Redstar,

I have both the Caintuck Lii 15 and Omega XRS SAHO speakers driven by a 25th Anniversary modified Decware Zen Mystery Amp. Both speakers sound exceptional in my small dedicated listening room which is treated with diffuser panels. I also did extensive listening to all of Steve's amp and preamp combinations with Zen Master and other speakers at Decfest last year.

I think going for the best amp possible is the right move. Then add other 25th modified pieces as budget allows will get you the best listening results, it's like building a house on a solid foundation.

Which amp and speaker combination depends a bit on your room, music preferences, and desire for future flexibility. The 25th Anniversary Zen amp is truly special and sounds amazing with the open baffle Lii 15 speaker. You need to place these speakers 3' from a rear wall to sound best! So, if you have the space you can't go wrong. They will play loud and clear.

If your room limits speaker placement options, it may be better to go with a ported box speaker, either a floor standing or monitor.  The Decware and Omega offerings all sound wonderful. You'll just have to decide if a full range speaker or limited range speaker will meet your needs.

I opted for a more powerful Zen Mystery amp primarily because it provided me flexibility to add  less sensitive speaker should I go that way in the future. Have I been tempted to get a 25th Anniversary little Zen, you bet I have.

Hope this helps.

HK

I agree with the above posts, get the amp first. Your room will tell you what you should focus on. If you  share some details, we can help give better guidance.  If workable in your room, room treatments will help your system really shine.

Redstar,

I agree with all the above posts as well....get the best amp you can afford within your budget.  I’d go as so far as to say that if you need to hold off on am amp purchase for a year to get the amp you desire...then do it..  

I wish I took my own advice and I ran into a conundrum.  Let me explain...

I originally had my eye on the Torii MKIV before the ZMA came out. Then.....something good and bad happened.  I got a really good deal on my ERR’s.  So many guys raved about the radial sound that I took the bait.  The result was that I truly loved the radial sound in my open floor plan with my vaulted ceilings.  

Now fast forward to when I attended my first Decfest 2 years ago.  I heard the 25th Anniversary Zen amp with the DNA2 speakers that are like 5 dB more efficient that my ERR’s. I also got to hear the ZMA with the HR-1, which were amazing as well.   I truly loved the transparency and sound of the SET Zen amp, that I felt I didn’t want to give that up either.  

Point being that the physical size of the room,  room treatments, loudness listening level, and the type of music you play should all be taken into consideration.  

For me...I play a lot of jazz, classical, and single instrument background music. I just purchased the 25th Zen amp because I loved the sound.  Even though I do question that the amp may not truly make the ERR’s reach its full potential,  the trade off is that while my open floor plan prevents a challenge in and of itself, my loudness listening level is on the lower side.  If it was not....then the Torii amp would be my purchase.  But...I did really like the open baffle sound as well...so pair that with a Zen Amp and you will get beautiful music.  You can never go wrong with more power than you need, but will get frustrated if you can’t achieve the loudness you desire if you fall short on power.  

Disclaimer:  I do plan to have a conversation with Steve with my concerns.  And I feel that once you narrow down you decisions, place a call to Steve before you pull the trigger....especially if you have never heard any of the speakers or amps.    

Hope this helps

Dom

Redstar,

Your room size doesn't appear to present major challenges. So where is your primary listening position in the room - across from the long wall, short wall, other? As previously noted the open baffle designs sound best when pulled out from the rear wall by 3' with a direct line of sight to the listening position.

Keep in mind reflective surfaces - hard floors, windows, picture frames, etc. can effect the sound quality. Best thing to do is move the speakers to different locations in a complex room if at all possible and find the best spot.  Open baffle and single driver speakers are generally a good choice for pairing with SET and low powered tube amplifiers.

HK

The Caintuck Lii 15's punch way above their price point and are almost full range speakers. A true audio value & I have the Omega XRS SAHO's to compare them to. The SQ is very, very close.

I think you can't go wrong with a 25th Anniversary Zen or Torii (preferably w/ 25th Anniversary mods) and the Caintuck Lii 15's. That is my recommendation. You can't go wrong with this combination.

HK

I have to agree with Donnie. I ran Large Advents for close to 20 years because I loved the sound and I found changing amps made noticeable, but always small differences. I then went through a bunch of speakers until I got the original Zu Druids, and then scored an amazing deal on Zu Druid Vs.  After that, it was just finding the right amp. I started with the Almarro 205, then the Audiosector Patek, then a Decware SE34i.2+, then a Torii Mk IV, and finally settling on Atma-sphere M60s. The common thread is that they all sounded great with the Druids; I was just obsessing over small details.

I A-Bed the Torii vs the M60s for a year before I chose; I could have easily lived with the Torii. They were both fantastic, but I couldn't keep both.

Decware makes amazing stuff; I'm listening to a pair of DNAs in my living room right now. My advice is try some used speakers and see what you like; you can resell them at a very small loss and consider it the cost of education. Once you find the speakers you love, you can figure out the amplification. If you find high efficiency speakers you love, all the better, because your amp choices will be mostly unlimited.

The most important thing is to have fun! That's what this hobby is all about. Music is supposed to be fun.