I've been pretty happy with the Alpair 10p in a MarKen 10pT for 5 years now, using them nearfield on my desktop. I've driven them with a 5W/ch el34 SET, a 45W McIntosh MA5100, and now the Schiit Ragnarok 2 at around 75W, each amp has had it's strengths and weaknesses, but all have been enjoyable in what they did right. I do miss the low bass sometimes and have been toying with a FAST design using other drivers, but will definitely be keeping the 10pT's for another system.
I assume you are in the States? Why settle for one round hole, when MORE IS BETTER? Prejudice against slot-loaded cabs, too. Madisound shows (quick count) five speaker KITS with slots (Seas, Fostex) but none "American".
In China there are dozens of brands making/selling fullrange or co-axial drivers and speakers (usually slot-loaded or "labyrinth"), at all price-points. I'm listening to 8" drum-paper fullrange in 14L "aperiodic" (leaky, resonance-free) cabs facing upward on a desk. Most detailed and articulate renditions I've ever heard. Driver is labelled "isred" but brand will be renamed MKHIFI (I was told). Search engine finds a different cone-material 4" ISRED (ali-express), that used to sell on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Passive-Speaker-Sensitivity-Loudspeaker-Amplifier/dp/B09WQCVHGW Don't know why the drum-paper drivers (4/5/6/8") aren't exported.
Although my preferred micro-amp is a 3W SE EL84 with one (splurge) Mazda 12AX7, for diy testing I use two pairs of "18W" TA2024, produced by the same engineer ten years apart; they actually sound quite different. The new ones require a couple hours warm-up just like "audiophile amps".
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A full range driver assisted by a larger woofer in the same box, no xover on the fullrange, low pass on the woofer, also called a WAW.
This thread has a popular and well regarded project using that idea:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/10f-8424-rs225-8-fast-waw-ref-monitor.273524
The general trend has been significant improvement in Class D, with some performing very well now. But there are also still many cheap, questionable ones out there. Reading a lot of reviews of real-world users of the exact thing you're interested in from the exact supplier is usually a good idea.
Last time I looked, Hypex and ICEpower were still at the top with regards to quality in the more accessible segment of the market, but that was a couple years ago, so I'm not sure if there are any others that are consistently good now. Purifi is also getting good press, but I don't think they have any lower power/lower priced options.
Kinda big for the desktop!
Thanx for the quick review,
If you want we could probably work up a woofT that would fill needs as a stand and as bass support.
dave
The little chips today are decidedly better than the first Infinity Class D i heard in the late ‘70s (VERY flawed).
dave
This implies you consider 10 W max class A as way too much power for this app even with a typically abysmally inefficient separate sub.
Not really, just used gnat's post to remind/educate folks what we learned back in the switch from tubes to SS.
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Didn't Nudell use those amps for the woofer towers of the IRS?
I figure a big ARC on the midrange/tweeter columns and the Class D amp on the woofers would be pretty good even today.
Heck, nothing has bettered these amps:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/hill-plasmatronics-type-1-loudspeaker