Foreplay II, Dynaco 70 speaker recommendations

[choff]

I just moved my system into a larger room (16w x 19 x 9.5 height) in our house,which is really exciting. However, my nearly 20 year old Rega EL8 speakers are sounding both a little warn and much too small for my new space with the Foreplay II and Dynaco 70 that I am driving them on.  I am seriously considering the Klipsch Forte III's as an option for a new speaker set, despite having never heard a pair as there is no local dealers.  I would really appreciate more suggestions and feedback on best bets before I pull the trigger on such a big investment with new speakers. 

Thank you. Carl

[borism]

Hi Carl,

I have not heard the Klipsch Forte III myself. It seems like an exciting speaker. However, there is currently a long thread on the Audiocircle site under GR Research about exactly this speaker, including measurements and how to improve some shortcomings. You may want to take a look.

Other obvious DIY choices include the Jäger kit on this site and the DIY-Soundgroup offerings. I have not heard the Jäger myself but there is a lot of positive testimony here. I have built an efficient DIY-Soundgroup speaker from kit for my son and it has turned out great.

My speakers for the last 10 years are Audiokinesis and I have been very happy driving them with a Stereomour. Audiokinesis is a small manufacturer also represented on Audiocircle. They have won a Golden Ear award by Absolute Sound for their Swarm subwoofer system. It's worthwhile to look them up.

Good luck!

[Paul Birkeland]

How big was your old room? 

Rega speakers do seem to do well in reasonably small rooms, and I would suspect what you're running up against more than anything is just power handling of the speaker. 

If you did get some Fortes or Jagers, that would also open up some flexibility in amplifier choice down the road too.

-PB

[choff]

Thanks for both replies. My old room was 11 x 12.  They were perfect really in that space. I have to turn the Foreplay all the way to max volume to get them to fill the new space and then they are showing signs of distortion at that point. I'll have to add the Jagers into consideration and any others folks can suggest. Thanks again.

[choff]

I'll just add that I like just about all types of music but will likely rarely if ever play any classical on these speakers.  Rock, Reggae, Jazz and a lot of electronic based music. 

Also, really like the idea of a vintage box speaker like the Klipsch or perhaps the JBL L100?

[Drugolf]

If new is an option, you might want to consider Zu Audio options.

[borism]

The JBL Stage A170 small, floor standing speakers got a very nice review in Stereophile by Herb Reichert last year. They are also quite inexpensive. Similarly, the JBL Studio 590 have many positive comments online. The problem is that you won't know if you like them until you try them out in your system.

[adeep42]

Another vote for ZU. Find out when the next ordering period is for the Omen Dirty Weekends is taking place. New. $1000 bucks. Chose your finish. You can return them if you're not happy. You can upgrade. Very efficient. Will definitely boogie with 4 Watts. A no brainer.

[choff]

Thanks for the replies. I see the Dirty Weekend is listed at 12 ohms.  I have never heard of a speaker with anything other than 4 and 8 ohms.  How will this work with my Dynaco 70 which is wired for 8 ohms?

[Drugolf]

I use my St70 with the Zu's with no problem.  (I also use big solid state at other times.)  You can try both the 8 and 16 ohm taps to see what might work best for you.  No problem.