Hey Alex- no problem! Two things with DHT’s that are harder to overcome than with Pentodes are C Miller and also grid current. Most of these tubes aren’t linear unless you can drive the grid positive with a high voltage swing. Otherwise the top and low end suffers and is what most people think when they refer to a 300B (or other DHT) as "woolly in the bass", or "lacks high end sparkle but the midrange sounds great!". That’s where C Miller has its effect is on the frequency extremes. A 6SN7 cannot drive the 300B’s grid into A1 unless it’s in SRPP mode or is direct-coupled. It can still sound good but you’re not hearing the 300B’s full potential. On the KT88, I assume the 6SN7 stages were cascaded? In that case, I can imaging how two coupling caps and two stages could bring too much of a harmonic structure to the sound and become dull and lifeless. However if two stages of 6SN7 were configured in Mu Follower, Cathode Follower, or SRPP you could benefit from the lower output impedance to "swing" the grid of the KT88 better and avoid the overly complex harmonic signature. Best, Aric
Head-ups for fans of AricAudio designs. His new Super 211 SET two chassis amplifier
Many of you who own some of Aric's preamps/amplifiers already know what a talented designer and master builder he is of great tube gear. I'll be getting in a few days his first two chassis reference 211 based SET amplifier for a review for Six Moons.com. He went all out in both design and parts quality in this new creation. Based on my past experiences with his gear, this is something that might be very special, indeed. My two favorite power tubes in SET amps are 2A3's and 211's. You can also use 845's in this amplifier.
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@teajay Terry, are you listening with one of your Tekton sets? If so, which one(s)? I have the Double Impacts and am looking for something to enhance my music listening while still keeping them as the front five for my home theater. @aricaudio, I know you said you hadn't posted photos but I'm not seeing the cost or any other details on the Super SET on your site. |
Basic specs and photos can be seen on my Facebook business page below: https://www.facebook.com/AricAudioSystems/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARCBAs7lqe5YF8y9-0pMrSdTLUoOC2Q9EgdrI... |
- 34 posts total