think you should make them and spend the money on the better drivers. I am in hog heaven with a pair in my living room right now, that sound heavenly. And as I said before, I have had the Fostex single-driver setup, and it ain't a Lowther.

Hi M:

If you're running 93db with that amp and like it I think you will really be happy when you bump up the efficiency a little more. Lots depends on the room of course.

This, I believe, is a link for the plans Twl used for his Voigt Pipe Lowther speaker.

Are they the same Twl?

Terry Cains speakers are very good (beautiful woodworking) but there isn't any state secret about the enclosure and they are not difficult to make. The Fostex fe 164 is a fine driver but the Lowther has generally been considered a step up and, the new Lowthers (which I have not heard) by all reports, including Twl's above, indicate they are even better. I think I am going to try it myself.

Yes, they are the same, but remember, these are INTERNAL dimensions. The overall size will be a bit larger due to the thickness of the material you use. Also, I used a 12" wide front baffle panel, which I believe helps to reduce any problems with baffle-step frequency shelving below 380Hz. The adjustable wings also help in this, but I am finding now that the drivers are breaking in, that this is not as necessary as I once thought. But it is helpful when there is bass-weak music being played.

Thanks gents. I admit I'm ignorant on this subject and my present system causes little concern to change but "on paper" the advantages are apparent. I just need to research a matching speaker as carefully I did replacing the pp triode VAC with the 45 SET Moth. I'll check into the new lowthers (cost?) and see what (if) Terry at Cain will do. Thanks again.