We all know how low-power SETs sound driving low-sensitively ported speakers. The Morons feel that it they have “enough volume” then their SET is good to go. Of course it is not the case and low-power SETs shell not driver dead speakers.

However, I thinking among those lines… I have the Sun Audio 6E5P-2A3 amp. After I found out if it is worth for me to use 2A3 instead of a single stage Milq I would have no use from this amp. So, I am wondering if it is possible optimize the low-power SET in order to drive MiniMe. Look, the MiniMe will be around 94db sensitive, the listening room is small and it will be relative near filed. However I will have a full control over what MiniMe will be (drivers, crossovers, ports etc…) and what the SET will be. So, is it possible to design a tandem of low-power SET and little ported fart machine that would deliver more or less OK result? It might not be a perfect result but the MiniMe-level result if you know what I mean…

In this thread I will explore this opportunity and who knows I might end up with more or less acceptable design decisions for low-power SET to driver dead speakers.

In my case, the Wright Sound WPA3.5s, with ~8 Watts on tap in A2, could not handle my 97 dB speakers; not because it was not loud enough, but because the distortion was too much of a factor too much of the time, and "bass" was bass-ically AWOL.  And you are essentially looking at 1/4 that efficiency/power (94 dB @ ~ 4 Watts)?  Wouldn't this pretty much guarantee the Dying Swan, at best?

Maybe if you will be wearing the M&Ms like headphones in a small room...

A popular alternative amongst the fringe-dwellers is PP DHT (like those by Alex, the Rusky designer at 3d-audio).  Then, there's parallel output...

Or, you might save time by bi-amping, or something akin to it involving split taps and bi-wiring?  At the least, the A2 option seems to make sense here.  Even though I do not believe it provides a "linear" doubling of acceptable output, still it imparts a better sense of dynamic ease over a more useable range, in terms of frequency range and SPLs.

While I don't have any strong urges at present to abandon the ML2s for flea power, I never did have problems with the un-stressed sound of the better flea amps I tried.  Stressed is another matter, however, and they are EASILY stressed, as you know.  Hell, my 97 dB "FR" speakers stress the ML2s!

I'll be perfectly happy (and happy for you) to be "wrong" (again...), but I'm guessing that if the M&Ms are otherwise "good enough", then you will clearly hear the stress as the little amps swoon while atempting FR @ 94 dB/W.

Best regards,
Paul S