solderjunkie
Member
I've been on a quest for a reasonably affordable, great sounding pair of bookshelf speakers for my low watt hi-fi tube amps. I have several vintage single-ended and push-pull stereo power amps that I have converted into integrated amplifiers and they are all between 5 and 12 watts output, some 4 ohm and some 8 ohms output impedance. I have felt that each of these amps had the potential for greater sonic, well...greatness, were they paired with the right speakers.
Everything I read suggested as highly efficient and as closely matched impedance as possible, particularly for a low watt, single-ended amplifier. After running through a number of models, both vintage and modern from brands including Polk, Philips, Design Acoustics, AR and Klipsch, I have found the holy grail.
I will preface this recommendation with the caveat that I am not a lifetime audiophile with a highly trained ear, nor do I possess the sophisticated, vocabulary with which to describe the sonic qualities of these speakers. I can only say that I know what I like when I hear it, and to me these speakers sound great with any of my amps. In fact they sound so good and natural, you stop noticing the speaker and just immerse yourself in the music coming out of them. They are a game changer for my unsophisticated little hi-fi world anyway.
They are the Hsu HB-1 MK2 Horn Bookshelf Speaker.
And the best part of all is they were $370 shipped. I ordered them on Tuesday and received them on Thursday (In New Mexico).
These speakers have no doubt been mentioned, recommended and touted on this forum countless times before, perhaps even in association with low wattage tube amps, but I thought I'd throw in my .02 anyway.
Here are the specs:
Product At a Glance
Frequency response
60Hz – 20kHz +/- 2 dB
Sensitivity 92 dB / 1m / 2.83V in Half Space
Recommended Amplifier Power 10-250W RMS Per Channel
Woofer 61⁄2 Inch
Enclosure Type Vented ; 3⁄4” MDF
Recommended Impedance setting 8 ohms (BUT SOUND AWESOME AT 4 OHMS)
Enclosure Dimensions 153⁄8” H x 8” W x 8” D
Dimensions with Grill 153⁄8” H x 8” W x 8”5⁄8" D
Weight 14 lbs
Warranty 7-years
Designed and Engineered in the U.S.A.
Good lord, I can't stop listening to them.
Everything I read suggested as highly efficient and as closely matched impedance as possible, particularly for a low watt, single-ended amplifier. After running through a number of models, both vintage and modern from brands including Polk, Philips, Design Acoustics, AR and Klipsch, I have found the holy grail.
I will preface this recommendation with the caveat that I am not a lifetime audiophile with a highly trained ear, nor do I possess the sophisticated, vocabulary with which to describe the sonic qualities of these speakers. I can only say that I know what I like when I hear it, and to me these speakers sound great with any of my amps. In fact they sound so good and natural, you stop noticing the speaker and just immerse yourself in the music coming out of them. They are a game changer for my unsophisticated little hi-fi world anyway.
They are the Hsu HB-1 MK2 Horn Bookshelf Speaker.
And the best part of all is they were $370 shipped. I ordered them on Tuesday and received them on Thursday (In New Mexico).
These speakers have no doubt been mentioned, recommended and touted on this forum countless times before, perhaps even in association with low wattage tube amps, but I thought I'd throw in my .02 anyway.
Here are the specs:
Product At a Glance
Frequency response
60Hz – 20kHz +/- 2 dB
Sensitivity 92 dB / 1m / 2.83V in Half Space
Recommended Amplifier Power 10-250W RMS Per Channel
Woofer 61⁄2 Inch
Enclosure Type Vented ; 3⁄4” MDF
Recommended Impedance setting 8 ohms (BUT SOUND AWESOME AT 4 OHMS)
Enclosure Dimensions 153⁄8” H x 8” W x 8” D
Dimensions with Grill 153⁄8” H x 8” W x 8”5⁄8" D
Weight 14 lbs
Warranty 7-years
Designed and Engineered in the U.S.A.
Good lord, I can't stop listening to them.
. U2 works better I guess "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" $320 isn't cheap to me, but it's doable at some point. I have a small room and listen at relatively low volumes.
