2. speakers
  3. 1116174148

best 5-20K speakers for high-end tube amp?

I have a Jadis JPS2 tube preamp and Jadis 845SE tube amp combination, and want to get a pair of speakers which really show off their sound. I currently have a pair of B&W804s, and I figure that seriously upgrading my speakers will give me a significant improvement in sound (these speakers are in a much lower budget range, and not ideal for tube amps I believe). What speakers would you recommend to really get the best out of my equipment? I heard the magic with my Jadis amp in the store with a pair of Wilson Puppys 5.1 in the store. My home system has decent sound, but not at all 'magical'. My currently listening environment is about 17 x 25 feet (9 foot ceiling), and I generally listen to jazz, pop, world (everything from indian classical to spanish flamenco to andean flute music, etc...), and vocal music of all kinds.

I figure the budget will be between US$5K and 20K somewhere, and I will try to buy used, but this will be difficult since I live in China.
no_slouch
no_slouch OP
48 posts
 
Thanks for the responses so far. My amps are 20 watts per monoblock. My living room is actually about 17 x 35 feet, but through sofa placements I only use about half the room, or 17 x 20 feet or so.

Teajay, my preamp/amp combination retails for about 35K (luckily i got used for much less than half), would the Magnepans be a good match just from a budgetary point of view? (10:1 value ratio of amplification to speakers)
teajay
1,696 posts
 
No slouch,if your Jadis mono-blocks could drive the 3.6s,I know that tube amps often sound more powerful than their formal rated power specs,than I do not think their is a budgetary mismatch at all. The 3.6s compete with much more expensive speakers in my opinion. The next step up in Magnpans is the 20.1s which are phenomenal,and I would argue are still a bargain even at $11000.00. However, the 3.6s give a great taste of what the 20.1s offer at a much lower price.My only concern would be if your very fine mono-blocks have enough power/current to drive them. Maggies with the right tube gear is a match made in heaven. Hope this helps.
szutinglee
91 posts
 
excellent gear!!! (i am also a huge jadis fan) i suggest looking into horns made by avantgarde and acapella. they are super transparent and musical. if horns are not for you, i have also read great things about coincident (Nutella's suggestion). good luck!
audiokinesis
2,746 posts
 
Hi No Slouch,

Sounds like you have some excellent electronics there.

Much as I like Maggies, I don't think they'd be a good match for an 845-based tube amp. Their sensitivity is rated at 85 dB for a 2.83 volt input, and since they are a 4-ohm load (and 2.83 volts into 4 ohms = 2 watts), their efficiency is only 82 dB for a 1 watt input. That's pretty low.

How important is a wide sweet spot to you? How important is dynamic contrast? Imaging? How important is the physical appearance of the speakers (size and cosmetics)? Any particular sonic qualities that you especially want to have? Any particular sonic anomalies that you especially want to avoid?

By the way, your English is probably better than mine (you don't even have an accent!). Where did you learn it?

Cheers,

Duke
teajay
1,696 posts
 
Szutinglee,I'm Not a fan of Avantgarde speakers but totally agree with your recommendtion of Acapella"s,their great speakers. My only concern would be $ because to get to their speakers that really sing, because of their one of a kind plasma tweeter, would take No slouch way out of his budget. I believe you have to go past,at least new, the 20 grand mark which goes over his stated budget limits. If I'm wrong please let me know.
More to discover