Help Me Choose Best Speakers For A Fatman iTube Carbon 2

[ian_beu]

Hi All,

This is my first post so be gentle... I have just bought a Fatman iTube Carbon 2 as I want to try out valve amplification on a budget before potentially splashing out on something a little more serious. I have an old set of B&W 603 S1 speakers which I will use for now whilst I decide on what to replace them with but the choice is bewildering and so I would greatly appreciate any advice. I guess that being relatively low power the Fatman would best suit speakers with a sensitivity over 90dB. I would prefer floorstanders but could also go standmount for the right speakers. My budget is around £300 but I always go over and I would consider new or used.

So far I have been looking at:

Castle Knight 2

Tannoy Mercury V4

Q Acoustics 2050i

Castle Stirling 3

Any thought or suggestions please?

 

[BigH]

I would look at speakers that are sensitive ie with a rating of 88dbs +, as amp is only 25W, maybe ones that are a bit bigger as bass can be light on vavle amps, try the Epos Epic 2s, they are 90dbs and about £400, Im not a fan of cheap floorstanders although if you have the space maybe, there are some at 1/2 price at the moment like Focal, Mission so about £350.

 

[ian_beu]

I would look at speakers that are sensitive ie with a rating of 88dbs +, as amp is only 25W, maybe ones that are a bit bigger as bass can be light on vavle amps, try the Epos Epic 2s, they are 90dbs and about £400, Im not a fan of cheap floorstanders although if you have the space maybe, there are some at 1/2 price at the moment like Focal, Mission so about £350.

Thanks for the reply. Richer Sounds are doing the Mission MX3's at £270 and they get great reviews....

 

[BigH]

I would look at speakers that are sensitive ie with a rating of 88dbs +, as amp is only 25W, maybe ones that are a bit bigger as bass can be light on vavle amps, try the Epos Epic 2s, they are 90dbs and about £400, Im not a fan of cheap floorstanders although if you have the space maybe, there are some at 1/2 price at the moment like Focal, Mission so about £350.

Thanks for the reply. Richer Sounds are doing the Mission MX3's at £270 and they get great reviews....

Worth giving them ago, can you get home demo? Always hear before buying, don't rely on reviews, your room will be different.

 

[ian_beu]

How about a second hand set of B&W CDM 7NT floorstanders? I know someone with a 10 year old set in good condition who may part with them for the right price. IIRC they were over £1K new and feature the Nautilus external tweater, Sensitivity is 90dB.

Has anyone tries them with low wattage tubes?

Thanks

 

[ian_beu]

How about a second hand set of B&W CDM 7NT floorstanders? I know someone with a 10 year old set in good condition who may part with them for the right price. IIRC they were over £1K new and feature the Nautilus external tweater, Sensitivity is 90dB.

Has anyone tries them with low wattage tubes?

Thanks

 

[hoopsontoast]

Remember that that Fatman is a hybrid amp (tube input and Solid State output) so it is probably a bit more tolerant of speakers than you might think.