Forget about the specs; give them a try.

Thanks for the words of encouragement  :)

For anybody that owns these and runs them off a low-wattage SET, what are your impressions? Everything I've read online seems to be unanimously positive, but there's not as much info on peoples' experiences with these as say, a pair of Klipsch speakers. The specs look good, but as any fellow SET-head knows, it is easy to run out of steam very quickly when you only have two good watts. I can modify the circuit slightly to use 6EM7 tubes and put in a MQ iron upgrade, which would get me up to about 3W RMS, but nothing more. The classic Zen SE84 only puts out 2.3W at 4 ohms as well, so I'd be especially interested in hearing from anybody who has paired these speakers with that amp.

Chris K,

I'll be interested in your observations, should you have time to hook up your low-powered amps to the MG944's. Both of the amps listed are similar to what I use. 94dB is a little on the low side for a 2W amp, but that also depends on the load the speakers present to it (for example, Klipsch speakers seem to have severe impedance dips that cause problems with SET's, despite their high sensitivity. Heresy III's are 99dB/W/m!).

OK! MG's in place and I'll do some listening tonight.

OK here is the assessment so far.
Here you have the Decware Signature Mono Blocks from many years back. These have a different input tube and a greatly modified power supply. Used them in single, two and three output tube modes pictured

Also the Integrated (original design from years back as well SS diode rectified) with and without the CSP2 preamp in place (pictured) My CSP as seen is housed in a Signature chassis but is I'm told electrically the same as the current production model minus the head phone jack and multi input features.

The Integrated has the CCE cap on the output tube sockets. This amp is now identical on all four channels running in what is "Zen" triode which has been on all the SV83/EL84 Decware amps. Running the outside or inside set of output tubes alone nets you approx. 3.5 watts from each EL34. The Mono Blocks are running JJ EL84s and single tube is about 1.5-1.8 watts and two tubes about 3.5 watts and three tube on up to  about 5.5 watts.

All configs. fed signal by this iPhone 3Gs running Pandora radio streaming off a Belkin G/N wireless router on ATT DSL
Make fun of it as a source if so inclined but it is stupid good taken in the context of available online streaming media.
Sorry for bad pics. in a hurry

Room is a mess and that is a good thing for diffusion of reflected sound.

So unfortunately the Mono Blocks at higher volumes sound strained and not as dynamic even with 3 output tube installed. I will testify that Dan K had at DecFest a Zen kit 1 circuit board kit that he built a modified power supply for and it was stunningly powerful on the pair of MG944's at the Fest in Steve's big room. This effortlessness is not however what I experienced here at home with the Mono Blocks and even in three tube mode though the headroom was much improved the Mono Blocks, which were at one time a favorite of mine, just do not cut it anymore. The design of the power supply is not Decware and therefore these particular modified amps do not reflect Decware products in any way other than the circuit is a single ended triode design. That said lets move on to the exciting part.

The Integrated with the MG944's is just super holographic and simply musically a delight. Loads of slammin bass and just a room filling tapestry of detail and image that is head turning. With the CSP in the loop ahead of the amp the lush and fleshed out mid range is even more defined and the bass is just that bit more depth that you'd swear you were listening to way more than 3.5 wpc.

So will 3.5 watts drive the MG's? well this 3.5 watts I have here sure will. I can't say that the Mono Blocks did nothing better though. They had a bit more lower octave and that may well have been the straw that broke the power of these down at a more rapid rate. The Integrated that is now current production with tube rectification and about 6wpc and now comes with the CCE cap on the outputs is likely going to always sound amazing. With the MG944, the Radials and the two other sets of speakers I have here the CCE mod to the Lineup of Zen amps that take advantage of this plate/grid relationship is miraculous.

Ital as for the Bottlehead amp I'd say if you like the MG sound (try em) and the Bottlehead just won't do the job then speakers without a doubt are efficient enough to work with the numbers. Just the past few days though prove that synergy with the components is far more than just power.

I will be taking delivery of a Mini TORII  next month and that should be yet another eye opener. As I said I saw/heard with my own eyes and ears a single Zen kit amp drive a pair of MG944's at Decware and the sound was killer. The kit probably had the 9800 ohm (Red) Decware output transformers. The Integrated has 3300 ohm (Blue) Decware OPTs but there again a different output tube and the relationship between all the parts has its effect.

The MG is a neutral and very balanced speaker which emphasizes nothing particular yet is fast and transparent with plenty of bass. The newer model than my pair has the plinth bases and the bottom octave are more predictable with that base. Bottom line is I just blew myself away with an iPhone and 3.5 watts of EL34 wired in triode and the MG's were in every way contributing to that picture. Only sat down for an hour and posted this message. It was immediately clear to me upon sitting down to listen that what an amp is capable of is not always the raw power factor but many other things like dynamics and detail. This turned into an amp review as well as speaker but it's the whole story. I'll be enjoying this amp and speaker combo thats for sure.

Don,
my Integrated is 1st gen. Decware with 4 output tubes and solid state rectified. The individual tubes can be bridged in series or parallel at the binding posts (4 sets, two each side). I chose to run single output per side for this test for Italiano79 to keep the power at 3.5 watts which is what I recall that this older model spec is. The new SE34I.2 is what Steve did to the Integrated a few years ago borrowing the inside EL-34 positions you see on my amp to get dual mono tube rectifiers. Somehow the newer Integrated power was boosted to 6 watts despite the triode wired EL34s. Not sure what accounts for that. But all I know is that I've had the amp for almost 5 years now and NEVER listened with just one tube on the outputs. Always bridged it in parallel for 7 watts. But last couple days its been kicking but with just a single set of tubes.

Thanks to everyone for an amazing amount of information! These speakers seem like a must-try, esp. since it sounds like they will work quite well with 3W or less - and would be especially good with something like a 300B SET, push-pull amp, or triode-strapped pentode amp (like some of the Decware products) putting out 6-8 watts. Since I fully intend on building more amps in the future (what fun is a hobby if you quit?), the lower power limitation is only for now. Any speaker I buy must handle low and high(er) wattage equally well (something I've found to be problematic with single drivers and horns) - so these may fit the bill!

I have to add that if I could swing it right now I'd be thrilled to be demoing a pair of the ERR radials. This speaker is probably better in room than anybody (excepting those who have a pair) has heard to date. The large space in the Decware big room is not the only place this particular speaker should be showcased. In a normal listening space of the average home I'd venture that the ERR would be a dream. Omni speakers need some room boundary at the ceiling to really strut their stuff. $400 more than the MG944 yes but it is something one must hear to appreciate. A little push in that direction for those that have not heard this type of speaker.

Yes Dan the MG's played real nice with your amp and the synergy was VERY evident. But I did say that the ERR in an average living space would do some very "magic" things. I think the ERR is a more intimate speaker but that is a blind judgement until I live with them for awhile. I have no business getting more but a Mini TORII is coming and maybe a few other goodies and that will be it for awhile. Got to concentrate on what combinations I have right now including (6) sets of speakers. My wife is so precious to not have me BBQ'ed alive. She knows it is all in the name of progress.