let me start by saying that i believe my speaker journey has ended, just last night.
having been living with flea powered amps (45, 2A3, 300B) and a commercial 89dB speaker since i got back to the hobby, was like a marriage on the edge of divorce
at the start it has been a mismatch - 3wpc amp + 89dB sensitivity, but was enjoyable, and it gave me a lot of room to learn about tweaks, speaker positioning, and room treatment.
the hunt for the appropriate speakers started after completing my 45 amp which is 1.8wpc at most, and it obviously is losing dynamics driving the Kappa. so i went on a journey to find a new "wife" which almost led to a divorce
but now, there is a new "girl" in the house
the Altec 406-8Y on an open baffle. there is a very kind person who offered these for sale, and i know that he is now left with a heavy heart after parting with these speakers. but he is so generous and even had an open baffle prototype made for me. mabuhay ka patispetrus!
the 406-8Y rolls off at 4kHz and obviously needs a tweeter. for that duty i thought i can use my Kappa's tweeter with picks up from 3kHz to 27kHz so i hooked it up.
after about three hours of listening, i have achieved the sound that had been a reference since coming from jadis' place and heard his magnepans.
the music is so lush, warm, big sounding, very dynamic, and with true "you are there" experience. with a measly 3wpc driving it, i cannot crank my preamp past 10 o'clock as it is loud already. now, my 45 amp will be extremely happy
thanks to the following for the support -
joseph esmilla, joel (setup2), tristan (plasticman), and of course nilo (patispetrus)