What speakers are you running with your valve amp

MBDK72

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Hello. I am researching for my next speakers to run with my Ming da MC34A 38 watt push pull valve amplifier. My shortlist so far involves Alchris Audio and kits from Wilmslow Audio including the WA TL3 plus and Vogue Classic. I don't want to spend more than 2K. The room is 6 metres across and 3 metres deep, with the speakers firing across the 3metres at one end. I would imagine a larger speaker with higher sensitivity and impedance of 8 ohms would be better, especially as the volume will never pass moderately loud. I do not believe in using sub woofers, so the speaker needs to go low with control. Of those of you who have valve amps, what speakers to you have?
 
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MF 1000

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Deep bass and valve amps doesn't happen imho. I use my MingDa 845s to run my SEAS soft dome midrange drivers in my active setup....using the 845 valves in their sweet spot.

I have used them in the past to run passive speakers .....but deep bass needs big drive units and solid state grunt, which is how I've tailored my activity setup
 

chezi

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Art Emotion , deep , fast bass with a 10" driver. I've had them over 20yrs but they have been seriously upgraded by Art.

chz
 
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Jules_S

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Deep bass and valve amps doesn't happen imho. I use my MingDa 845s to run my SEAS soft dome midrange drivers in my active setup....using the 845 valves in their sweet spot.

I have used them in the past to run passive speakers .....but deep bass needs big drive units and solid state grunt, which is how I've tailored my activity setup
In fairness Keith, your "deep bass" is everyone else's "major seismic activity" 🤣🤣

I'm about to pair valve amps with a pair of gloriously inefficient Martin Logans, so who says you have to have easy-to-drive speakers with tubes? OK, so the speakers handle the "grunt" for the bass sections themselves but the mid / hf panel still has a very uneven impedance curve that dips to les than 1 ohm at the top end. My lounge is almost the same size as yours, too.
 

pmcuk

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Very modest choice here, but I like them. Wharfedale Program 30D-6.

Just a small bookshelf, and not even designed for audio. More correctly a commercial e.g. pub speaker used with brackets on walls.

In its favour it has a nice mid-bass unit - the same size as KEF B110 but with a smaller magnet.

Still, a very unlikely choice on this forum!
 
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Psilonaught

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If you want powerful bass and triode quality (not Pentode) top end from a pair of valve amps it is possible but you need Atma-sphere OTL amps.

Many users in the US reference the atma-sphere amps having bass to equal large Pass amps.
 
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Jazid

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This question is asked again and again. There is no useful answer. It *might* help if you included your musical tastes and kit you either have or haven't liked before and why, otherwise you'll just get a list of everyone's personal favourite speakers which is fantastic if you have the same taste, but if you do why would you be asking the question? The 'correct' answer is to get out there and listen, but I am well aware this is an ideal and not practical for most folk.
SO saying I'll add some that fit my bill, not everyones; Tannoy HPD do hefty bass and work pretty well with push pull valves, they'll likely finish off your budget though. I actually don't get on with Tannoys but many really do. I do get on with AN-E (or Snell E Mk 1,2, or 3 which are well within budget), although anyone with a taste for loud, brain liquidising electronica is going to pooh pooh their bass fairly enough, but then why would they use valves? If what is most important is the best bass, and I don't read that from your post, then sad to say it is not available for valves at your price point. Avantgarde or some Cessaro horns fit the bill for sound, grunty bass, they're great with toobs, but not so great with your budget...

Edit: I forgot, Living Voice Avatar would be in budget and are a good valve pairing, more of a good all-rounder than a trouser flapping demolition derby type of sound.
 

Tarzan

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Hello. I am researching for my next speakers to run with my Ming da MC34A 38 watt push pull valve amplifier. My shortlist so far involves Alchris Audio and kits from Wilmslow Audio including the WA TL3 plus and Vogue Classic. I don't want to spend more than 2K. The room is 6 metres across and 3 metres deep, with the speakers firing across the 3metres at one end. I would imagine a larger speaker with higher sensitivity and impedance of 8 ohms would be better, especially as the volume will never pass moderately loud. I do not believe in using sub woofers, so the speaker needs to go low with control. Of those of you who have valve amps, what speakers to you have?
Can l play?

Hybrid Integrated amplifier... Vincent SV 237MK ( tweaked)


Latest version Audionote ANK/LX- world class transparency and an effortless sound


Which are alternated with;


ProAc Tablette 10- amazing bass, dynamics, soundstaging and incredible musicality from a box the size of a shoe box.- me mucho likey. 🥰
 
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rabski

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We need to know what 'low with control' really means. Or at least, what is expected.

If you mean decent reproduction of organ music, then you're going to need to start believing in subs, because otherwise it ain't going to happen. Certainly not with a 2k budget.

To be frank, a normal push-pull valve amp is not going to do tight, deep, window rattling bass with any passive speaker. Tight, controlled bass is 'on' if you have good valves, a decent circuit design and excellent output transformers, but it's far, far better and easier to integrate a seriously good sub and use the main speakers to do what valves do best.
 

Non-Smoking Man

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6m x 3m is a big room and you are a lucky boy to have that size and those dimensions. I take it you will set up at the end and fire down the long dimension. We are talking floorstanders obviously.
It is held that a big bass driver beats 2 smaller ones so your bass/mid or bass should be 8" diameter minimum for preference.
Your amp, being PP and 38 watts gives you lots of options and so does your budget of £2K.
I trust HifiWorld reviewers and in the absence of much personal experience outside high efficiency I would scour the internet for their reviews and the Forums also. Some examples to consider :
Yamaha Soavo,
Quadrail
WAD KLS3
Jantzen Kits (Troels Graveson designs)
KEF 105
KEF 104/2 (if you have a 4 ohm tap)
Yamaha NS1000 (marmite speaker)
Snell E/2 and Snell A
Triangle Antals

etc..,

Jack NSM
 
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Lawrence001

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He has said he's firing across the narrow width at one end, which is what I do and it can work.

I think the best speakers are usually those with a benign impedance curve (ie not big swings like down to 2ohms at 40 Hz or anything) and relatively efficient, but 87db/w/m and above can work with 40wpc+ amps.
 
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bencat

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Not a suggestion but just to add an alternative I am using QUAD ESL 57 with Croft OTL 3 sounds lovely .
 
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rabski

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Well... as a past owner (including stacked pairs), I can certainly suggest that ESL57s do tight and controlled bass. However, they don't go very low, or give massive amounts of it. I cartainly agree with Lawrence that impedance curves are important with conventional cones, but ESLs have a curve that's as friendy as a starving shark, yet work extremely well.

The problem with looking at impedance curves is that you need to know the complete behaviour of the amplifier as well, and that's the sort of thing you won't find published. Nevertheless, as a rule of thumb, a relatively flat curve is better for valve amps in general.

Jack has listed a few decent alternatives above. Normally I'd add my favourite Living Voice, but the 'narrow end' bit would mean LVs not working at their best. Audio Note or Snell, however, are ideally suited to that sort of configuration, though I'd avoid the larger ANs, as bass may be too much.
 
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pmcuk

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Well... as a past owner (including stacked pairs), I can certainly suggest that ESL57s do tight and controlled bass.
Likewise - I loved my stacked quads. They were wonderful, but from a bygone era.

But I have to say that the improvement of taking off the front and rear grilles was dramatic. Totally unsafe - that was my mad youth. I think there was some way of adding transparent grilles to keep poking fingers away. It's all a long time ago - 1970s.
 

MBDK72

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Radford Series 5 STA-25 into KEF Chorales works OK. I've moved and as soon as I get the listening room/lounge sorted the speakers will be Tannoy Turnberry.
I would imagine some large Tannoys would sound very good and could work close to the rear wall. Out of my budget but a good investment!
 

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