[Harp-L] 15 inch speakers for 2 watt tube amp?

[Ralf Kapp <truebe_zitrone-aroma@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

I'm playing in a duo with a guitar player. He uses a 50 watt Mesa Boogie 
amp through a Marshall 4x12 cabinet at moderate volume and I play a DIY 
mic with a vintage hi-z dynamic element into an unmodified 1956 record 
players tube amp with 2 watt and a tiny oval speaker about the size of 
my hand. We like the sound of that setup very much and it gives enough 
volume for a loud but not deafening musical experience. That thing 
really has bite without being harsh, and if I let her, she really can sing.

Today Doc Meyer, my guitar player, brought a signal splitter, split his 
signal and fed the newly gained signal into a solid state bass amp 
plugged to a 4x10 bass-reflex box to get more bottom end (which in my 
opinion is a good thing). We're still talking about moderate volume 
where very loud speaking is sufficient, no need to shout, but i saw my 
tiny hand-sized speaker confronted with a wall of sound. No chance... So 
I asked the Doc if he'd let me plug into his Marshall 4x12, just to see 
what happens. My amp has a seperate output for external speakers, cables 
were handy, so I tried. I kind of liked it, it had bottom end, though a 
bit mushy, and it was definitely louder.

Next I plugged into the 4x10 bass-reflex box. Nice Chicago-like sound, 
less bottom end but still quite loud and aggressive, but the sound 
didn't fit our tastes.

Then I saw this 2x15 Allsound bass-reflex box in the corner... should I 
try? I tried. Whow! All those deep difference tones that little speaker 
never was able to reproduce were suddenly all there, the mids and highs 
supported the native sound in a similar way as the original speaker, 
although it was harder to let her sing. Everything sounded so clear, but 
at the same time warm and round: the perfect sound and I was able to 
compete again.

And now comes the question: has anybody out there made any experience, 
good or bad, with an ultra low power amp (< 5 watt) plugged to any kind 
of 15 inch speakers? After what I experienced today I definitely know 
that I need such a big thing, but there are more possibilities than just 
bass-reflex. So, what works, what doesn't? Any feedback is appreciated, 
though it's no use trying to talk me out of this.

Thanks in advance

Ralf