What Speakers For A Home 13 Watt Per Chan. Tube Amplifier

O

oldave

Audiophyte
I am thinking of either ordering pre-built or maybe a kit for a 10 to 25 watt per channel stereo integrated amplifier, but cannot seem to find speakers matched close enough to the power recommendations...(Yes I do have electronics experience in building test equipment in kit form, and repairing old tube amps etc...
I found some small Klipsch B-20`s that were the most efficient at 96db..I think they recommended 20 to 100 watts per channel...Is say... 15 watts per channel going to "Drive" speakers to their full potential or will I need something more in wattage...???
I am an retired gentleman living in a small seniors apartment and want something of high quality and keeping
the sound level at a "Reasonable Volume"...I know this is so "Subjective", and I believe I can get away with a fairly loud volume once I install Acoustic Tiles of the back of my entrance door, and play music in the early afternoon...
I am an old "Musician" and do appreciate the warmness and dynamic range of Tube Amplifiers, and I wouldn`t use anything "But" when playing guitar...
I will admit I have never owned a Tube Audio Stereo Amp, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated for speakers or amplifiers I might consider...
Thankyou in advance for any help and suggestions...
oldave...
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
klipsch B-20s are not likely to be truly 96 dB sensitive. That said they still may work fine with your 15 watt amp. If I were you, I would hunt down some used Klipsch Heresys, sometimes you can get a pair for $400 or so. 15 watts would be plenty for those.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Klipsch B20 were measured to be 90 db sensitive
 
J

jcl

Senior Audioholic
For high efficiency speakers Pi Speakers come to mind - They have kits and finished speakers Pi Speakers - Prices, Dimensions and Specifications

GedLee is another brand but they are in a different price league - Loudspeakers

As others have stated vintage Klipsch is a good option too.

In reality you may find that in a smaller room the 13 watts will do well powering speakers with 90+db sensitivity, perhaps even lower. You should be able to bring the amp to a dealer and listen to the speakers driven by your amp.
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
I wouldn't buy Klipsch, just because I HATE them, lol... Just my preference...

You are getting a 15w amp so you can't expect a huge amount of output or headroom... I have a 20w tube amp pushing a set of tekton lores and I can honestly say they go so loud its sickening...
Look for anything in the 90+ sens area....
I have powered my ascend 340s with the tube amp and they get loud and sound good CMT-340 SE Mini-Tower Loudspeaker
I have heard a pair of these ran in stereo with a 20x2 that went to loud levels HC-1 MK2 Horn Bookshelf Speaker
havent heard these with low power but I have heard them and Im sure they will get loud HB-1 MK2 Horn Bookshelf Speaker

I would stay away from anything small, it seems high eff and large go together or you will not like your lows... are you croosing to a sub or just looking for full range?
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
I am thinking of either ordering pre-built or maybe a kit for a 10 to 25 watt per channel stereo integrated amplifier, but cannot seem to find speakers matched close enough to the power recommendations...(Yes I do have electronics experience in building test equipment in kit form, and repairing old tube amps etc...
I found some small Klipsch B-20`s that were the most efficient at 96db..I think they recommended 20 to 100 watts per channel...Is say... 15 watts per channel going to "Drive" speakers to their full potential or will I need something more in wattage...???
I am an retired gentleman living in a small seniors apartment and want something of high quality and keeping
the sound level at a "Reasonable Volume"...I know this is so "Subjective", and I believe I can get away with a fairly loud volume once I install Acoustic Tiles of the back of my entrance door, and play music in the early afternoon...
I am an old "Musician" and do appreciate the warmness and dynamic range of Tube Amplifiers, and I wouldn`t use anything "But" when playing guitar...
I will admit I have never owned a Tube Audio Stereo Amp, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated for speakers or amplifiers I might consider...
Thankyou in advance for any help and suggestions...
oldave...
You have not mentioned a budget on any of your equipment.

I think you're already getting good advice on the speakers.

As far as amps, check out the St-70 (35wpc) clones from Bob Latino. I built one last year and the quality of these things is top-notch!

tubes4hifi amplifier KITs page
 
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