One of the contrary things about budget Hi-Fi is that you end up with the least powerful amps driving the most power-hungry speakers. When the budget increases, the amps become more powerful, but the speakers become far more sensitive too, so actually they can get by with less power rather than more.
The Roth and the Dali speakers are two examples of very insensitive budget speakers, even in the small bookshelf class. The Dalis are 83dB and the Roths are a tad lower at 82dB. The typical class value is 85-86dB. A difference of 3dB means that to produce the same volume, the lower sensitivity speaker needs twice the amount of wattage from the amp. In other words, the amp has to work twice as hard to make up for a 3dB difference in sensitivity.
What this often translates to is speakers that don't really come alive until they're driven quite hard. I have a pair of vintage B&W DM-12 monitors that fit exactly in to this mould. Driven by a capable 25W/ch Creek amp which sounds wonderful with other early-80s speakers from Heybrook and KEF and Mission, the B&Ws sulk. Chuck 60+ Watts at them and the game changes, even at relatively modest volume levels. They just demand a lot from the amp before they'll join in. It's something to bear in mind when reading reviews. Are the reviews you're reading based on driving the speakers with the same sort of gear you plan to own, and at the volume levels you'll be running at?
Let's start with the amp then. The small Class-T amps are popular because of their size and price. Also, at modest levels, they can sound pretty good. When you scratch below the surface veneer of enthusiasm though, what you discover is a whole other world of modding and performance tweaks.
What's revealed is that often these amps are held back because of the low cost power supply they ship with (noisy, low power, poor reliability), and frequently the amp's components used don't match the quality of the processing chip. That's not good for sound quality or reliability. The other disappointment is the specifications. They're not realistic. For example, the power ratings commonly quoted are only achievable with a vastly uprated power supply and by taking a very cavalier attitude towards the distortion figures allowed in order to achieve the claimed wattages. In practical terms, you're lucky if you can get 20% of the claimed power before the amp starts to run out of puff.
There are two ways you can go to fix this. The first is to follow the modder's path. That means changing the PSU and soldering in some uprated components on the amp board. There's a whole community with people arguing over whose inductors and capacitors are the best if that's your thing.
The other way is to buy an amp that has been properly designed from the ground up and that already comes with the uprated power supply and the better components. The catch isn't cost, surprisingly; it's honesty. You won't get the big power claims. That's because the amps are measured to Hi-Fi standards the same as typical audiophile gear. This would be the same if you did all the mods yourself and then had the amp professionally measured.
Have a look at the
Amptastic Mini-1. It's £129.
For speakers, if you're not after the sound to be room-filling loud from the desktop layout, then either the Roth or the Dali would do okay.
Where you're looking for more volume, then Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 would give you that without being too large. They're 86dB. These can still be bought off the auction site new at £129/pr. Alternatives: JBL Control 1 are hugely-more-sensitive at 89dB but lighter in bass. They need half the amp power of the D9.1s, and just a quarter of the power of the Dalis to make the same volume. They're compact, very solid, surprisingly inexpensive (£69/pr) and have great resolution. Beware though, they're not kind to poor source material or low quality peripherals.
These next are probably a tad too tall for you at 310mm, but a used pair of Quad 11L2 and that Mini-1 would make a really nice combination. Although still an 86dB speaker, they're an easier load for the amp because they 8 Ohm impedance and the impedance curve doesn't vary wildly. They do good bass for their size, and that means they'll still sound full and rich even at lower volumes. The treble isn't brittle, so they shouldn't distract you when you're sitting close. I also think they'd be quite happy to play at louder volumes without exposing the source quality too much. Used examples have changed hands on the auction site for around £60-£120. That's remarkable value.
