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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
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Message started by canonken on 10/17/20 at 19:00:27

Title: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by canonken on 10/17/20 at 19:00:27

I have a SE84UFO2 on order and have a pair of Fostex FE126NV based back-horn speakers (the $400 Madisound kit ones) that according to the watt meter on my SS amp, barely need a tenth of a watt to play at normal levels (for me). No doubt these will be a fun pairing.

I also have a pair of larger towers with a rated 89 db sensitivity that sound simply divine with my 75 watt KT88 based amp. Obviously that amp has some serious power so other than having tubes, cannot compare to the SE84UFO2

Curious to see how the big towers sound with the SE84UFO2.

What is your experience driving low-sensitively speakers with the 2 watt Decware amps? I know it is not going to be loud (and that is fine), but will they have 'control' over the speakers and just sound good? Or is it going to be an uphill battle? Or said another way, even if the output is low, is there enough torque/current to light things up properly (if that makes sense...or will it sound sloppy)?

Thanks!

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by Rivieraranch on 10/18/20 at 16:47:05

Obviously the Fostex will play louder. However the towers might surprise you. They might sound better than with another amp. More low level detail perhaps.

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by canonken on 10/18/20 at 17:12:18

What I have noticed so far:

Fostex build:
--Sounds as good as I could ever imagine with the MC275 (75 watt tubes)
--Not too enjoyable to listen to on the MA7900 (200 watt SS) - it sounds 'fine', fine if I am watching YouTube videos (my 2-channel system is also my 2-channel HT system), but I can't sit there for hours and melt into music. Its a little dry and thin, a little abrasive, bass-shy. I use the EQ to fatten the bass and cut the highs, which helps round them out (I never thought I would use the EQ, but nice to have!).

Sonus Faber towers:
--Disgustingly, amazingly SUBLIME with the MC275. Like I have stayed up way later than I should have on many work nights because I just wanted to listen to one more track, album
--Still sounds great on the MA7900 - the tubes are better but this amp and the speakers pair well and I've happily listened for years this way. These towers can handle a ton of power and I have actually activated clipping protection with 'Baraka' on Blu-ray (there is one bass-heavy scene with volcanoes that is insane). That said, I would happily always use the tubes.

According to the meters on the SS amp, on the Fostex I am using no more than 1/10th of a watt at any given time, and often a tiny fraction (like a thousandth of a watt if the meters are to be trusted). I am not an expert, and I have heard debate on this, but intuitively it seems I am using the amp at such a low-power state it just isn't quite able to 'gel'. I think (again, I am not an expert, I might be wrong, correct me) tube amps are liked because they DO sound good at very low levels (especially a low-power one!).

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by Donnie on 10/18/20 at 17:58:32

I had the same Fostex speakers, I recently gave them to a friend for his TV setup.

What I found with them was that while they were surprisingly good for what they were, a sub helped them out quite a bit.
I used every amp in my arsenal from my Torii, to my ZKIT60, with stops between with a Wadia SS amp, stupid cheap Lepai chip amps and other silliness in between.

I could see how a Zen UFO would work real well with those, in fact it may be a match made in heaven. A small sub might bring those up to your expectations.

I would be afraid that the Sonus Fabers wouldn't be great with a small amp, but I have seen other people post that they had great luck with speakers that had a low efficiency.

So what I would do (unsolicited advice here) is to go into this with an open mind, plan on using the Fostex and hoping that you may be able to use them on the Sonus Fabers.

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by alper_yilmaz on 10/19/20 at 10:27:12

I am one of those who drive relatively less efficient speakers with my Decware gear. I drive my:

- 91dB B&W DM630s with an SE84UFO25, and
- 90-91dB Rega RS1's with an SE34I.2+.

I have also tried my 88.5dB ProAC D28's with the UFO25 as well. All alternatives have worked fine with me, actually much better than the single-driver full-range alternatives that I have tried (including, but not limited to, Zu Druids and Omega's).

Volume-wise, my setups do not reach earth shattering levels (I have another push-pull amp for that), but I find the tonal balance and bass response better than most other alternatives. Actually, my listening habits have even changed, as the detail of these amps, particularly that of UFO25, is at such a level that I do not feel like cranking up the volume anymore.

Also maybe it is only me, but most Fostex and Lowther applications I have heard had a shout effect that has given me some real fatigue and I have always struggled with the bass frequencies with these speakers (never liked the sub alternative). As I do not have a dedicated listening space, I have yet to work on room acoustics (which is extremely important), so I have to find the middle ground and that middle ground for me is using my amps with the speakers I have in hand.

I am still open to trying some open baffles and some makes of Klipsch, but since I moved back to Istanbul, I do not have much access to many alternatives.

I do not know how much this is of help, but do try and see it yourself. Regardless of the speaker setup you have, I am quite positive that you will fall in love with the UFO2 anyway! :)

Cheers,

Alper

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by Stefan on 11/13/20 at 18:15:38

I'm using the UFO25 with Tannoy Cheviot which are 91dB, but 8 Ohm. In a medium sized room they play loud enough that you need to shout to hear each other, but not concert level loud, for that I need the Torii :)

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by Denver12 on 01/02/21 at 09:00:28

This works really well for us, thank you!

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by Denver12 on 01/02/21 at 09:03:45

Thanks for the step by step tutorial.

Title: Re: Your low-sensitivity speakers with 2 watt amps?
Post by Denver12 on 01/02/21 at 09:06:39

Thank you for updating us with the outcome.

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