[barkerpj]

I have a small office that I'm trying to get setup with a good two channel system. I will probably use a PC based system thru a Squeezebox 2 with an Ack Dac 2. I also currently have a B&K PT3 and an Eastern Minimax amp that I can use initially.

My room is 11x10 with 9 foot ceilings.

I'm looking for speakers that'll run off the 8w/channel of the Minimax.

I've seen great reviews of the Ref 3A Capo's and the Green Mountain Callisto's and wondered if there was anything else i should try to audition?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Lawler Bb]

I've got a pair of B&W CDM1SE for sale (look in the trading post) that should work well with your equipment.  You may be looking for a higher end set of speakers though, given your thoughts on the Ref 3As.

[Eric]

Check out the ACI sapphires. They are a great speaker an mike as a no risk return policy

[Audio-Enthusiast]

Your room is 990cuft.  For amplification of 8 wpc to work and assuming an average room, you need speakers with high sensitivity of at lease 93 db/m and higher (High-End Audio by: Robert Harley).  You noted that a computer will be used...  

Maybe look at what Klipsch speakers have to offer.  They are known to have high sensitivity...

Good Luck

[ton1313]

Check out the Druid speakers from Zu Cable. http://www.zucable.com/druid/index.html They are super sensitive and can be driven by your amp with ease. I had them for 3 years & enjoyed them very much. The only reason I got rid of them is that I upgraded to Zu's newer model, the Definition.

[Tbadder1]

I second the Zu Cable Druids. At 101db sensitive (I think) they love small tube amps.

[lcrim]

barkerpj:
You did not mention a price point for these speakers.  The Zu Druids list for $2800 last I checked.  
Louis Chochos' Omega line of speakers, there is a forum right here on this board, are offered at a much more attractive price point.  Bob Brines can be found by a Google search, he offers hi-eff at a reasonable price point as well.
If you can DIY, I agree w/ Mark, there are all sorts of reasonable costing alternatives.  Madisound has an easily constructed kit that also features Fostex hi-eff drivers.
Check out Pi speakers (Google that as well), very good rep, hi-eff speakers that are cost sensitive too.

[TIC]

barkerpj,

I own the Reference 3A MM DeCapo monitors and they are a very good speaker. I use them in a room a little larger than yours and they play plenty loud (for me) even with 3.5 watts/channel.

The DeCapos have excellent bass definition and good bass extension for a monitor. They also have very good mid-range and a non-fatiging high end. Other than the relatively high price of admission, I think they are a great speaker. I bought my pair used on AudiogoN and I've been enjoying them for more than 2 years. The two years prior to that I owned 5 or 6 different speakers. I'm now officially off of the speaker merry-go-round.

Enjoy,

TIC

[BeeBop]

barkerpj,

I own the Reference 3A MM DeCapo monitors and they are a very good speaker. I use them in a room a little larger than yours and they play plenty loud (for me) even with 3.5 watts/channel...

What amp and pre are you using to produce that 3.5 watts TIC? Just curious.

[nickspicks]

fluffing Von Schweikert again.
the VR1 is pretty dam'nd awesome.

fwiw, I can get them at 20% under retail.  close to a used cost.


But I'd also second the Green mountains (i also read some gushing reviews).

[TIC]

BeeBop,

I built a pair of BottleHead Paramour 2A3 tube monoblocks. They produce about 3.5 watts/channel.

I'm currently not using them in my system, but I did use them for a couple of years.

I also powered my DeCapos with a Moth Audio 45 based tube amplifier at 1.5 watts/channel. The DeCapos played plenty loud in my room using the Moth.

My current setup is a Quad 99 CDP CD player with variable analog volume control connected directly to a pair of Channel Islands VMB-1s. The CI amps are very good (IMHO) and made me happy with Solid State again. This make me feel much more comfortable with a toddler in the house!

Enjoy,

TIC