Which speakers can the Crack drive?

[free]

The Blumenstein Orcas is $800 which is way too expensive for me but look very nice with the wooden case.
They use Fostex driver.
Any other wooden ~$100-$200 speaker(s)? A FE83En isn't that much expensive by itself ($40). Maybe there is a pre-build good looking wooden speaker for like 100$ (max. $200 per speaker)?

edit:
Oh and it's not 90dB/W, nor 97dB/W but only 88. Is this enough?

[travisty]

Is this (88dB) enough?

No. Not really. Though again it could depend on the impedance of the speakers, the amp, and the music you listen to (string quartet chamber music might be possible, rock with any kind of bass and the answer may be no.

Efficient speakers are not (in my opinion) 90dB or better but more like 96-97dB or better. And even then, the quality of the bass can suffer if you don't have enough power (or damping factor) as bass simply can suck the life out of an amp - really strong good bass requires significant control of a large moving object. At 88dB and the S.E.X., string quartets might be possible but most movie soundtracks would be impossible to do well.

More efficient speakers require larger size. Larger size requires, at its most base case, more material to cover the outside of a larger internal volume, and often more consideration for bracing due to the greater flexibility created by larger surfaces. At the most basic level, more material requires more money. It can also require more work/time to do well, but if you DIY, it is a matter of materials (and plans). If you really want to go down the inexpensive DIY route for efficient speakers and can get materials cheaply, you might try a Sachiko (search "Sachiko" in this forum) or google "Sachiko speaker". They are quite efficient, by all accounts sound nice, and if you can get the material cheaply, shouldn't be that difficult to make.

[free]

Sachiko is just the case with still ~90dB Fostex drivers? How can it make the driver more sensitive?

This is fun: for the Crack I needed high impedance speakers (600,1200ohm). So now for the S.E.X. I have problems finding sensitive speakers? S.E.X. product page doesn't list too many speakers. Can you post some full range >=95dB speaker which you recommend?

[saildoctor]

FWIW - I use the Orca speakers with 45 output tubes (~2 watts) and get plenty of volume in the smallish room that I listen in.  I would only be worried about getting enough volume if you were going to set up in a really large room.

The reality is that tube amplifiers meant to power loudspeakers require heavy iron components (power transformers, plate chokes, and output transformers.) The output transformers are necessary to mate the high output impedance of the tube with the low impedance of the loudspeaker.  The Crack OTL (output transformer-less) amp is only as cheap as it is because it can dispense with the plate chokes and output transformers. It is intended only to power high impedance, low powered headphones.

If you look at most websites with $100-$200 dollar speakers you will notice that they are build with cheesy drivers and make no mention of what they're made of (particle board or cheap who knows what).  That's just how it is at that price point- the people selling them are not going to make something better with their labor and materials and sell them at a loss.  In other words you get what you pay for - to a point at least.  Good sounding equipment requires good design, good components, and good execution of the construction.  The beauty of Bottlehead products is that they take care of the first two ingredients and leave the third to the purchaser.  I'll give a big thumbs up to the value of Fostex drivers- you could try building your own cabinets and probably come away with something decent.  The SEX amp is a great product that you should seriously consider if you are interested in getting a high quality soundsystem - if you do some reading around this forum and the web you will read many testimonials that it's worth every penny. 

[Paul Birkeland]

This is the T-amp. 

Clark demos the Orcas with the SEX amp all the time (As do we in the office).  With a reasonable listening space, this is a very nice combination.

There are some inexpensive tube/FET hybrids available online as well.  I generally don't think too highly of these - they tend to either run way too much voltage across the FET's or not nearly enough voltage across the tube. 

[free]

... I'll give a big thumbs up to the value of Fostex drivers- you could try building your own cabinets and probably come away with something decent.  The SEX amp is a great product that you should seriously consider if you are interested in getting a high quality soundsystem - if you do some reading around this forum and the web you will read many testimonials that it's worth every penny. 

Fostex, ok that's good, now are there any Fostex >=95dB/W sensitivity which would be suitable for the S.E.X.? I ask for better sensitivity just to make sure I get as much as possible from the S.E.X.
I have no doubt that the S.E.X. sounds very good (with good speakers).

If there are no pre-build S.E.X. suitable wooden case $200 per speaker, I'd have to build my own I guess. It would be nice if it would have the same wood as the S.E.X. Bottlehead don't sell S.E.X. wood, do they? 

[2wo]

... Bottlehead don't sell S.E.X. wood, do they? 

I heard there were some SEX tapes but that's strictly a rumor.

Might look at something like this...John

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/full-range-speaker-kits/fostex-bk-12m-folded-horn-kit-pair/ 

[free]

Hehe. Well, these speakers are way too big.

Alright the question of this topic has been answered: Crack is designed to power high impedance headphone speakers. If one want to try, one would have to try 600ohm or maybe better more like 1200ohm.