I second the Fortes. Actually either the I or the II, since I have owned both. The stock versions need some love, though. My current pair have upgraded ti midranges and tweeters with kit built ALK Engineering Forte II crossovers. Very nice.
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34 posters
What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
polarflux- Posts : 49
Join date : 2010-02-12
Location : Alaska
- Post n°26
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by polarflux Wed Mar 26, 2014 2:54 am
mazeeff- Posts : 155
Join date : 2014-01-06
Age : 69
Location : Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
- Post n°27
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by mazeeff Wed Mar 26, 2014 5:42 am
I'm going to second sKiZo's comment on efficiency (sensitivity). The Kilpsch Forte's are rated at 98dB @ 1w/1meter. These are very good numbers. I am looking at a set of these locally, and they sound fantastic on the ST-70. I was also able to drive them with a small 1962 RCA 8W amp.
Mike
Mike
audiobill- Posts : 425
Join date : 2014-03-13
Location : Albany, NY
- Post n°28
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by audiobill Wed Mar 26, 2014 6:47 am
Lots of high quality, nice kits at Madisound......
Brap- Posts : 234
Join date : 2013-11-28
Age : 69
Location : Plainfield, illinois
- Post n°29
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Brap Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:52 am
Thanks for all your comments. Finishing up the Madisounds this weekend and will give them a test drive prior to the rosewood finish I have decided upon. Also have a GLOW 1 amp (5 watt SE pentode) which I will experiment with on the Fostex SDFR's just for giggles.
pmarcin- Posts : 128
Join date : 2009-01-20
Age : 77
- Post n°30
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by pmarcin Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:15 am
I agree on the Fortes. You can DIY on the xovers with Hovland caps and Goertz inductors and better electrolytics. Madisound: the Zaph SR-71 is popular. Bob recommends: More kits
Pillo69- Posts : 176
Join date : 2012-04-11
Location : Granada (España)
- Post n°31
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Pillo69 Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:32 am
I use a Pioneer HPM 700. They go very well, especially with jazz and classical music.
fxb1982- Posts : 6
Join date : 2012-04-03
A year or two ago or so I bought this trio. These are in use at my cabin and I drive them with a JVC RX-8000V in a 2.1 setup. I listened to them in a store and for the price ($300) it was hard to pass up especially since the cabin is small and these speakers have a small footprint.
Although LoFi, I have really been enjoying them.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers/SP-FS51-LR
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Subwoofers/SW-8
I wonder if anyone else has any experience with them and if so, what they think of them?
Good Day!
BJ
Although LoFi, I have really been enjoying them.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Home+Theater+Speakers/SP-FS51-LR
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Speakers/Subwoofers/SW-8
I wonder if anyone else has any experience with them and if so, what they think of them?
Good Day!
BJ
deluxmon- Posts : 17
Join date : 2013-03-20
Age : 70
Location : DENVER
I have two Latino ST-70's and I run Zu Audio speakers with them. One room has the Zu Soul MKII's (which I am going to be listing for sale in the next day or two due to an upgrade) and Zu Soul Superfly's in the man cave.....Zu speakers sound great with an upgraded ST-70. Just my 2 cents.
corndog71- Posts : 840
Join date : 2013-03-19
Location : It can get windy here
- Post n°34
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by corndog71 Wed Mar 26, 2014 2:18 pm
Anything by GR Research or designed by Danny Richie. His designs are usually very tube friendly.
pmarcin- Posts : 128
Join date : 2009-01-20
Age : 77
- Post n°35
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by pmarcin Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:17 pm
Corndog, we're on the same page again. After I sold the Fortes, I built GR Obm-6s. They're wonderful. The xovers are superlative.
corndog71- Posts : 840
Join date : 2013-03-19
Location : It can get windy here
- Post n°36
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by corndog71 Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:54 pm
pmarcin wrote:Corndog, we're on the same page again. After I sold the Fortes, I built GR Obm-6s. They're wonderful. The xovers are superlative.
Nice! I have his open baffle X-Statiks.
pmarcin- Posts : 128
Join date : 2009-01-20
Age : 77
- Post n°37
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by pmarcin Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:59 pm
Gorgeous! Now if we could only get Shannon to upgrade the xover on his Choruses...
P.S.- My GRs are Baltic birch with Curly maple veneer.
P.S.- My GRs are Baltic birch with Curly maple veneer.
Last edited by pmarcin on Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
denny9167- Posts : 151
Join date : 2011-05-09
Age : 57
Location : Texas
- Post n°38
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by denny9167 Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:00 pm
I've always been partial to planar, and ribbon speakers. I've run a pair of BG Corp RD-75's with Dynaco Mark IV's which are comparable to the ST-70. Just loved the sound from Classical to Alternative, did the job! My first exposure to tubes was Audio Research and Magnapans together, wonderful combination.
denny9167- Posts : 151
Join date : 2011-05-09
Age : 57
Location : Texas
- Post n°39
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by denny9167 Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:01 pm
corndog71 wrote:pmarcin wrote:Corndog, we're on the same page again. After I sold the Fortes, I built GR Obm-6s. They're wonderful. The xovers are superlative.
Nice! I have his open baffle X-Statiks.
Thumbs Up!!
Tube Nube- Posts : 707
Join date : 2008-12-06
Age : 61
Location : Calgary, AB
- Post n°40
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Tube Nube Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:51 pm
Well Bob hasn't yet weighed in so I think it deserves mention. He has often recommended Tyler Accoustic speakers. They market direct to the user, so thete is no dealer mark up. Their reviews are outstanding. Whats more, they often have used models on hand at substantial mark down. Bob uses their speakers himself to entertain prospective buyers who come by, and that says a lot. I'm often on their site pondering whether today is the day I pull the trigger.
Another great option on the DIY side is Troels Gravesen-- he has some very well reviewed designs that I hear are staggeringly good. One of our forum members built a pair and when played with his vta-120, his system held up in the estimation of friends, some of whom had invested $100k in their stereos. Alan, I think it's time for you to weigh in here, m8!
So make no mistake, the better you build or buy, the more you will get out of your gear. With a vta-70, you are already in the big leagues!
Another great option on the DIY side is Troels Gravesen-- he has some very well reviewed designs that I hear are staggeringly good. One of our forum members built a pair and when played with his vta-120, his system held up in the estimation of friends, some of whom had invested $100k in their stereos. Alan, I think it's time for you to weigh in here, m8!
So make no mistake, the better you build or buy, the more you will get out of your gear. With a vta-70, you are already in the big leagues!
corndog71- Posts : 840
Join date : 2013-03-19
Location : It can get windy here
- Post n°41
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by corndog71 Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:56 pm
Tube Nube wrote:Well Bob hasn't yet weighed in so I think it deserves mention. He has often recommended Tyler Accoustic speakers. They market direct to the user, so thete is no dealer mark up. Their reviews are outstanding. Whats more, they often have used models on hand at substantial mark down. Bob uses their speakers himself to entertain prospective buyers who come by, and that says a lot. I'm often on their site pondering whether today is the day I pull the trigger.
This post seems like deja vu. Danny Richie designed the crossovers for Tyler speakers.
Tube Nube- Posts : 707
Join date : 2008-12-06
Age : 61
Location : Calgary, AB
- Post n°42
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Tube Nube Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:16 pm
You know, this post seems like deja vu. . . . Just messin' with your deja vu.
I didnt kmow that about the cross overs, but Im sure Bob willb be along shortly to tell us about some of his impressions. He hasn't steered any of us wrong yet!
I didnt kmow that about the cross overs, but Im sure Bob willb be along shortly to tell us about some of his impressions. He hasn't steered any of us wrong yet!
pmarcin- Posts : 128
Join date : 2009-01-20
Age : 77
- Post n°43
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by pmarcin Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:56 am
Talk about deja vu thrice revisited. Tyler appears to be mainly a cabinet maker. He has a relationship with Madisound; you can purchase the most elegant cabinets made by him from Madisound. I don't know it for a fact, but some of his older offerings looked like Madisounds repackaged into beautiful cabinets.
I recall that Danny redesigned a xover for an inexpensive, Ed Frias offering that was sold en masse. Danny is a xover expert and the Frias design wasn't flat enough for his tastes. I think it almost cost as much as the speaker itself.
I recall that Danny redesigned a xover for an inexpensive, Ed Frias offering that was sold en masse. Danny is a xover expert and the Frias design wasn't flat enough for his tastes. I think it almost cost as much as the speaker itself.
Bob Latino- Admin
- Posts : 3274
Join date : 2008-11-26
Location : Massachusetts
- Post n°44
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Bob Latino Thu Mar 27, 2014 8:12 am
Tube Nube wrote:Well Bob hasn't yet weighed in so I think it deserves mention. He has often recommended Tyler Accoustic speakers. They market direct to the user, so thete is no dealer mark up. Their reviews are outstanding. Whats more, they often have used models on hand at substantial mark down. Bob uses their speakers himself to entertain prospective buyers who come by, and that says a lot. I'm often on their site pondering whether today is the day I pull the trigger.
Another great option on the DIY side is Troels Gravesen-- he has some very well reviewed designs that I hear are staggeringly good. One of our forum members built a pair and when played with his vta-120, his system held up in the estimation of friends, some of whom had invested $100k in their stereos. Alan, I think it's time for you to weigh in here, m8!
So make no mistake, the better you build or buy, the more you will get out of your gear. With a vta-70, you are already in the big leagues!
Yes - I have two pairs of Tyler Acoustics speakers here at my home on two of the three systems that I have set up .. One set is a pair of Tyler Acoustics Linbrook II's that is used to demonstrate the VTA amps to local New England customers. The other set are Taylo Reference Monitors .. The Taylo's are small bookshelf monitors. Note - Tyler does not make either of these models any more and now has a newer line of "Decade" speakers ..
All the Tyler Acoustics speakers are made in Kentucky and sold only through the internet. They all use high quality Seas or Scanspeak drivers and very good quality crossovers. The outer boxes are 1 inch thick and use a variety of high quality wood veneers on the outside. All six sides (including the back and the bottom) of these speakers are finished in the same wood veneer. The owner (Tyler Lashbrook) is very acessible by phone. You call there and Tyler will usually answer the phone. These high end speakers rival the sound quality of speakers which are two to three times their cost. They also have an outlet store with speakers that people have traded in for higher level models.
Bob
maz- Posts : 8
Join date : 2013-12-30
- Post n°45
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by maz Tue May 20, 2014 11:20 am
Heresy III's here and I'm in love with them.
People say the Heresy's have no bass.
Teamed with the st-120 they have some of the tightest bass you can ask for.
No flab, no boom, just tight and accurate.
People say the Heresy's have no bass.
Teamed with the st-120 they have some of the tightest bass you can ask for.
No flab, no boom, just tight and accurate.
Brap- Posts : 234
Join date : 2013-11-28
Age : 69
Location : Plainfield, illinois
- Post n°46
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Brap Tue May 20, 2014 11:26 am
Switch back and forth between Forte's but mainly run Paradigm Studio 10 V5's. Pretty decent for bookshelf. Saving my $$$ for some Zu Druids now.........
Maintarget- Posts : 227
Join date : 2013-02-10
- Post n°47
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by Maintarget Tue May 20, 2014 10:28 pm
@MAZ I agree I'm using re capped Heresy 1 with my VTA ST-120, KT-120s and 12BH7s all I can say is WOW!!!
Thinking about building a set of Cornscalas
Thinking about building a set of Cornscalas
Last edited by Maintarget on Tue May 20, 2014 10:28 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : spelling)
deepee99- Posts : 2244
Join date : 2012-05-23
Location : Wallace, Idaho
- Post n°48
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by deepee99 Wed May 21, 2014 10:03 pm
Low budget: Dynaco A-25s.
High-budget: Vandersteen 5ACs.
In the middle I dunno. I only have two speeds.
High-budget: Vandersteen 5ACs.
In the middle I dunno. I only have two speeds.
jdm- Posts : 45
Join date : 2011-04-04
- Post n°49
Re: What speakers have you found work best with your VTA St-70
by jdm Tue May 27, 2014 1:09 am
http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2-way-speaker-kits/zaph%7Caudio-zrt-2-way-revelator-tower-parts-only-pair/
I built these Zaph ZRT is an extremely versatile premium speaker kit utilizing Scan-Speak Revelator drivers. The 2-Way configuration is designed for ported use in the Madisound MD38T tower cabinet.
The tweeter used is the Scan-Speak “AirCirc” D3004/6600. This is the most advanced release from the Revelator tweeter line. The mid/bass driver is the Scan-Speak 18W/8531G. This 7” slit paper cone driver is widely considered one of the best mid/bass units in existence. The combination of these drivers and Zaph’s design expertise has yielded a world-class speaker system.
I built these Zaph ZRT is an extremely versatile premium speaker kit utilizing Scan-Speak Revelator drivers. The 2-Way configuration is designed for ported use in the Madisound MD38T tower cabinet.
The tweeter used is the Scan-Speak “AirCirc” D3004/6600. This is the most advanced release from the Revelator tweeter line. The mid/bass driver is the Scan-Speak 18W/8531G. This 7” slit paper cone driver is widely considered one of the best mid/bass units in existence. The combination of these drivers and Zaph’s design expertise has yielded a world-class speaker system.
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