Blumenstein Orcas

Complete product or DIY?

 

The Decware Zen is the obvious choice for that price range: http://www.decware.com/newsite/SE84CKC.html

Also if you're willing to right up to $1,200, I'm considering the Wolf Ear Kitoki: https://www.wolfearaudio.ca/products/kitoki?variant=24058632641

 

Probably complete. Im aware the BH Stereomour 2A3 is probably the best option but id have to learn how to solder and buy all the things.

 

What other options are you looking at @Merrick ? I feel a Dennis Had Fire Bottle KT88 would be a good match.

 

My budget is higher than yours, but right now my main targets are the Decware, the Kitoki, and a Line Magnetic amp. The Dennis Had stuff is all through used channels, right?

Also as I posted above I have a Fleawatt amp that I'm using to tide me over while I try various tube amps.

 

Dennis Had is retired but makes SET amps in his spare time as a hobby and sells them new on eBay. They sell pretty much instantly. Heres one that came up today http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/152270484295?rmvSB=true

 

Good to know! I'll have to keep an eye on his seller account once I'm ready to buy.

 

I can vouch for decware, their mystery amp is divine. And that warranty!! Just the best deal possible, especially if you're an american.

If you're willing to swing for something "better", try the japanese stuff, airtight is pretty damn decent.

 

Thanks! I'll give Airtight a look. I've been hearing the Kitoki is very competitive with the Decware in terms of sound quality, and because they're in Canada the exchange rate works in my favor.

 

2W for 89dB? You'll run into headroom issues pretty fast. With that kind of power you might get away with 105dB efficient speakers.

 

Everything I've read has said that 2 watt SET is enough to drive efficient full range drivers comfortably. I emailed Clark at Blumenstein and he said a 2-watt SET amp would make the Orcas sing.

Stuff like this is why I need to audition. Maybe 2 watts isn't enough, but maybe it is.

 

Depends on the material and listening habits. For 89dB I'd say that 50-100W should be plenty. I was able to easily clip a 50W amp on 85dB bookshelves.

Here you can try to calculate the power needed for your listening preferences - http://www.crownaudio.com/en/tools/calculators

 

I tried the Orcas I have with the BH SEX amp which is a 2W SET, and didn't enjoy it much. Now I run them from this:
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/300b-6sn7-amplifier-recap.2140/#post-54035

 

From what I understand, full range drivers are easier to drive on less watts, but again this is why I will audition.

 

These use the FE83En driver, don't they? Sounds like it's worth giving that a shot.

 

I built these small speakers with the fe103En (this is the fostex 4" driver):
http://www.fostex.jp/products/p1000-e/
Here they are at Madisound: https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...0e-diy-kanspea-4-full-range-speaker-kit-pair/
If I didn't own the fe103 already, I would have bought them with the FF105WK drivers.

You can also opt for the back-loaded horn version:
http://www.fostex.jp/products/p1000-bh/
Madisound also has the full kit including the drivers. You can also buy the enclosures alone if you wish to use other compatible drivers:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...00-bh-4-full-range-back-loaded-horn-kit-pair/
The specs mention other compatible drivers

 

I would have definitely gone for the back-loaded horn enclosure except that I wanted something small for my son's room. See pic
I also have the Sigma 4" driver doing nothing. @Marvey do you think it would go well in that p1000bh horn enclosure?

 

Which reminds me, my friend was able to get me this fabulous speaker building book by Nagaoka. His Fostex builds are legendary. As soon as I get access to table saw I am going to experiment. What I really want to build when I find the plans are his flamingos.



Btw, the book has a bunch of small cabinet plans.