$$$Sensitive Speakers with $$Amps?

My other observation regarding amps specifically with good HE speakers is that listening to music with very HE speakers, like Avantgarde say, is like listening to music under a microscope. You will hear everything, both good, bad, noise etc. THe sound of tube amps in particular can vary widely but the best sounding tube amps to me are also the ones that sound most like the good SS amps I have heard. And the best ones I have heard accordingly tend to be very expensive (VAC, ARC, Audio Note, etc.)! HE speakers are of particular value with tube amps in that the efficiency helps keep power needs minimal which can help keep tube amp cost down as well. A good SET may be all that is needed, but even those can get somewhat pricey for a really good one.

I am very interested in finding the good bargain SETs out there as well.

A shockingly inexpensive tube amp that is also surprisingly quiet is the MiniWatt N3. Quieter than much more expensive tube amps I have tried. And only 3 tubes to roll, making it cheaper to try out tubes like Psvanes (which I love in mine). Might be a great back-up amp for the speakers you are interested in.

Thank you everyone for your insight and personal experiences.

Living in the more conventional world of multi-driver solutions, my belief system for amplifiers was that you get what you pay for. This was unraveled somewhat with the amp Sam Kim built for me. For me, a step up in SQ for less money.

For someone who loves the Horning sound, I was taken at a show when the amp was switched to the $3,000 SS Audioprojekte CA10. I realize, if I spent more time comparing the Audioprojekte against the default Tron, I would probably pick the Tron. Still, the rule of diminishing returns seemed to almost disappear when compared to differences with other types of audio components. I consider the CA10 a super value, and it was the reason I started to investigate the subject of this thread.

I agree and understand that the amplifier must be dead quiet in order to achieve the sound that we seek. At the same time, I don't want to give up the "life" that great tube amps fill into that dark space. For example, I was put off by a $100K Krell system with the quietest and darkest of backgrounds. Add to that great pinpoint imaging, but with a flaw. The players floated in their own bubbles with no life (air) between them. This is my own opinion, but I became bored as the sound seemed cold and uninvolving.

Okay, probably by now you know what I like and prefer. Additionally, I have a smallish room (16 X 14') and require an intimate sound. Even so, by gravitating to the Hornings and Rethms it's also obvious that I require some bass. The woofers of the Rethm are powered, but the Horning woofers are not. Perhaps, this makes the Rethms easier to drive with a more cost-effective solution.

While Sam Kim's amp is brilliant, and he can build me any push-pull triode that I can think of, I'm not sure about the needed silent background for these highly revealing drivers.

Roscoe,

THe miniwatt looks very interesting! A nice minimalist design with volume control even and very reasonable cost. Even available through Amazon. It would be a nice fit for a third system I am looking to try sometime built around HE speakers. Looks like not much to lose in trying.

Nope very little to lose on the MiniWatt. I use one with Psvanes (Grade A from Grant Fidelity) in my bedroom system, which had HornShoppe Horns.

ALO Audio also sells these and offers some upgrade tube packages as well.

I have also heard that their are sonic improvements to be had from bypassing the volume control and running the N3 via a preamp, but I haven't gotten around to doing that yet.