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Help Choosing Speakers

I am looking to find a nice pair of speakers that will work well in a relatively small dedicated listening room. My setup is 100% analog, tube amp, turntable, phono pre. I am trying to keep a minimalist approach.

Turntable: Thorens TD-150
Phono Pre: AudioResearch PH3
Amp: Decware MiniTorii
Speakers: DIY MarkAudio A12P in SuperPensil

Room Dimensions: 11' W x 12' 4" L x 10' H

So far I have been looking around at a lot of options and while I don't want to limit myself to 94 dB+ efficient speakers. I would like to be able to keep my Decware MiniTorii in place if possible.

LegacyAudio Signature SE is top on my list, little bit more than I wanted to spend, but this is a lifetime purchase. I have also looked at SalkSound Veracity ST but I am concerned about the Decware amps being able to push those. I have also looked at the Decware HR-1s which look impressive.

Of course its difficult to buy speakers without hearing them, any other recommendations/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has heard the Legacy Audio Signatures with a Decware amplifier and has any details, that would be spectacular.

Thanks,

Ron

hifiron
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 
IMHO, using a 4 watt tube amplifier, only high efficiency speakers should be considered. The LegacyAudio Signature SE is listed at 92db, however that is room sensitivity at 2.83v. Since it is a 4 ohm speaker, 2.83v is 2 watts and the 1 watt rating will be 3db lower. Also, room sensitivity is 2-3db higher than anechoic chamber. So a 1 watt rating anechoic chamber is ~87db.

The Decware HR-1 is also a 4 ohm speaker, however the specification is listed at 1 watt and not 2.83v. For 8 ohm speakers 2.83v is 1 watt, so no adjustment is necessary.

hifiron OP
102 posts
 
tls49, thanks that is hugely helpful... I might not be able to get away from upgrading to the Torii Jr @ 20 WPC.
hifiron OP
102 posts
 
gdhal, what turns me off about the Golden Ear is the complexity of the electronics. I am really shooting for a minimal approach, which is what I enjoyed so much about the single driver speakers. I do realize that the Signature SE speakers are more complex with a crossover, so I don't have my heart set on them per se, but I want more flexibility in what I can listen to, something the Mark Audio A12P speakers I have today don't allow me.

The HR-1s I know will work with the MiniTorii, as well as being great with the Torii Jr if I decide to upgrade. I don't have a great deal of room to bring the speakers out into the room, so sealed speakers have its benefits.

Height is not an issue on these speakers, but I need to keep the width and depth closer to 14". My SuperPensils are 25" deep, it doesnt flow with the room that well.

Thanks again for the input!
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
@hifiron I GET (pun intended) what your saying about the Triton complexity and I'll buy that. Actually you make a good point. Also, note that I initially suggested the Triton's given your room dimensions. I didn't mention anything about dimensions initially but seeing that you just stated the dimensions you prefer (i.e. you need to keep the width and depth closer to 14"), the Triton's would work for you at least from a dimensional perspective. .
tls49's avatar
tls49
1,318 posts
 
Hifiron, you're welcome. Even with 20 WPC, I would still want a higher efficiency speaker. As far as a minimal approach, take a look at these,

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue76/zu_druid.htm

https://www.cnet.com/news/audiophiliac-speaker-of-the-year-zu-druid-v/



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