2. amps-preamps
  3. 1257069072

SET the best?

Is SET amplification where we should all end up? I keep reading posts where people tell of their journeys from plenty power to micro power, and how amazing SET amplification is 45 set 211 set 845 set otl, and usually, ....with the right speaker. I have yet to read of anyone who has gone the other direction from SET, to High watt beast class A amps or others.
If your speakers can be driven by minimal wattage, is this the most realistic, natural sound we can achieve? versus say, 86db sensitive speakers and a 1000w amp?
Is the end result solely based on speaker pairing? circuit? tubes?

I am in the process of changing my direction in my search for realistic sound, just because, and wondering if this really is the best direction to be going.
From what I have been reading I think it may be.

What do we get with SET? What do we give up?

What's you favorite color?
hanaleimike
mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

SET. However, if you feel that you need the entire frequency spectrum at decent or full weight, then you may end up disappointed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Somehow I failed to mention,, the highs witha SET may also be a bit rolled off along with hz’s under 40.

But really in classical chamber there is not much in terms of highs,, and for your ligher weight jazz ensembles, you might want a higher sens tweeter, say 94db+,, Now I know why bache Audio uses the Fostex super horn tweeter in his FR designs. So you see there are options to achieve sparkles in the highs with SET. We love SET’s for lifelike magical midrange, how you achieve the below 30hz and above 15khz is something you will need to figure out.

Myself, a dome tweeter at 91db and a single 8 inch FR offers all the band width I need.

mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

I'll take a  SET + FR over any BIG NAME xover type speakers, Any and all.

I'm sooooo done with xover type LOUD speakers,

yuckkkk

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,803 posts
 

My 300B amp measures flat well below 30hz.

To play the bottom octave properly you need bandwidth to 2Hz. This is because once the amp starts rolling off, it does so at 6dB/octave. When you have a slope like that it causes phase shift to be present up to about 10x the cutoff frequency. This is basic filter theory. So 2Hz bandwidth allows for 0 degrees of phase shift at 20Hz.

The ear perceives phase shift as a tonality. In the case of bass, its perceived as a lack of impact, as a thinness in the sound.

In the case of a 30Hz rolloff, the phase shift will go as high as 300Hz. As a side note, speakers are not part of this phase shift issue- its something that applies to electronics.

You can get around this problem if you have enough feedback. If you have enough, the feedback can correct for phase shift.

That kind of feedback isn’t available to SETs or for that matter, most tube amps. So bandwidth is the only way to solve the phase shift issue.

mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

OK listening and thinking things over

SET vs PP

 

With jazz quartet, light jazz such as Sophie Milman, Diana Krall, classical chamber, solo piano/violin

 

~~~SET gets the Cuban Cigar

For large blues/jazz swing orchestra/large symphonic orchestra,

 

PP gets the Cuban Cigar.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTmQHjF0e4

mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

 

More to discover