Help selecting amps / speakers please; new Claravox

Thanks very much guys.  That's really helpful.  I think perhaps I'll look into the powered monitor option.  The Adam one looks good, and I'll have a think about whether that will work or something similar.Thanks again!

What did you end up going with? I'm also new to theremins like yourself and ended up taking Thierry's advice on this forum where he mentions, "I can recommend (since I own one for a long time) the Behringer K450-FX. It's a 40W amp with a 10" speaker and some digital effects (Reverb etc.) built in. It is not expensive (about €150 here) and the most important: It's THE amplifier on which I did the whole bass module developing and testing (the ESPE01 module).

I bought a new Etherwave Standard I found in the wild, and the Lost Volts LV-4. Both should be arriving next week. Like you I was reading for hours and hours on various sites, including this one. And from what I gathered, a keyboard amp was best suited for the line level output of the theremin, as well as the frequency range. So I went with Thierry's suggestion of the Behringer K450-FX. I'm picking it up today from a local eBay seller for $100, quite a deal!

I look forward to posting my progress once everything is put together here at my studio. I'm curious to hear what progress you've made thus far!

What did you end up going with? I'm also new to theremins like yourself and ended up taking Thierry's advice on this forum where he mentions, "I can recommend (since I own one for a long time) the Behringer K450-FX. It's a 40W amp with a 10" speaker and some digital effects (Reverb etc.) built in. It is not expensive (about €150 here) and the most important: It's THE amplifier on which I did the whole bass module developing and testing (the ESPE01 module).I bought a new Etherwave Standard I found in the wild, and the Lost Volts LV-4. Both should be arriving next week. Like you I was reading for hours and hours on various sites, including this one.

Hey mate.  Thanks very much for the update.  Really helpful.  I'm far less helpful sorry.  I think I found it all a bit too overwhelming, and took the Theremin issue off the boil while I've been busy, and I haven't actually bought anything or made any progress!  I'll be really interested to hear how your purchases turn out though, as I need to look at at all again sometime soon.

What did you end up going with? I'm also new to theremins like yourself and ended up taking Thierry's advice on this forum where he mentions, "I can recommend (since I own one for a long time) the Behringer K450-FX. It's a 40W amp with a 10" speaker and some digital effects (Reverb etc.) built in. It is not expensive (about €150 here) and the most important: It's THE amplifier on which I did the whole bass module developing and testing (the ESPE01 module).I bought a new Etherwave Standard I found in the wild, and the Lost Volts LV-4. Both should be arriving next week. Like you I was reading for hours and hours on various sites, including this one.Hey mate.  Thanks very much for the update.  Really helpful.  I'm far less helpful sorry.  I think I found it all a bit too overwhelming, and took the Theremin issue off the boil while I've been busy, and I haven't actually bought anything or made any progress!  I'll be really interested to hear how your purchases turn out though, as I need to look at at all again sometime soon.

I’ve been making progress with my theremins and amp setup. The LV-4 theremin was initially fun to experiment with, but I quickly got tired of it's narrow pitch field. I could barely find any notes. I got it in white, which looks sleek and sci-fi. It’s lightweight and portable, and the extra controls for waveshape and filter do change the sound, but not by much. The volume field is a bit tricky to get used to, and the pitch field is not as precise as the Etherwave, but for the price, it’s great, especially for creating ambient or experimental sounds. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants to be a serious musician.

The Etherwave Standard is incredible for precision. I picked up a new one from the original production run, and the pitch and volume fields are very predictable, making it ideal for melodic playing. The build quality feels solid, and it’s great for practicing techniques like Carolina Eyck’s aerial fingering method. I’m still debating whether to install Thierry’s ESPE01 mod to refine the tone further, but for now, it’s my go-to theremin for learning and playing structured music.

I’m using the Behringer Ultratone K450FX as my amp, and it’s doing a good job. It handles the theremin’s frequency range well, and the built-in reverb and delay effects are nice to have. The amp is loud enough for practice and small performances, and it’s a solid, reliable option for the price.

I’ve been working on Carolina Eyck’s fingering technique, and while it feels robotic at first, it’s helping me improve accuracy. Overall, I’m really happy with my progress so far. Each piece of gear has its own strengths, and I feel like I’m learning a lot and starting to find my style. I've listed the LV-4 for sale on a few sites, and will be keeping the Etherwave. I will be practicing scales, finger positions, octaves, and simple songs over the next few weeks & months until I feel comfortable enough "performing" for friends and family.

"I’m still debating whether to install Thierry’s ESPE01 mod to refine the tone further, but for now, it’s my go-to theremin for learning and playing structured music."  - jsherm

I'd strongly recommend trying the Aetherwellen mod: [LINK].  The Aetherwellen mod is super trivial to implement, and trivial to back out if you find you don't like it.  The ESPE01 is more major surgery.

Either mod will smooth out the far field, but at the price of losing the low end raspy timbre (which may or may not be something you desire).  They don't substantially change the timbre of the mid and high end.

I'd strongly recommend trying the Aetherwellen mod: [LINK].  The Aetherwellen mod is super trivial to implement, and trivial to back out if you find you don't like it.  The ESPE01 is more major surgery.Either mod will smooth out the far field, but at the price of losing the low end raspy timbre (which may or may not be something you desire).  They don't substantially change the timbre of the mid and high end.

Dewster, I haven't heard of the Aetherwellen mod, but I just went to the link, and read through the technicals. Truth is, I don't feel comfortable tinkering with the EW. I just got it, and am learning to play it haha. I'm still struggling a bit because of my large hands, and am about to read through 20 years of posts on the Arial Fingering thread on here to see if it can help. 

Although I'm a techie and have been building computers since the 90s, I've never held a soldering iron, nor have I ever built any electronics from scratch. The notion has intrigued me for sure, but I just spent a lot of money on this set up, and wouldn't want to damage anything from a lack of tinkering skills. I wouldn't be opposed to someone possibly installing it for me locally who knows how to do it. But I think it would be wise for me to first learn how to play the darn thing. I just got done doing Carolina Eyck's lessons on YouTube for the 3rd time and can't quite match her hand positions. 

I can tune the theremin to zero beat for sure, it's the 2nd tuning that I'm struggling with. The 8th position to 1st position octave tuning. I can't quite seem to get it right, and I think it's because of my hand size. Also with longer arms, I feel like I'm standing too far from the theremin, which makes my arms tired, and using the volume antenna awkward.

Time to read more threads on here, and watch more videos I suppose (although I suspect I've watched most of them).

"Truth is, I don't feel comfortable tinkering with the EW."  - jsherm

I only suggested the Aetherwellen mod because it seemed like you were seriously contemplating having the ESPE01 installed?

"Truth is, I don't feel comfortable tinkering with the EW."  - jshermI only suggested the Aetherwellen mod because it seemed like you were seriously contemplating having the ESPE01 installed?

I'm actually not sure if I will be installing any mod since I don't feel comfortable tinkering with my new EW and potentially damaging it. I don't know the first thing about attaching transistors or whatnot, and/or soldering. While the Aetherwellen does look "easier" to install, it's still out of my wheelhouse of skills. If anyone is near the Philadelphia area and is willing to help me out in person, maybe I would consider it. 

But I think the right move here is to first see if I can progress on the instrument as is. I have to get past that initial struggle and challenge of finding the right hand positions that work for my large hand.

I'm practicing at my EW right now actually, and have found that sitting on a stool very close to the volume loop, and diagonally to the pitch antenna, as well as having the mic stand height where the Moog logo is right about at my belly button so far seems to be the most comfortable.

Secondly, I'm not using Carolina's hand positions, but rather, with my eyes closed, found it easier to play notes with my hand open, and naturally close and open my fingers to hit notes from 8 down to 5, then rotating my wrist upward toward my shoulder from 4 to 1. Which seems to be a bit of Carolina's hand positions. I just don't feel comfortable doing the OK symbol with my hand, that's where I struggle. As well as the typical fists she makes.

I think I'm far off from installing any mods. I would have to feel comfortable with the instrument first, and decide if I want to pursue mastering it, or simply selling it, and moving on.  My violin and piano have been giving me dirty looks ever since the EW arrived, since I haven't been practicing them