[bhobba]

Thanks for the info on the Salk speakers, I live in Windsor Ontario, so about an hour away from their shop. I might take a trip over there one day to have a listen to their speakers. Do you know if they have a showroom/demo room in Pontiac?

Sorry - no. I am out in Australia so have no idea of physically where it is or if they have a listening room. A friend here in Aus got two sub-woofers from them and had a very positive experience. The speakers I referenced only went down to 52 hz, but Salk has a version with a self powered sub-woofer:
http://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=Exotica 3

My dealer is on the Gold Coast in Australia and will be using different philosophies - for example he lines all his speakers inside with steel. Depending on how it works out he may build a speaker also with inbuilt servo sub-woofers . I will be using a Martin Logan servo sub-woofer for Home Theater but for normal listening 52 hz will be fine - I mostly listen to stuff like Dianna Krall and Peggy Lee - boring I know. But as I mention my dealer thinks he can get it lower than 52 hz to the low 40's somewhere. Trouble is being both a dealer and speaker maker is time consuming and he is not getting any younger nor is the business exactly raking it in - I don't think many Hi-Fi dealers are these days. The old age pension in Australia is more and he can get that at 67 -so he will not be around that long. Pity - his speakers are good.

Give Salk a ring I am sure they can help you.

Thanks
Bill

 

[N Quarter]

Sorry - no. I am out in Australia so have no idea of physically where it is or if they have a listening room. A friend here in Aus got two sub-woofers from them and had a very positive experience. The speakers I referenced only went down to 52 hz, but Salk has a version with a self powered sub-woofer:
http://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=Exotica 3

My dealer is on the Gold Coast in Australia and will be using different philosophies - for example he lines all his speakers inside with steel. Depending on how it works out he may build a speaker also with inbuilt servo sub-woofers . I will be using a Martin Logan servo sub-woofer for Home Theater but for normal listening 52 hz will be fine - I mostly listen to stuff like Dianna Krall and Peggy Lee - boring I know. But as I mention my dealer thinks he can get it lower than 52 hz to the low 40's somewhere. Trouble is being both a dealer and speaker maker is time consuming and he is not getting any younger nor is the business exactly raking it in - I don't think many Hi-Fi dealers are these days. The old age pension in Australia is more and he can get that at 67 -so he will not be around that long. Pity - his speakers are good.

Give Salk a ring I am sure they can help you.

Thanks
Bill

Wow, you are on the other side of the world, thanks for the info...I will give him a call at some point to find out if he has a demo room or something, I don’t really like buying anything blind.

 

[x RELIC x]

Ok, so I didn’t break out the voltmeter, but I think that’s best done with a test tone and everyone should get the same results at a given volume setting, so chalk not doing it up to laziness, and a bit of not wanting to stick a probe in the wrong place and cause damage!

But I did do several tests. I used Tears in Heaven from Eric Clapton MTV Unplugged, mostly the middle section, so anyone can replicate as that’s a pretty common track. The speakers are set up for near field listening and are about one meter away. I also have a sub fed by the TT2’s RCAs. I tried to get the headphone pad around the iPad mic and seal it as best I could, and used the Decibel X app for measurements. All settings are High Gain. Edit: also, x-PhD 0 and filter 1 on all outputs,

1. Omega SAM speakers from XLRs at -6 read 71-82dB.
2. Focal Elex at -22 from front HP out was 68-79dB.
3. HE-6 from XLR at -9 was 70-79dB.
4. HE-6 from font HP at -3 was 71-79 dB.

The levels were about the loudest I would normally listen, but usually it’s quieter overall. I tried to match the levels so each setup was roughly equivalent. One more note: I did again notice a preference for the fuller sounding, more engaging XLR presentation from the HE-6. In any config, TT2 rocks!

Hope that helps. YMMV.

Great data points and I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to do this. Thanks!

 

[Amberlamps]

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which efficient speakers for TT2 I should buy ?

I would like a pair of floor standing tower speakers if possible, but I'm open to other types.

Any idea's, and also, what makes an efficient speaker efficient ? what should I look for that would let me know that X speakers are efficient ?

Cheers

 

[x RELIC x]

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which efficient speakers for TT2 I should buy ?

I would like a pair of floor standing tower speakers if possible, but I'm open to other types.

Any idea's, and also, what makes an efficient speaker efficient ? what should I look for that would let me know that X speakers are efficient ?

Cheers

Efficient speakers can mean a couple of things.

First is the efficiency rating, just like with headphones, and since most speakers are 8 Ohm it’s usually only the sensitivity rating that varies. But unlike headphones speakers need to take in to account the space of the room they are trying to fill. So, a relatively efficient full range speaker for a desktop will be far different than a floor standing speaker for a medium sized room.

Second consideration is the range of frequency. A speaker may be very efficient, but still not capable of lower end frequencies due to the transducer and cabinet design so a powered sub woofer would be needed.

Not knowing your budget range I have heard amazing things about Super Alnico speakers, driven directly from the DAVE even, from those that have tested a lot of audio gear with Chord DACs.

Check out these 98dB floor standing single driver speakers, and more on their site... you’re welcome:

https://omegaloudspeakers.com/collections/tower-speakers/products/super-8xrs?variant=38555364748

Edit: Basically, in short, look for around 95dB efficiency/sensitivity or more for efficient speakers and note the claimed frequency reproduction range.

 

[Qute Beats]

I'm sitting here totally enjoying Yo Yo Ma play some Brazilian fusion stuff through my pm1 with mscaled H2 and i'm asking myself from an ethical perspective why do i even need it to sound leagues better when it's so damn good now? This is another quandary that must have affected folk here at times? Seriously i think this is half the problem for me. And it happened for me going from mojo to h2 to mscaled h2 and on each new acquisition with chord it took about half an hour for this concern to be extinguished on hearing the new chord upgrade with my pm1's. Maybe this is more an inner outer struggle for me than it really is about the gear. The fact that i only get to splurge once a year makes it even trickier.

I was in similar boat, loved Qutest and thought does it need to be any better, but kept thinking of the TT2. Eventually bought TT2 and no regrets, everything I loved about Qutest but multiplied. Qutest will now be put up for sale.

 

[Amberlamps]

Efficient speakers can mean a couple of things.

First is the efficiency rating, just like with headphones, and since most speakers are 8 Ohm it’s usually only the sensitivity rating that varies. But unlike headphones speakers need to take in to account the space of the room they are trying to fill. So, a relatively efficient full range speaker for a desktop will be far different than a floor standing speaker for a medium sized room.

Second consideration is the range of frequency. A speaker may be very efficient, but still not capable of lower end frequencies due to the transducer and cabinet design so a powered sub woofer would be needed.

Not knowing your budget range I have heard amazing things about Super Alnico speakers, driven directly from the DAVE even, from those that have tested a lot of audio gear with Chord DACs.

Check out these 98dB floor standing single driver speakers, and more on their site... you’re welcome:

https://omegaloudspeakers.com/collections/tower-speakers/products/super-8xrs?variant=38555364748

Edit: Basically, in short, look for around 95dB efficiency/sensitivity or more for efficient speakers and note the claimed frequency reproduction range.

So I need to look for ones in the mid to high 90s db wise, cool.

My cave is a small room, 15 feet length by 10 feet wide. I do have the option of using a bigger room, but to get my schit into the bigger spare bedroom, it would be a logistical nightmare.

It doesn't have to be tower speakers, for the size of the room, tower speakers are probably overkill ? I just thought they would look cool at either side of my TV, but if smaller speakers will be better, I'm open to that idea. I just want something that will be a good pairing with TT2.

My budget would be roughly £1300, aka my Hugo 2 money.

I've also heard good things regarding super alnico speakers, but I didn't really pay much attention to it, as I was solely a headphone user. The times they are a changin.

Cheers for the advice Relic, it's much appreciated!

 

[JTbbb]

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which efficient speakers for TT2 I should buy ?

I would like a pair of floor standing tower speakers if possible, but I'm open to other types.

Any idea's, and also, what makes an efficient speaker efficient ? what should I look for that would let me know that X speakers are efficient ?

Cheers

Amberlamps, I may have this wrong but I thought I saw something mentioned about a pair of PMC floor standers being used when Rob Watts did a presentation at that hifi emporium down Bedford way. It may be worth an investigation?

 

[betula]

I was in similar boat, loved Qutest and thought does it need to be any better, but kept thinking of the TT2. Eventually bought TT2 and no regrets, everything I loved about Qutest but multiplied. Qutest will now be put up for sale.

Same here. Loved my Qutest but since I auditioned the TT2 the thought of upgrading didn't leave me.
Qutest was traded in eventually.

 

[Amberlamps]

Amberlamps, I may have this wrong but I thought I saw something mentioned about a pair of PMC floor standers being used when Rob Watts did a presentation at that hifi emporium down Bedford way. It may be worth an investigation?

Possibly, I did message Rob and he said he has his TT2 driving some super expensive B and W 803 tower speakers, but £12'500, is ever so slightly outside of my budget by about £12'000 :|

I don't think my budget would even get me a pair of decent speakers, let alone some bad boy towers ? I see towers on ebay, but I don't have any info regarding sensitivity etc.

Cheers

Is it just me or has the font changed, or has somebody been touching the antialiasing settings, as suddenly the text for the forums looks very sharp and clear on my ipad, and I like it.

 

[AndrewH13]

I need some advice:

i currently use my PM1 with an mscaled hugo 2 with great results. The PM1 has brought me endless musical enjoyment here. I have 2 choices next: either add a TT2 to use with my mscaler and PM1 (here i get improvements across the board with my PM1 in comparison to the hugo 2 mscaled as experienced recently at nintronics). Here i get the same sound signature but greatly improved. Or add a Sony MDR Z1R headphnone to use with my PM1 and mscaled hugo2. Here i get a new headphone and sound signature to compliment my PM1. I also tell myself here that the hugo 2 can easily handle these headphones as they are not difficult to drive but of course i don't get that TT2 magic.

The reason this is a dilemma is because having already spent more than 6.5K on audio gear and with new priorities coming up in the future either decision needs to be end game. The argument of adding the sony headphone later to the TT2 setup alongside my PM1 or adding a TT2 later to my mscaler in place of hugo 2 does not apply therefore.

Can members let me know what they would do? I keep fluctuating between the two options as i'm not willing to give up the Sony Z1R or the TT2 but i know i will have to choose between them. Many thanks to all MK. I'm hoping a second opinion will help me here.

Personally, I would add a third option having heard them at Canjam London all demoed through Hugo 2s. A new technology (for Headphones), the Heddphone. About £1700, released in a few months time in Germany. They will make about 50 a month so may be in short supply

 

[N Quarter]

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which efficient speakers for TT2 I should buy ?

I would like a pair of floor standing tower speakers if possible, but I'm open to other types.

Any idea's, and also, what makes an efficient speaker efficient ? what should I look for that would let me know that X speakers are efficient ?

Cheers

I thought I would need to buy very efficient speakers too, but for the hell of it, I tried my Dynaudio excite 12’s driven directly off the TT2 when I first got it. To my surprise they work great, and they are a relatively inefficient 86 DB’s and 4 Ohm rated. I would say that most speakers out there can be driven directly off the TT2, as long as you don’t want concert levels of volume. It appears that the majority of the posters here are using headphones only, but I much prefer using speakers myself, there is much more freedom to move around, and after a while headphones start to make me sweat, and irritate me. I made my own speaker wires, but will be pursuing better options eventually. The Mscaler will be my next purchase, and then I will search for new speakers and headphones.

 

[blueninjasix]

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which efficient speakers for TT2 I should buy ?

I would like a pair of floor standing tower speakers if possible, but I'm open to other types.

Any idea's, and also, what makes an efficient speaker efficient ? what should I look for that would let me know that X speakers are efficient ?

Cheers

Audionote AZ-TWO are 93db Floorstanders £1,050 I use them with 8 watt valve monoblocs so TT2 will have no problem.

 

[jarnopp]

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding which efficient speakers for TT2 I should buy ?

I would like a pair of floor standing tower speakers if possible, but I'm open to other types.

Any idea's, and also, what makes an efficient speaker efficient ? what should I look for that would let me know that X speakers are efficient ?

Cheers

A few mor considerations: most importantly, what are you looking for or trying to achieve? When people start d talking about efficient speakers with Mojo, Hugo2, Dave and now TT2, they were trying to achieve better transparency by being able to remove a separate amplifier from the chain. This led to single driver speakers as a natural choice, because they tend to be efficient and are also inherently more transparent, with no crossovers. But the trade-off is in extension at the extremes, mostly an issue with bass. @ray-dude has some extensive posts on his journey and choices.

I think you could look at Omega, Voxativ and others, but it depends on your budget. More transparency AND full spectrum is going to hurt. I found that I did need a sub with the Omegas because that’s my preference for listening to the type of music I like how I like it, while @bhobba indicated he was fine going down to the low 50s or 40s.

The alternative, if you value full range and concert level volumes a bit more over transparency would be get the best speakers you can afford and find a transparent amp, or wait for Rob’s digital amps. Good luck!

 

[x RELIC x]

A few mor considerations: most importantly, what are you looking for or trying to achieve? When people start d talking about efficient speakers with Mojo, Hugo2, Dave and now TT2, they were trying to achieve better transparency by being able to remove a separate amplifier from the chain. This led to single driver speakers as a natural choice, because they tend to be efficient and are also inherently more transparent, with no crossovers. But the trade-off is in extension at the extremes, mostly an issue with bass. @ray-dude has some extensive posts on his journey and choices.

I think you could look at Omega, Voxativ and others, but it depends on your budget. More transparency AND full spectrum is going to hurt. I found that I did need a sub with the Omegas because that’s my preference for listening to the type of music I like how I like it, while @bhobba indicated he was fine going down to the low 50s or 40s.

The alternative, if you value full range and concert level volumes a bit more over transparency would be get the best speakers you can afford and find a transparent amp, or wait for Rob’s digital amps. Good luck!

This! Well said.