Looking for some advice on speakers for these amps

[tinpan]

So it seems I have been transitioning mostly to Altec speakers and wanted to get some advice for speakers for a bigger amp I have.

So far I have completed a pair of A4's that currently run on a Carver 20wpc EL 84 tube amp

A pair of EV Sentry IV bass bins with Azura horns and Lowther PM4a drivers. These run on an AN 300b tube amp 8 wpc

A pair of Altec A7/A5 that run on a pair of AN 300PSE Mono Block 20 WPC...yep tubes again.

In the olden days I would have been content with Phase Linear or Carver SS amps driving an assortment of Klipsch speakers. Lately I have been consumed with high efficiency speakers running on low power tube amps.

So I have one pair of Carver Cherry 260 tube amps I need speakers for. They use KT120 tubes and deliver 260 wpc. Currently I have a pair of Klipsch CF3 ver 1 speakers on them but, while loud, they just don't have the mid range. So I'm thinking of finding an Altec config for these. One of the things that seems to run counter to using these amps is the high efficiency of the Altecs. Plus it is pointless to put a pair of 288's that are rated at 30WPC on amps like this. How on god's green earth could you run 100db rated speakers more than 1 or 2 watts.

I have been looking at A6 combinations with I think it was 299 horns drivers that are rated at 75 or 100wpc and bass drivers at 150 or 300wpc. They still have ridiculously high eff ratings but I wouldn't risk blowing them at least on these set ups. At my current age I don't need to peel the paint off the walls any more, opting more for the live music dinner club listening levels.

So what do you guys think? A6's or these look interesting as well:

2 Altec Lansing 515 8g Loud Speakers and 299 8A Highfrequency Drivers 1 Pair | eBay

Although I don't see an lpad on there for dialing the horns in. For that matter, it seems all of my cross overs that I like have lpads.

So, what do you guys think? It would be nice to find some speakers for these amps

[bowtie427ss]

How on god's green earth could you run 100db rated speakers more than 1 or 2 watts.

Reproducing the scale and dynamics of a live performance, or even a good studio production on the most sensitive speakers can still reach deep into a large amplifier's reserve. If your source and front end components observe wide enough dynamic range, there's really no such thing as "too much" power.

[alancohen]

tinpan: I don't recall seeing you over on the OT: You know you have too much audio equipment when... thread. Maybe it's because you just don't have an answer

Just teasing. I have a pair of A6s with 8256 bins and 288-8L drivers. I'm currently running a 15W OTL tube amp : Son of Beast OTL Tube Amp and find the power quite acceptable. When I'm seated in "the chair" the horns can literally blast me through the wall, but I'm only sitting 9' away.

It's hard for me to judge power/SPLs these days. The amps I'm using now are so clean that loud today does not sound like what loud sounded like when I used to peel paint off the walls. I don't realize how loud it really is until I turn it off.

That said, I still subscribe to the notion that there is no such thing as too much power...as long as it's clean.

[RonSSS]

I agree with 427ss. Hook up your fav Altecs and listen.
You don't have to turn the volume way up.

I find as I've gotten older, I need more power, to overcome the hearing loss associated with use and abuse over the years.

Ron

[Alien_Shore]

How much amp you need is also governed by the XO. If you're using passive XOs, and not bi-amping, then you can absolutely benefit from a big amp with plenty of reserves to adequately drive the low end, and the resistance of attenuation for SPL-balanced compression drivers. Personally, I've recently tried bi-amping my 816 bass horns and small-format compression drivers, all Altec high-sensitivity drivers, using an active XO, Onkyo 75wpc SS amp for the LF and 17wpc tube amp for the HF. Surprisingly, combining everything onto a passive XO and driving the whole thing with the Onkyo resulted in a better overall sound. I don't have to turn the amp up hardly at all (with 7:00 is min, 5:00 is max, I rarely need more than 8:00)...

[tinpan]

tinpan: I don't recall seeing you over on the OT: You know you have too much audio equipment when... thread. Maybe it's because you just don't have an answer

I didn't answer that thread cuz my brain went into overload.lol. I also have another pair of Lowthers in Oris horns I need bass bins for plus a now glut of 511b horns and driver, a spare 1003 driver and 299 drivers seem to be showing up like tribbles . But, I do not have too much audio equipment.

I am really kicking myself for not going after those 4 A6's in Ohio. I thought to myself, be good don't add to the pile.

I think I'll hold off on the 515-6G setup listed above. Not sure how low the bass will go. Although, that price plus shipping certainly is attractive.

Think I'll hold out for some A6's.

My concern with too much power was based on blowing the phrams in my 806's in my 511b horns. After doing some reading I don't think the 288s are as sensitive.