Amp and speaker matching.

HI Grannyring,
It`s hard to know sometimes,I suspect it depends on the particular tube amplifier. Two amps with the same power rating can in reality be night and day different(transformer,power supply robustness etc.). Jerroot and Ard`s experiences suggest they got great results rather than merely adequate compromise.

It'll work and might sound decent but not an optimal match. Getting optimal amp/speaker match is essential to get the best objective results.

86 db means that you will generate a SPL of 86 db at 1 meter with 1 watt of power.

It is easy to get confused about this! In this case the spec is Sensitivity, not Efficiency. Sensitivity is 2.83 Volts at one meter, meaning that with a 4 ohm load the power is 2 watts. So the *efficiency* of this speaker is more like 83 db (since 2 watts is 3 db more than 1 watt) while the Sensitivity is 86.

There is also the issue of whether tubes will sound OK on the Dynaudios regardless of the power; IMO they will sound OK but the speaker will be the sort of load that has a tube amp at a disadvantage. For more about this see

http://www.atma-sphere.com/Resources/Paradigms_in_Amplifier_Design.php

If you really want to get the most out of your tube investment dollar, I would get a different set of speakers! OTOH if you want to optimize these particular speakers you are probably looking for a transistor amplifier or a very large tube amp (+200 watts).

Well I currently use a McIntosh MC352 and it is a very good match with the Dynaudio Contour 3.0's. So Im going to stay with the Tube Pre and Solid state Combo,I love my speakers and dont want to change them. I listen to stuff pretty loud I like slam! so Ill keep my MAC. Thanks everyone :-)

Note I use a Prima Luna Tube PreAmp...Prologue 3. McIntosh MC352 power amp Dynaudio Contour 3.0's and A Rega P3/24 with groovetracer upgrades and Nagaoka mp200 Cartridge. Cables from: Signal,Morrow Audio,Nordost. Thanks agian for the great INFO.