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Speaker Suggestions for 300b SET Amp

I built an Elekit 8600 300b set amp recently.  It's amazing. I maxed out upgrades (all Takman resistors, Mundorf top end caps, solder/wiring, etc.).  It's a wonderful amp. It cost me $2k to build it and it's glorious.


My issue hasn't been the amp, but finding speakers that I want to use with it.  


I started with Omega XRS 8 Juniors (~$2k). I broke them in for 300 hours and, while they did get better, they largely sounded like the top and bottom ends were just truncated off at both ends the sound spectrum. They sounded more akin to a transistor radio speaker. I feel terrible to say that and I hope others really love them and hear them differently, as the company is great and the owner is wonderful. They just weren't for me.


So, I just paired the 300b up with some inefficient speakers (both KEF LS50s and Wharfedale 80th anniversary Dentons). Both speakers were part of other systems I have.  Both sets, and especially the cheaper Wharfedales, just sing with the 300b.  They do not play particularly loud given their efficiency ratings, yet they sound wonderful for very close nearfield listening. 


But what I'd like to do is go a bit more into the full range speaker category without buying a massive product. Or, I consider a smaller bookshelf/monitor if it were more efficient.


What speakers do folks like with their 300bs?  


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johnk's avatar
johnk
1,490 posts
 
Hoffman’s Iron Laws of Speaker Building

1) Bass Extension

2) Efficiency

3) Small Enclosure

The law is that you can only have two of these three attributes in speaker building.  Ideally we would want all three, we want speakers with good bass, can play really loud, and are small.  Unfortunately we cannot have all these.                                                                                                        I run many SETs have owned dozs of 300b amps and they match up very well with horn systems. Size maters if you want efficiency running a inefficient loudspeaker off 300b is causing amp to produce far more distortion than a horn would.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
2,766 posts
 
I would look into Audio Note speakers.
gsm18439
738 posts
 
There are many parameters if the goal is full-range and depending on budget. Efficiency, placement, design, budget, etc. Also depends on your definition of full-range. Among high sensitivity speakers. . .  Audio Note would be a good match, but require corner placement to optimize bass extension. Zu Def 4s and Rethm have built in amplifiers for the bass drivers. Since you built your own 300bSET, you might consider one of the Audio Note kits.
swampwalker's avatar
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swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
Depending on room size and music choice, you will want high eff. speakers with a 300b amp.  As Atmasphere and others point out (and I have heard w my own ears), once you start to push an SET amp, distortion increases dramatically.  You will want at least mid-high 90's dB/w/m efficiency.  In my 14' x 23' x 8' room, I could easily hear 8-9 wpc 300b SET starting to distort at moderately high volumes, even with relatively undemanding material.  If you listen loud and/or full orchestral music, you are probably want to look at high 90 dB.  Also 8 ohm or higher, flat impedance curves.  Names that come to mind are Coincident, Horning, maybe some of the Ref 3As if you room is small enough, Deadelus, Rethm, Zu.  Probably some of Duke's Audiokinesis line.  If you actively bi-amp or use a sub with the signal high-passed to the mains, you can probably go down a bit in the efficiency department.  As johnk points out, the laws of physics are a bitch!
fourwnds's avatar
fourwnds
261 posts
 
I have Wright Sound Mono 8 paired with Decware HDT. Sounds good. 95db, single driver design. Cabinets are not small but large they are not either. You can see my virtual system page to see them in my somewhat small room. 

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