Comment about SS and Tubes


For the people who have followed by two and only two posts: you know I have all Cary Audio: SLP-05 pre and 805AE mains. I also have the 200.2. I had never used the 200.2 until recently. Front end are Totem Winds and Totem Mani 2 - alternating depending on my mood.

In my first post, several pro SS people recommended I boost my power and go SS. That got me to thinking???

I hefted that big old 200.2 up to my music room and hooked it up to the Balanced outputs of the SLP-05. Kept the RCA outputs going to the 805’s.

I listen to JAZZ so I don’t necessarily need loud. But sometimes I want loud.

Power is good. After a few albums and a bit of streaming I do concede, Power is good. I didn’t realize how good my speakers were until I pushed them. Bass I never knew. And the whole spectrum was astonishing.

On some albums I like the subtle refinement of the tubes. They are awesome to hear. But I am a convert. I do like the watts. My Cary Audio 200.2 is going to get broken in finally,

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@clearthinker I think I get it. Someone told me about "sustained" power. I high WPC amp might not be able to keep up with a continuous high amount of energy need. Whereas a very good high WPC amp can sustain a high volume long duration need. 

@cinqcepages    It is not just a question of watts per channel.  Most will agree it is more importantly a case of having a big reserve of power immediately available to enable correct reproduction of a sudden high level transient, e.g. the hitting of a large bass drum.  The power needs to be there or the moment will be over by the time it arrives.  What is needed is a large and stiff power supply.

Even with such a supply only Class A (one of a number of operating principles for amplifiers) can do this because it runs continuously at full power rather than varying the power supply according to need, as perceived by systems in the amplifier., Some disagree with this and complain about the large amount of heat generated and the high power consumption of Class A amps.  My Krell KRS200 monoblocs draw 1.2kW of power.  Per side.