Tube Friendly Speakers - Down to 30Hz - $3000?

K.C.S. offers 96db ribbon systems 28hz-35khz for $2500 shiping inc. I also have a used fostex f200a loudspeaker with raven r1 ribbon direct wired with tara labs ref gen 2 a transformer is used to match ribbon to f200a cab is maple with cherry laminet front baffle and incs a solid steel stand $1900 shipped 30hz-30khz 90db all alnico drivers.All cabs are baltic birch I also offer fostex fe206esr BLH 98db 40hz-20khz $2900 shipped email if you want a pic or owner referals.

Thanks for the recommendation, Spencer. Was great to see you Sunday! Glad you were able to get out and play.

Grant, I think Spencer's (Sbank) feelings are correct. The Coincidents are a bit tipped up; definitely on the lively, as opposed to dark, side. The biggest factor that will play into this, in my opinion, is the room and the partnering amplifier. In my smaller room, where Spencer heard them, I couldn't get past the harshness in the system caused mostly by the room, but the speakers and partnering amplifier deserve a good deal of the credit/blame. I had to get the speakers into a different room to find happiness.

And, for what it's worth, though I highly respect corner placement, to my ears, it causes more and worse problems than it solves. Imaging among them, but I find exceptional bass comes from pulling speakers OUT from the walls.

Here are my general feelings in regards to Coincidents after having lived with them for 9 years now...
1) Like just about all speakers, their performance is far from being maximized by the designer. You can get a lot more out of them if you aren't afraid to get your hands into them.

2) As previously mentioned, their specs are wildly optimistic. This has been discussed time and again. Hard to get 3 - 5 dB more sensitivity out of speaker than what the drivers produce; darned laws of physics! That being said, excluding the larger drivers producing the lows, it is very true they are an easier load than most of what is on the marketplace. Much easier, in fact.

3) Getting 30 Hz requires larger speakers and cone area, and you are going towards that in your choices. Bigger cones need power. I don't care what anyone says, there's no getting around that. Coincidents are no different than any speaker in this regard, including Silverline - they both source their drivers from the same companies as everyone else.

4) Coincidents sound best with tranformer coupled tube amplifiers, of at least moderate power. Note my use of the word "best". That doesn't mean you can't run them on low or OTL power, because many do. It also doesn't mean you can't get good sound doing so, because many do. I just feel the speakers sound their best with amplification having some iron and some power. With 15 wpc, you can drive, and drive them loudly. Just don't expect to have the bass response they'll produce with a more muscular amp because they can't. Apart from speakers with a powered woofer section, I don't see products capable of this feat.

5) Larger Coincidents, need bigger rooms to breathe. Though, my rationale for saying this is not because of what most people follow - low frequency coupling to the room. It's because of what Spencer said, Coincidents are a bit tipped up. In smaller rooms, the presence region, which can become bright or shrill, is reinforced by smaller room boundaries (especially where two intersecting walls and the ceiling meet). I think most speakers of today suffer this affliction, due to their impedance curve and the fact that their being used with tube amplification (the way the amp reacts to that impedance curve). 16' X 19' is getting there for sure.

In short, I personally think Coincidents are excellent speakers, and are more than worthy of consideration for this task. I'm also a fan of the Silverlines and Tetras, though I'm not sure how sensitive the Tetras are. Heard great things regarding the Reimers, but I've never heard the speakers.

Thanks for your very thorough and thoughtful post, Joe.

You might be interested in the Galante Audio Buckinghams. They have 100 dB sensitivity and are a nominal 8 ohm load (with a 7.3 ohm low point). They stand about 48 inches tall and their footprint at the bottom is about 20-22 inches square (I am estimating from memory). They taper to smaller at the top, and consequently neither look nor feel as big as they are. Frequency response is 35 Hz - 21 kHz. They list for $6500.00 new, but I have seen used ones go for as little as $2000.00 on AudiogoN. Three watts easily drives them. You can find a review at http://www.fsaudioweb.com/reviews/gb_ultimateaudio.html

Here's a dumb question...maybe not so dumb. If a major part of my goal is easy to drive, high impedance loudspeakers, then why not use Speltz Zero-autoformers to double or quadruple the impedance of my VR4 Gen III HSE loudspeakers, rather than buying new speakers with essentially the same impedance load?

VR4 Gen III HSE impedance = 6 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum.

By doubling the impedance with the Zero-autoformers, the nominal impedance increases to 12 ohms, the minimum impedance to 6 ohms. This would appear to be ideal for a low power amplifier, yes?