High efficiency speaker recommendation in the EU

Hello,

I am thinking about trying to find someone to build me an Elekit TU-8200R or Tubelab SSE... well, to be honest, I am even considering getting into a DIY game myself, it's just that I'm afraid that rather than settling peacefully to enjoying the music through my system I will get sucked even deeper into the audiophile rabbit hole... anyway... I will need some high efficiency speakers to go along with either of those amps. I've been swooning over Zu Omens for a while now, but to be honest, they are a bit over my budget. Tekton Lore Reference would be more of a match for my pocket, but in either of those cases, I just can't stomach the shipping costs and the import duties.

Hence - any recommendation of similar speakers available locally in the EU? So far the only thing I found is Magnat Transpuls 1500, they are 95db, and although I am only basing my opinion on reviews and descriptions, while they will have the sound different from Zu / Tekton, it seems like it's the sound I might enjoy. Actually, the upshot here is Amazon carries them here in Germany, so I may even test-drive them and return with no questions asked.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

I think that buying an amp first which restricts you to a very tiny subset of commercially available speakers is a recipe for dissatisfaction. that tiny subset shrinks further when you realize how compromised most of those designs are when it comes to playing recordings of many different genres and aesthetics.

given that the loudspeaker and room interface is probably the largest contributing factor to system satisfaction, you should probably sort that out first and then buy an amplifier that works well with them after

to get very good results with the 'SE purist' path, you should be willing to DIY, which means cabinet (or baffle) assembly, driver sourcing, crossover tweaking, etc. or subscribe to a lifetime of playing audiophile girl with guitar recordings and elevator music.

by the way, published sensitivity is only one specification and is maybe 23% of the story when it comes to what can be driven by what.

just my opinion.

 

Just get yourself some used big woofer 70s/80s JBLs or a kit BLH. The less complex the crossover the better. Then focus on your room and amp. (Edit - Klipsch Fortes are solid too)

I am not remotely a speaker expert but I've heard a bunch of stuff while working hifi retail, been to trade shows, etc. Despite that, I find the aforementioned suggestions to give the best bang for buck.

 

Amen

The interaction of your room with the loudspeaker of your choice will determine the maximum achievable sound quality. There is no best speaker.
If you are searching for high efficiency speakers (you havn‘t specified budget):

https://dynamikks.de/Model_12.html

if in doubt I would rather spend more on the speakers and less on amplification.

Like @k4rstar said I would not limit myself by choice of kind of amplification or choice of a certain speaker design.
On the other hand most of us have gone through a learning curve in order to find their solution. Albeit being rather expensive sometimes one needs to make one‘s own mistake in order to learn.

 

Klipsch Heresy works too. Old ones are in the ~96 db/W range. I think the new ones are 99.

Here's a couple quick random links:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/eckhorn-eckhoerner-klipsch/1874202916-172-5461
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/134000372294
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/klipsch-heresy-e/2009630746-172-7984
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/klipsch-heresy-e-lautsprecher/2005556534-172-1144

 

I have, albeit indirectly - by saying that Tekton Lore Reference will be an ideal pick for my pocket. To keep it simple, let's say - under EUR 1000.

 

it's not only about the money, but about the... well, urge? constant craving for the next thing? and the time of course. I'm currently chasing that end-game with my head-fi system: ordered an affordable USB interface so that I could try and feed my DACs via coax/optical, on the look out for the entry level R2R / NOS DAC, have two tube amps, have a switcher coming so that I could A/B between them... it's learning, it's interesting, but still, my idea is to test-drive this setup and settle on one tube amp and one DAC, just kick back and relax. even so, I have ideas for an upgrade in 1-2 years: a more serious R2R DAC in case I like what I'm hearing, higher end solid state amp (Fluxlab perhaps), etc... I have been neglecting my hi-fi system one could say in a sense that I have just built it up 2 years ago when I got into the hobby and was just buying and spinning records since - partially because the strange grounding issue on my Thorens TD203 prevented me from trying different phono stages. and then I moved to a new apartment, and suddenly the grounding issue is gone (go figure), and here I am, checking our the likes of Darlington Labs and EAR clones on AliExpress... now the itch is back.

sorry, this is just to give some background with DIY - I think I could do it, but it also seems like getting into heroin from party drugs. and besides, while I did a bit of everything, - soldering, woodwork, ironwork, - as a kit (part of growing up during post-Soviet era in Kiev), it's the cabinets/enclosures part which so far seems to me the most problematic, so that's one up for Elekit.

 

Ok now I know your budget. Tektons are rated 98 dB 1W/1m. The Magnats are rated 95 dB 2,8V/1m, which is odd because they are not active speakers. Some numbercrunchers will be able to let you know how those two compare. I’ll throw those in the mix:

https://www.justhifi.de/wharfedale-linton-heritage-85th-anniversary-3780

Stands will add roughly 300 Euros, but you can start without. Their efficiency is not shabby @ 90 dB (probably 1W/1m) but cannot be compared to Tekton. Magnat recommends minimum 30 W amplifier power Wharfedale 25 W.
Whatever you do don‘t buy without listening to the speakers preferably at your place first. I also would not buy something which is not supported in the country you live in which rules out the Tektons.

 

The Magnats are rated 4 - 8 Ohm at 8 Ohm 2,83 V corresponds to 1 W, so the Magnats 95 dB can be compared to the Wharfedales 90 dB. Havn‘t found an impedance diagramm for the Magnats.

 

I was checking them out just yesterday funnily enough, but the 90db marking deterred me - I am obviously not as knowledgeable as you are yet so can't do a more detailed analysis. I am actually toying with the idea of putting an extra system together (talking of addictions with Dentons, for my study, but that will probably be driven by a solid-state, so 88db is not that critical.

this fellow:



has apparently run the Magnats with a Decware amp and is saying that this is one of the combos he could recommend (he does not however go into details of each individual amp combo).

 

Instead of enhancing their lives with the love of and pleasure of listening to good music. So sad.

@denny_dow, I'm sure you're soon going to have a beautiful system. The best way to stop yourself wondering what could be better is enjoying the music

Hifi doesn't have to be for life, but nor does it have to be about one-night stands