Speaker Matching Question

[Chriswilford1]

I have a question regarding the VPI 299D Amp.

I am building a system for our corporate conference room and we picked up a VPI 299D amp. This all tube amp has 38w into 8ohms.

The speakers that have been made available to us through a contact are Revels. Either the Performa3 M206 or M106. Both of these speakers list a min wattage of 50W. The Sensitivities respectively are 88db & 87db.

The room is not that big, roughly 10’x14’ with a Louise ceiling. Do you think this will work or should we try to go another route with more sensitive speakers? We don’t need to rattle the walls, as this is in an office but I wouldn’t want the system to be anemic.

[Alrainbow]

Go get some iron pills lol. Just kidding. I would not know
but it is way below what they ask and low end and weight may suffer.

[MylesBAstor]

I think the Revels really need power. That said, you might be able to get away with it since you're at the office.?

[RogerD]

I'm a high power guy,but for your intended use,give it a try.

[Joe Pittman]

Very interesting. The VPI 299D integrated amp was a limited edition of only 100 units. I've never heard one but it is probably very good sounding. I would definitely try it on the Revel's to see how they sound in your small room. Could be great.

See the review http://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2...tube-amplifier

[1morerecord2clean]

I own Revel Studios for many years. Ran them on 100W pure class A solid state. Now running on 150w A/B which is better. Less than 100 is not a go from Audiophile standards and dedicated listening. Could be acceptable for casual listening depending on the space.

[Viva Hifi Scott]

I have been using a VPI 299D for over a year with a variety of speakers and have experienced no problems with any of them. Currently they're driving Fritz Carrera 7BE also rated at 87db with no problems. The VPI/Fritz combination is wonderful imho. The only caveat I would give is that I like to listen at the 70-90 db loudness range - no arena rock levels for me.

[Dr.Ears]

It should be fine.

[atmasphere]

This is a good example of understanding your preferences!

If you know you like tubes, select the tube amp first and then find speakers you like with the amp! Don't do it the other way around or you'll be flushing $$$$ down the loo.

If you fall in love with a certain speaker and it only works with amps that are not the kind you like then you are in trouble!

In this case, Revels are well-known for needing power. The amp only makes 38 watts at full power; this is a poor match. You want a speaker that is an easier load and also more efficient. I know you're probably not going to be playing it all that loud so its possible you won't be clipping the amp, but if you really want to hear the best of any amplifier (tube, solid state, class D) then the first rule of thumb is don't make the amp work hard. The reason for this is visible in the spec sheets of all amplifiers- they will make higher distortion the harder you make them work. So your target speaker in this case should be one with higher efficiency (92 db 1 watt 1 meter as a minimum) and at least 8 ohms (especially in the bass region). The reason is that output transformers work better when driving higher impedances; you can loose as much as an octave off the bottom end simply by going from the 8 ohm tap (properly loaded) to the 4 ohm tap (properly loaded).

Beware- a speaker that is 4 ohms and advertised as 92 db sensitivity has an actual efficiency of 89db. So if sensitivity is specified instead of efficiency, make sure that the speaker is 8 ohms. If its 4 ohms subtract 3 db.

Now if you like solid state then the Revels will be fine- and get yourself a 150w/channel amp so it won't have to work too hard!

[Dr.Ears]

I disagree because I believe speakers are the most important component in a system. I have found many amps capable of driving my speakers, which is why my system was built around my speakers.

[Hugh]

This is a good example of understanding your preferences!

If you know you like tubes, select the tube amp first and then find speakers you like with the amp! Don't do it the other way around or you'll be flushing $$$$ down the loo.

If you fall in love with a certain speaker and it only works with amps that are not the kind you like then you are in trouble!

In this case, Revels are well-known for needing power. The amp only makes 38 watts at full power; this is a poor match. You want a speaker that is an easier load and also more efficient. I know you're probably not going to be playing it all that loud so its possible you won't be clipping the amp, but if you really want to hear the best of any amplifier (tube, solid state, class D) then the first rule of thumb is don't make the amp work hard. The reason for this is visible in the spec sheets of all amplifiers- they will make higher distortion the harder you make them work. So your target speaker in this case should be one with higher efficiency (92 db 1 watt 1 meter as a minimum) and at least 8 ohms (especially in the bass region). The reason is that output transformers work better when driving higher impedances; you can loose as much as an octave off the bottom end simply by going from the 8 ohm tap (properly loaded) to the 4 ohm tap (properly loaded).

Beware- a speaker that is 4 ohms and advertised as 92 db sensitivity has an actual efficiency of 89db. So if sensitivity is specified instead of efficiency, make sure that the speaker is 8 ohms. If its 4 ohms subtract 3 db.

Now if you like solid state then the Revels will be fine- and get yourself a 150w/channel amp so it won't have to work too hard!

Agreed totally.

In this particular case, I'd go with at least 60W, conservatively speaking.

[Viva Hifi Scott]

Fritz speakers present an easy load for tube amps. 8 ohms nominal impedance, never dropping below 6 ohms. I don't know anything about the Revels.