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Which would provide the more engaging listening experience in your view?

Which would provide the more engaging listening experience in your view?

  • EL34 based 12W amp into sensitive small stand mounts

    Votes: 16 61.5%

  • Rega or Naim integrated into Proac SM100s or similar

    Votes: 10 38.5%
  • Total voters
    26
halvis

halvis

pfm Member
Stop me from falling asleep or browsing PFM all of the time whilst listening. My HiFi is not keeping me engaged at all, so what to do...?

Which of these systems would be the best bet for keeping me focused on the music? I mainly listen to Jazz, Rock and a bit of dance.

Current system is big JBLs with big SS amp. Speakers need to go as they are too big and I think they are part of the problem.

I will be listening within 3 metres of the system so pretty near field.
 
12W is a bit light for a EL34 amp, most give 30-35 or so assuming push/pull (not sure you can use an EL34 any other way). Regardless ProAcs are very valve-friendly so I’d not rule out an EL34 amp with the SM100s. I can certainly vouch for a Prima Luna Prologue Two stuffed with EL34s working very nicely indeed into Tablette Ref 8 Sigs, in fact you can drive all but the most stupidly obnoxious loudspeakers perfectly well with a good EL34 amp.
 
'Sensitive' and 'small standmounts' aren't often synonymous with one another, and at a listening distance of 3 metres (which is more farfield than nearfield IMO) small speakers may not give you the engagement factor you are craving. If you were able to identify the characteristics of your current system that are disengaging you from listening then it would help us to advise changes that may bring improvements. E.g. is there a lack of image definition? A flat soundstage? Unconvincing timbre? Slowness? Or something else?
 
halvis said:
I mainly listen to Jazz, Rock and a bit of dance.
Click to expand...

Whatever makes you Rock.

Think of neighbours, how loud you like to listen, how loud you can listen. No point having a chest pounding bass if you are unable to hear it, in that case small stand mounts would be pleasant.

I guess folk will want more detail of your system, room and source.


Unable to vote as I have never heard the available choices.
 
Thanks. Slowness, pondering is the main issue I think. They are JBL 250ti in what is probably a too smaller room, they are a 4 way with a 14" woofer. Sometimes they do amaze me, quite often in their depth of bass, but not slam really. They can sound quick and energetic at times, but there is too much low end I think that over shadows everything else.
 
Fortunately, I can listen as loud as I like which is why I bought loud loud speakers, but the loudness is masking the music as well if that makes sense. I don't want to listen at concert levels most of the time, although it is fun sometimes. However, I want the system to be alive at lower volumes.
 
Aren't those dirt-cheap Rega Jura in the classifieds supposed to be very good at low volumes?
 
The EL34 would be most engaging for me (i have one!), but it depends who is listening, for the hardened measurebator who wants ice cold clarity so he can get out his microphone and wow at their REW interface like its pornography, then the latter would be preferred out of the two I would imagine.
 
ToTo Man said:
'Sensitive' and 'small standmounts' aren't often synonymous with one another, and at a listening distance of 3 metres (which is more farfield than nearfield IMO) small speakers may not give you the engagement factor you are craving.
Click to expand...

Agreed. There is very good reason that the vast majority of real mini-monitors used with small valve amps are LS3/5As or related as they are such an easy 15 Ohm load. I very much enjoy mine in the nearfield with 10 vintage Leak Watts driving them. Even so I’d want a bigger speaker at a 3 metre listening distance. I’d have certainly thought some of the ProAcs were contenders. Various Snell/Audio Note types would be an obvious choice too.
 
Can EL34's be substituted with KT88's? I believe they will give a bit more drive at the expense of midrange sweetness. Perhaps a reasonable trade in considering the OP's preferred genres and low wattage of the amp.
 
halvis said:
Stop me from falling asleep or browsing PFM all of the time whilst listening. My HiFi is not keeping me engaged at all, so what to do...?
Click to expand...
The engagement should come from music, not from your hifi. Try to find some engaging music. Failing that, do something else for a while.
 
Jazz, Rock and Dance are all full of dynamic swings, so you need an amp that laughs at huge peaks. Transformers the size of Big Ben and if it's to be valves (which I wouldn't for those musical tastes) then push pull must be the way to go.
3 meters is as much as many of us listen at I'd think. My big Tannoys are just 2.4meters from me. It's probably medium box territory for me, not small stand mounts, but Tannoys are going to be hard to ignore for what you listen to. Not old ones, but the new legacy series and one of the two 'smaller' models might do very well. They are easy to drive, love push pull valve amps (20 odd wpc will do you well) and look 'distinctive'. If you hate the looks then maybe Klipsch. Certainly full on involvement there!
 
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