Efficient little speakers for cheap?

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Ages ago I mentioned that my neighbour was into building valve amps ... A fact I managed to get out of him within a few minutes of our first meeting ... I joke at the time with him that I'd like him to build me an amp, well as time as gone on he has agreed and is sourcing parts... I have no idea how it's going to sound or what it is but he has said it'll only be a couple of watts so I should find my self some sensitive speakers...

I was thinking somthing vintage or at least slightly older speaker ... Well it certainly won't be some ditton 66's since Marcos so effectively increased their second hand value (I wonder if it's getting old)
But there must be somthing oldish that I could get for less than £100 would be smallish and sensitive enough??

I loved the snells I borrowed the one time but they are a lot too dear and to big ...

Other than that I thought about diy .. But could I do much with £100?

If I can do this cheap enough it might be my Cheap as chips entry too :)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Dave's Wharfedale E70's would be just the job, but £100 is a bit light - 94dB's though!

[goraman]

There not old but the Klipsch RB series is inexpencive and very sensitive.

[SPS]

when I first got into valves i much prefered to use a 4 watt single ended el84 amp than a 60wpc solid state amp (audio analoge pre/power) through my 91ish db ns1000's.. so much nicer and it nearly went loud enough...

a single ended pentode el34 amp would do fine through most speakers
and makes a very nice sound if well made..

the likes of the old pye mozart sounds very well once the pre has been sorted..

[shane]

If you're up for a bit of DIY, you could try following Toppsy's example on Audio-Talk and putting together a pair of these, although you might have a job keeping rigidly to the £100 budget:


http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/images/colin/P2010255.JPG

The drivers are Mark Audio CHP70s, available on Ebay for £84 per pair all-in:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mark-Audio-CHP70-Wide-Range-Drivers-Pair-Point-source-/140493257851?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item20b60cfc7b&afsrc=1

and the cabs are Scotmoose's Frugelhorn 3s, can be built from a single 8X4 sheet of birch ply.

The relevant threads are here: (a bit of rambling in places but worth the effort!)

http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3061&start=60&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=chp70

and here:

http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2984&highlight=chp70

Can't guarantee that yours will be as gorgeous as Toppsy's though!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

ive spoken to him before ... hes called colin right?
nice chap ... i wanted to get him to build me some spekers ... i just could convince the misses on floor standers... a shame ... i have the adams now ... so im happy, but i was well up for having some speakers built at one point ... especially as he was so helpful... in fact that helpful i felt bad about having to eventually say i couldnt get it past the missis...
id like to get him to build something for me, but i am keen on keeping the investment down to start with as the valve amp off the neighbour is an unknown quantity ....
also ... we are back to the issue of floor standers again ... and if i couldnt get them in the living room, i wont get them in the bedroom!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Dave's Wharfedale E70's would be just the job, but £100 is a bit light - 94dB's though!

when i say stand mount ... i really mean book shelf :)
nice idea though

[shane]

Yes, Colin's the man.

Difficult to fit into a bedroom, I guess, but worth showing to the other half. You don't often see floorsatnders that pretty, and they're quite small. If I was going to dip my toe into the murky pond of full range high efficiency drivers I'd have a go myself, but my woodwork's awful!

[Reid Malenfant]

Hamish, why don't you source yourself some Eminence 6" or 8" bass/mids & a couple of tweeters & knock a couple of boxes together & live with them just going down to say 100Hz via the valve amps? They are pretty efficient at nigh on 100Db/W :) They'd be small obviously...

If you want deep bass add a small sub & stick it out of the way somewhere ;)

[The Vinyl Adventure]

You fancy giving me a few appropriate links to the bits I'd need so i can investigate Mark
I'm not fussed about a lot of bass in a bed room
What about boxes ... This sounds simple, but I'm a bit cack handed! ...

[Reid Malenfant]

I'll see what i can find Hamish, give me a bit of time ;) I'm sure that you should be able to get any wood cut accurately for you at any decent timber merchants. You aren't looking at a lot of wood either so it'll be cheap...

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Good man, cheer for the effort matey!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I like the look of these leather coated beauties ...
Local to me ...
What sort of sensitivity are they? Suitable for a piddly power valve amp?
I assume they are betas?

[Alex_UK]

I like the look of these leather coated beauties ...
Local to me ...
What sort of sensitivity are they? Suitable for a piddly power valve amp?
I assume they are betas?

What leather coated beauties? The smut filter must have blocked your link! :lol:

[The Vinyl Adventure]

... Hmm I swear thats happened twice today to me .... I think I'm bing a plonker

Here we go

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Goodmans-Achromat-Bookshelf-Speakers_W0QQitemZ300530236355QQcategoryZ14991QQva rZQQcmdZViewItem

[Reid Malenfant]

I seriously doubt they'll be even 90Db/W efficient at that size Hamish :( Probably not the best choice in all honesty..

However if you & the missus are into leather... :eyebrows:

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Is it not possible to get efficient and small?

[spendorman]

Is it not possible to get efficient and small?


I was thinking something like this, but decided that it is possible, but at the expense off bass.

[Reid Malenfant]

I was thinking something like this, but decided that it is possible, but at the expense off bass.
Bang on...

[spendorman]

Bang on...

Witness, B&W DM1's, quite small, efficient, very good mid and treble and upper bass, but don't go that low.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I'm not worried about bass especially ...
Just want something nice sounding ... This is not for critical listening really just relaxing choonidge