High Sensitivity Desktop Speakers?

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by TheIceman93, Feb 22, 2017.

  1. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Any Recommendations? I'm building the Elekit TU 8200DX which can do 4 watts in Triode and 8 watts in Ultra Linear. Not much power so I need a pair of desktop monitors that are very sensitive.
     
  2. Rockin_Zombie

    Rockin_Zombie Facebook Friend

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  3. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    With high efficiency and small drivers you're not going to get any sort of bass extension whatsoever. The Omegas are probably a great choice. Something like the FE103Sol (because it has a lower Fs than the En version) might be a good choice, too and it's not too expensive. It just depends on how big a box you can fit on your desk.
    I even drove an old 8" widebander (probably about 95db/W or more) from just the Leckerton UHA6s mk2 and it went loud enough. In that case it's best to get something with high Fs so you don't need huge cabinets. No matter what you do, bass quality, quantity and extension will suffer, but that could be said about every desktop monitor.
     
  4. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    What types of speakers are ideally suited for low wattage tube amps? I haven't settled on desktops necessarily. I used to have overnight sensations but they are not sensitive enough for the Elekit.
     
  5. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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  6. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    High sensitivity, compact size, bass extension... Pick two out of three. If you only have low power, then you *need* high sensitivity. Choose whether you want compactness or bass after that.

    Those Tektons are 96dB @ 1W. Give it 4W and you'll get 102dB at the peaks which is pretty good for most listening.
     
  7. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Can I ask how you are calculating that?
     
  8. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    Doubling power results in a 3dB gain. 96 dB @ 1W / 1m

    99 @2W
    102 @4W

    It could hit 105 dB in ultra-linear mode.
     
  9. Tachikoma

    Tachikoma Almost "Made"

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    The Klipsch RP-160M is rated at 96dB @ 1W as well, if you're looking for something cheaper that still produces a respectable level of bass. They don't seem to mind having less space behind them or being placed on a desktop, but they are about twice the size of the Omega Super 3s.
     
  10. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Omega tonality would be better than LS50, IME.
     
  11. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    That is true if you're speaking intensity (acoustic power).
    Most speaker and hp measurements are given in SPL (field quantity), thus doubling electrical power would give +6dB SPL.

    edit: Yeebuz, what garbage. I obviously meant voltage vs SPL.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2017
  12. WolfEarAudio

    WolfEarAudio MOT - Wolf Ear Audio

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    The Omega's are good. I own a few pairs of their speakers. If you go the desktop route and desire more bass, you can always supplement with a small subwoofer.
     
  13. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Their deepOmega are 'bass' enhancers and not really subs (doesn't reach down to 20), but worth considering.
     
  14. Donald North

    Donald North Friend

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    I am working on a pair of desktop speakers for myself. My idea is to use full-range drivers above 150Hz and dipole woofers below 150Hz. I am still deciding if I want to do the crossover and EQ analog or digital. The full-range driver amplifier can be low-power tube.
     
  15. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

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    How about low-efficiency desktop speaker SEALED or front ported???
     
  16. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I find front ported speakers really hate being on a desk and need to be on stands (angling doesn't really cut it).

    I believe my aging desktop Cambridge Soundworks speakers are acoustic suspension designs, but as a 2.1 speaker they have the typical midrange scoop so it's hard to evaluate against speakers with larger woofers. They offer really great clarity in their range however.

    I would really like to play with more acoustic suspension designs, but they aren't terribly common.

    This one ticks all of my buzzword wants: https://nsmt-loudspeakers.com/Model-20M
    But the pricing ... :(
     
  17. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    You might be interested in Role Audio then. https://www.roleaudio.com/
     
  18. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Yep, basically the same company. The Kayak is super keen, and the Sampan FTL is intriguing as well. Maybe I'm just super intrigued by the coaxial drivers of the 20M.
     
  19. Donald North

    Donald North Friend

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    For my project I decided to go with the Fostex FE108-SOL for >150Hz duty and the Satori WO24P-8 for <150Hz. The FE108-SOL appears to have a fairly smooth frequency response and low moving mass. I will try it both open baffle and with a rear chamber and listen which I prefer. For the bass, I realize a 9.5" woofer operating dipole is not the final word in maximum air volume displacement, but since I will be listening to it nearfield, I suspect it may be enough.

    I plan to bi-amp the system (my favorite) and am still deciding if I want to do the crossover and EQ in the analog or digital domain. If the former, I like to create the 150Hz high pass filter by adding an appropriately sized series coupling capacitor to create a RC filter with the input impedance of the amp powering the Fostex.

    The bass EQ can be made with simple IC op-amp based circuit or DSP for a hybrid approach.
     
  20. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Klipsch?
     

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