Cain & Cain Single Ben Loudspeakers - SET Friendly!

Stunning pair of hand-crafted loudspeakers by Cain & Cain. Single Fostex driver (augmented by a Fostex Lab Series tweeter) in a solid Alder wood cabinet.

"Trained in old world traditions of joinery and hand-finishing, Terry Cain is a master craftsman. Every one of his products, from the Abby to the Studio Ben ES is of heirloom quality. However, fit and finish alone do not make for a great loudspeaker. Terry has devoted countless hours to the study and implementation of cabinet design appropriate for single driver loudspeakers. The realization of full-range, single-driver speaker technology has been a particular obsession of the Japanese. Terry has absorbed everything the Japanese have done and has put his own ideas to work to produce single driver loudspeakers that function at the limits of the possible.

Utilizing Fostex drivers from Japan, all of the Cain & Cain speakers are an easy load to drive. While designed with single ended triode amplifiers in mind, all models will perform well with higher- powered solid state amplifiers."

I am the second owner of this particular pair of Single Ben speakers, manufactured in 10/03. In the several years I have owned them, I have never heard anything that produces music as lifelike, tangible, and expressive as these. I have driven them with a variety of amplifiers, both tube and solid state, and currently have them very happily paired with an Audiomat Arpege. Although originally designed to mate with SET amps, these speakers can be driven by virtually any high quality amplifier with outstanding results. Regrettably, as I downsize for the next phase of my life, I must part with them.

Mechanical condition is perfect. Cabinets are nearly flawless, with the exception of a few barely perceptible scratches, and a 6" long chip of wood broken off one speaker side panel during a transit early in their lives. I have always placed the damaged speaker with its damaged side facing a wall, and don't notice or think about the fault, although I recognize some people are more sensitive to aesthetic considerations. (My 3 "poor" rating for these speakers is based solely and entirely on this chip.)

Please note the tweeters on this pair are Fostex Laboratory Series T500AMKII brass horn tweeters, which are a superb match, and provide a touch of "air" in the high end.

These speakers very rarely come up on the used market, and I can't imagine a more reasonably priced way to enter into the world of high end single driver audio. Once you've heard these, you'll never want to return to multi-driver complexity and crossover blurrings!

I can ship these beauties via an independent shipper, blanket-wrapped and white-glove handling, anywhere along the I-95 corridor for $350. Delivery from 27609 (Raleigh NC) up to 200 miles, I will do myself, at a charge of $1 per mile. Delivery to other regions of the country must be arranged by buyer — please do not ask me for a quote.

I reserve the right not to deal with people with little or no feedback. Please do not attempt to purchase these speakers if you do not have a significant positive feedback record on Audiogon.

I will split Paypal charges with buyer; please add 1.5% of total to cover your half.

http://www.soundscapehifi.com/cain-studio.htm
http://www.pranawire.com/cain&cain.htm
http://www.stereomojo.com/Cain%20and%20Cain%20Ben%20Review/CainandCainSingleHornBenReview.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZvgVHSs8o