Speakers suggestions for F5's

[pcb121055]

Hi guys.
This thread might get booted to one of the speaker areas and that's ok but... it's here in the Pass Labs area because I have been following several threads associated with the F5 and F5T amplifiers and thought it related.
Within these threads, there have been many comments made about the difference in character/sound between types of amps, transistors, etc. I am on board with these differences being legitimate but what speakers do you use that allow this kind of scrutiny? I look to build up the F5T V3, but the DIY bug also has me planning speakers (currently hybrid ESLs) and I am wondering what works best with these amps.
Thanks for any input

 

[AndrewT]

Don't go to too low sensitivity.
I suggest you aim for 90dB/W or above.

Note that 90dB/2.83V into a 4ohm speaker is really 87dB/W

 

[pcb121055]

Thanks for the response AndrewT. I am not a loud listener but will keep efficiency in mind. Thanks. Wouldn't resolution be a concern? Wouldn't a certain level of detail be necessary in a loudspeaker to judge amplification/component differences?

 

[d to the g]

The funny thing with most low sensitivity speakers is that they won't play loud without all sorts of distortion anyhow. The F5 plays great with proac 2.5 clones, and will play them loud enough that it strains the speaker. It obviously plays way louder on a higher efficiency gear. What your requirements are depends on your room your music and preferred volume.

 

[pcb121055]

Thanks for the tip on the proac 2.5s, d to the g. Just read stereophile's review. If the clone is well done one, they probably sound good. I have been playing with the room. It is 14 x 16... not big. but reasonably controlled with a slight dip in lower midrange from the right speaker perspective compared to the left. I have computed the rt60 times and they are reasonable, at least as far as the spreadsheet I was using could tell me. I do not require high playback levels. I am more engaged by the stereo image and general detailing. What i really want is to build something sufficiently revealing that I appreciate these other DIY amplifier, preamp, xover projects I plan to build.

 

[Juuso]

Been looking for the DIY speaker options for F5 as well. There's plenty of 4ohm treats available with 85-87dB sensitivity and nice bass extension, but in 8ohm 90dB neighbourhood it's clearly less populated with options if one would wish to have decent bass and not go to overly huge physical size.

I guess you've seen:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pass-labs/192633-best-speakers-f5.html

 

[AndrewT]

Juuso,
how are the 8ohm and 4ohm speakers specified for senstivity.

Many 4ohm speaker manufacturers cheat to confuse beginners who don't know how to read a specification.

Often 4ohm speakers are specified as yydB/2.83V @ 1m.

This if written fairly to avoid that deliberate confusion would read yydB/2W @ 1m in half space.

 

[dantwomey]

I think (I'm biased because I have a pair) any of Selah Audio's line arrays would be ideal.

Line Arrays

Regards,
Dan

 

[pcb121055]

Thanks for the link, Juuso. Don’t know how I missed that one in my search. Lots of speakers mentioned. Good references. Dantwomey… let me guess. You bought the Symmetricas? The one thing about coming back to this hobby after 20 years is the price shock. Wow! But they look like they could sound great. Noticed mostly dynamic loudspeakers so far, not many ESL mentions. Are they a poor match? Seems like the F5 and F5T would handle a low load impedance.

 

[tinitus]

I think (I'm biased because I have a pair) any of Selah Audio's line arrays would be ideal.

are they not relatively tough to drive properly, with that many drivers ?

 

[dantwomey]

are they not relatively tough to drive properly, with that many drivers ?

They are very easy to drive. I'm sure Rick would be happy to answer any questions.

Regards,
Dan

 

[DaveM]

All those drivers make for very high efficiency. I had a pair of line arrays that ran at 96 db @1 watt. Silly. They make it so that 5 -10 watts is all you need. 30 watts becomes a recipe for retched excess. I drove them with a 100 wpc NAD S300 integrated that never saw north of 9:00 on the volume.