Need amp suggestions for Hedlund Horns....
I would certainly also recommend Deja Vu Audio, fantastic single ended amps using a mix of new and vintage parts, talk to Vu he's incredibly knowledgeable about amp/speaker matching and horns in particular. No affiliation just a very satisfied customer. http://dejavu-audio.com/index.html |
I agree with Charesdad if you know the efficiency of your horns and if the crossover is complex? I think you have to get that decided before you go forward with your tube power. Beware that the design of an SET amplifier is as important as the tube selection. Not all are created equal. Best of luck, gwalt |
I pulled the full range single driver and it is an AER MK1 which from what I read is (can be) a great speaker with the right enclosure/baffle (for $2500/pair it better be). Again these AERs are in a Hedlund Horn (feel free to search Google pics) so no crossover. As far as efficiency, not sure how to measure this or where to find as the AER website has no specs- any help would be appreciated. If I had to guess it would be in the 102db range. So what is a good 300b design? What makes a "stiff" power supply? What’s a good output transformer? What specs should I look for? None of the suggested 300b manufacturers mentioned share their circuit design nor parts list. Is it better to have one built to match specs for the AER speaker? |
Hello Ramoneo14, If your speakers sensitivity is in the vicinity of 102 db thats very impressive. With a 300b SET amplifier you’d hardly ever get outside of the 1 watt range of power usage. In reality you’d be using only small fractions of 1 watt. Your amplifier is coasting at this power level and the distortion is nearly unmeasurably low as well. Most 300b SETs have 6 to 10 watts of power thus the headroom factor is considerable. Bradf posted a list of of companies that offer high quality amplifiers with established reputations, also the Allnic and Border Patrol amplifiers mentioned earlier. A few more quality brands are Thoress, Ocellia,Wavelength, Sophia Electric, Audion , Concert Fidelity, there are more. Certainly there are differences between various brands brands and their models. However what this list has in common is very good quality design, part quality (P. Supplies and output transformer) solid track records. Definitely lots of choices and it takes some time to sort thorough them and gain some degree of familiarity. The 300b SET amplifier niche is very alive and plentiful. Charles, |
From what I could find online looks like your driver is over 100db efficiency and 16 ohms impedance so you should be able to drive it with virtually any good single ended amp even down to 1 watt or so. A stiff power supply means the power supply is robust and typically way over spec for the amp in question. |
