What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?


Hi, Gang,
I response to my recent review of the Reference 3A De Capo BE speaker, someone wrote that if you really want to hear them sing, you should try them with a SET amp, or words to that effect.
That got me thinking. The De Capo's are 92 db efficient, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems kind of borderline for low-power SET amps.
In any event, right now I'm running mine with a pair of Manley Mahi mono-blocks. They are switchable from triode (20 watts) to "ultra linear" (40 watts). I run them in triode all the time, and in my room, the volume knob almost never goes past 9 o'clock; more would just be too loud.
All that said, what do you guys think of running the De Capo's with a SET amp? And if I did, what's the best bargain in SET's these days?
Thanks!
rebbi
I love it! The new backstory really helps to let readers know where you are coming from, the constraints you are working under(room size & WAF), and where you are hoping to go.

BTW, I also started out with some 2C's. A great buy for their time. SET, and SET-friendly speakers, are a whole different world from the Vandi approach.
Darkmoebius,
Thanks a lot!
The more I think about it, the more I’m remembering buying that first good system.
I dragged a vinyl copy of James Taylor's "That's Why I'm Here" to any number of audio salons all over metro NYC, where I was living a the time. What sold me on the Vandy's was that they were the only speaker that seemed to nail the bass guitar glissando near the beginning of the title song. :-) Oh, that, and the lack of a boxy sound.
REbbi,

Reading your historical info on teh blog, it may have been covered back then, don't recall but your Class D amp had only 10000K input impedance which is minimal and far from optimal for use with a tube pre-amp. FWWW, I'd be willing to bet if you were using it with teh Manley or most any tube pre-amp results might not be that great. COuld have impacted the OHMs easily if in the picture then, as might a lively room.
MAPMAN, speaking of OHM, how much do you gain/lose between
Microwalsh Talls amd Ohm 1000 ??
Assuming a good fit into the room, perhaps some low end extension, but I would not expect much of a difference if integrated well into the right size room. If so, a sub or two could close the gap.

The OHM Walshes of a particular vintage (currently Micros and X000 series) are all designed to sound inherently the same in their target size rooms. Bigger drivers can deliver more output at lower frequencies obviously, but that's about it. The rest is the same just scaled up or down, which is quite a unique thing. You can get the best sound possible in a small room with micros or 100s, larger models add little or nothing.

My Walsh F5s and 100 series 3 speakers are both one series old. 5X models (the largest) come with 4 3 way adjustments on each speaker that provide flexibility in fitting those into any room, large or small. I have compared them to my 100s in my smaller room suitable for either and the sound is in fact essentially the same. The 5s are much bigger and are overkill though for a small room alone. They sit normally in my large L shaped room which is 20'X30' more or less. My smaller room(s) are both 12X12, each with very distinct acoustics.