40-50w tube amp for Aerial 9

Higher impedance (and a flat impedance curve) is better for tube amps, so, yes
the W-B speakers are a better match than the Aerials, IMO.

The question is whether Aerial designs their speakers with the Voltage Paradigm
or with the Power Paradigm. I don't know the answer to that question, but I
suspect it's the Voltage Paradigm.

This link explains the Voltage/Power Paradigms.

The 10t sounded best with tube amps under 100W/ch.The VAC 90/90 and Ren 70 drove them nicely.I would think that as you match the impedance tap to the speaker impedance,that you will get maximum power delivery.I believe that 40-50W should drive a 90db efficient speaker to reasonable levels,unless you need to "turn up" the volume to sustain a perceived level of detailing or control.

Something that you might like to research, its been talked about quite a bit here as Tvad knows, is the affect of the output impedence of the amp which is not linear thru its frequency response, especially if it is a tube amp many of which have a significant rise in the bass. The output impedence of an amp is not flat accross the spectrum, just as the impedence curve of the speakers is not flat. It helps to know, especially when matching speakers and amps on paper, where the rise in the amps output impedence would correspond with rises or fall in the speakers impedence curve.

Just something to do when your bored. Actually understanding it might even help you when considering the acquisition of new stuff. :-)

There are several tube amps like VAC, Manley or McIntosh that will work well with low impedance speakers. As to Dehaviland I have no experience and suggest you call the manufacture. To see if a tube amp would work with the Aerial 9 speaker you would need to know the impedance of the speaker over the entire frequency range. Tube amps work best with high impedance speakers or speakers that have a fairly flat impedance. The impedance of a speaker varys over the frequency range and a tube amp with higher output impedance than a solid state amp exagerates the variance making the speaker sound uneven. You can look at an article at Transendent Sound on Amplifier Output Impedance Why Its Important to better understand the dynamics.

I have been using a VAC PA90 with Thiel CS1.5 speakers that go as low as 3 ohms and have a fairly flat frequency response with a sensitivity of 86db. These amps are about 45 watts triode and 90 watts ultralinear. If you check Manleys website their amps are designed for an 5 ohm impedance.

Shredder- for some ss amps, its the other way around.
x watts @ 8 ohms
2x watts 2 4 ohms
Its called doubling down. some ss amps can, as far as I know, most tube amps do not do this.

For a speaker designed for voltage paradigm, no big deal. For a speaker that needs high current, its more important.