I agree, but with some reviews they only use the really expensive gear without testing on appropriately priced gear for the speaker being reviewed
Yeah it makes sense to at least include a few options that are budget appropriate.
Then again if you are spending alot on a setup, you should go out of your way to try and hear it for yourself
Absolutely. I think reviews are important for narrowing down choices though. Otherwise there’s WAY too much out there to even know where to begin.
Yeah, there is alot of stuff to sort through lol
@A_Jedi, thank you for all the recommendations, i knew driving 15 ohm speakers would be hard and these have not disappointed. Are there any more amp manufacturers you can steer me towards that have 16 ohm taps? So far Luxman and Line magnetic are the only 2 I have managed to run across and your link led me to line magnetic. I’ve managed to get these to work beyond a whisper but only by using my largest, heaviest most powerful amplifiers which are ludicrous for the desk set-up i was hoping to achieve.
What about something like this if you are concerned about getting matching impedance?
http://www.zeroimpedance.com/zeroimpedance_011.htm
Most true tube amps really don’t care about a impedance mismatch, so tube might actually be the way to go if you are worried about that. And to be honest you would have a hard time telling the difference between a 8 ohm and 16 ohm tap on some amps. It really just depends on the amp
Hey buddy, it’s not a matter of the mismatch, it’s just that in order to get these to play with any type of authority on an 8ohm tap they need allot of power, with the exception of my emotiva pa-1’s , which do an ok job with these, next step up is to amps that weigh 75+ lbs. That’s cool if i put these in a small room it’s just i was wondering what i might be able to find thats a bit smaller in footprint/dimensions.
Haha, i just clicked your link, my mind had gone back to my car stereo days and i was also wondering how i could wire these to show my amps a 4ohm or 8ohm load so i could get more juice oit of them👍
I’m sure now there is a way i can do this for a fraction of the cost of those real pretty boxes.
Well it essentially would be a mismatch because you are using 16 ohm speakers with an amp set on 8 ohm, but yeah it is the power that is the issue.
Also here is another nice tube amp
http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/integrated-amplifier/
Hi there. You got great speakers, congrats! This is a beloved mini speaker with lots of variations through BBC license. I will give you 2 small and one big advise as I used to have the same journey, not same speakers though. Be careful with your source, give them a proper DAC ; Project is a good dac but not in the same league… Dragonflies are much better(red or cobalt) Also give them an amp with a proper beefy power supply (supplies) and lots of current. Watts is a marketing story. They seem to hold their impedance relatively the same at the whole spectrum so a proper tube amp can work as well. Is better to split your money to a good DAC and a proper amp even second hand rather than downgrade the source. And the biggest advise is; demo as many amps as you can to your place if possible. None review can give you what your speaker needs at your place with your ears. Otherwise trust the circuit board naked and your instinct. Good luck.
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For lots of power at $3K I would do the PS Audio M700 monoblocks.
Update; due to various crazy circumstances I had to work with Falcon in England directly to fix a freakish tweeter issue I was having. This is an excellent manufacturer and they stand 100% behind their products and their workmanship. The engineers there diagnosed my problem and sent all brand new, matched parts to my dealer so that we could repair my speakers. Unfortunately this step required a cross country trip for my speakers and I had the opportunity to go along. While at my dealer, who by the way are the MOST awesome guys I have had the pleasure of dealing with, they bent over backwards to take care of me, http://tubeaudio.com/ (Shameless plug) we discussed amplifiers that would work well with these little cubes of bliss and tried several styles and brands out. Long story short, I’m flying home hauling more boxes than i left with. https://www.sugdenaudio.com/fpa-4-power-amplifier?lightbox=dataItem-iefjda1k I was all set to purchase a Line Magnetic or Luxman tube amp, despite the fact that deep down I really did not want to go thru the further expense of tube rolling, (I’m going broke falling in love with sweet, exotic to me gear) when the words, why don’t you use the same amps they have in their racks at the falcon factory were uttered… What…? Why have you been hiding this from me? Well, since I’m using these near field the guys did not want to sell me a class A amp that produces extreme amounts of heat. I’ll add more air conditioning, i said, now gimme! That they did, and I purchased a Sugden audio, FPA-4 class A 25x25 watt amp. Did I mention how amazing Glenn at Arizona Hi-Fi is? If you are ever in Phoenix go search them out, this place is a gem and Glenn and Bill are stupendous individuals to deal with. Eventually, I hope to make it back home so I can tear down my desk and set it up again with new to me exciting bits and pieces that reproduce sound. There’s so much more to this story, and that’s as short a i can make it.
Thank’s for letting me share my joy and excitement.
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Reply and update to my own thread, pictures of the temporary set-up w/ new equipment. I’m not happy w/how i’m taking up real estate currently but i’m getting there as far as sound is concerned. Source and dac upgrade coming next, maybe…
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@Nick_Mimi hi Nick, how has the experience been so far? The burr walnut falcon looks absolutely amazing
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Oh what a fantastic, fun, eye-opening and expensive journey this has been 
@Tan_Nian_Hua I must first openly admit that i constantly swap equipment, and seldom keep the same exact set-up in place for longer than a few weeks. Also i have finally figured out how to attach multiple different pieces in line with each other so that i can vary sources, pre-amplifiers, amplifiers and speaker combinations at my whims. I have been “training my ear”, to better understand the nuances found in equipment and sound quality but ultimately my own litmus test for enjoyment is if if find relaxation and most importantly a release of my stress (ie. nap 
) while enjoying a music listening session.
With that said, i have definite preferences on equipment for the Falcons. These are 15Ohm speakers w/ an 83db rated sensitivity which has required patience, expense and time to find synergistic combinations.
My favorite combination in near field is, Exogal Comet+ DAC > Decware CSP2 pre-amp, > Sugden FPA-4 amp > Falcon’s w/ REL sub. The Sugden amp is NOT affected by the Falcons impedence and works best with them. The CSP2 allows me to perfectly adjust gain because it has that feature and the combination of tube and class A feed provide an SQ which I personally enjoy very much. The sound I get is rich, detailed, warm, with a deep rich low end, very liquid midrange, great soundstage, imaging, depth and highs that are a non-fatiguing, old school hi-fi sound, I can just kick back and close my eyes to. The volume levels are low to middle ground, best suited for small and medium rooms at best IMO. There are many reviews on these speakers across the internet and folks all seem to have varied opinions on what these speakers do best or not, I enjoy owning them for both their beauty and old school sound. There are plenty of “better” speakers available at this price range but they are not these and that makes them special to me. Thank you for giving me yet another opportunity to speak about some of my favorite toys 
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You cant go wrong with a Class A Sugden and a 3/5 BBC.
The best speaker is always the one you love the sound of. More details are of no use to me if listening is exhausting.
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love hearing more things about the falcon ls3/5a as well, especially since you are so passionate about it. What other amps have you tried with falcon ls3/5a? I own a walnut (not burr) version of it but was thinking of trying new amps with it. I am currently using hegel rost with it and I don’t think they are really great fit with one another.
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Take a quick peek at my profile to see some of the equipment I have in my stable. In all honesty the Sugden is really the only amplifier I can say performs exceptionally well and provides wonderful synergy with my Falcons. The other amplifiers work and some sound better than others they just don’t click well though and it can be heard in the speakers if you have a reference point of judgement for them which I did from the dealer.
A tube amp with a 16 Ωhm tap will offer optimal performance, i have heard them played on a Line Magnetic and Luxman amplifier both which were complimentary to the speakers. Many a vintage amplifier should also perform well and the abilities of the amplifier should complement the sound signature these are known for. Hope all this information is of assistance to you.
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My hands on experience is based more on the bigger classic BBCs, such as Graham LS6, 5/9 and 5/5.
For the more modern sounding BBC I have experience with the HL5+ and 30.1
+1 for Luxmann and Sugden: works gerat with classic and modern BBCs
Rega works well with both types but I´m still waiting for delivery of the new Aethos
Audionet is a greman brand and works amazing with classic BBCs but absolutly hates the newer ones
NAT would be endgame … nerver heard anything better on a classic BBC
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