Zu Soul Superfly

Hey Bill,

Don't you think the AA PX-25 would rock the Souls? I have a hard time believing not. As everyone knows that is one ballsy amp that can respectfully drive ~90 dB/6-ohm nominal speakers.

That said, talk of amp "requirements" are next to meaningless without establishing room size & volume requirements. It is surprising that so many such discussions go on here without giving those critical parameters their due. Everyone knows that the guy who wants 95 dB needs 10x the power of the guy who is quite happy at 85 dB!

IME a beefy 2A3 amp drove the Druid quite well.

I've used a few different amps at this point with my Souls and ironically, the lowest powered one has sounded the best. My 10wpc Firstwatt F1 sounds better to my ears than my Dynaco ST-70 (Zu recommended) and than a Virtue TWO.2 I have on loan (also briefly tried a borrowed Panasonic xr25 digital which I didn't care for).

All three amps sound great, but I plugged my F1 back in for the first time in a week today and its my preference. Better bass in terms of slam, texture and tightness. Its harmonically leaner than either of the other two but its simultaneously detailed and refined with a very live "raw" feeling. I wouldn't mind a little tube magic, but I'll have to keep searching for something that doesn't give up what the F1 does right to find it.

I've got a mid sized room and am not going to sweat over wattage.

Gopher,

Thanks for your (further) feedback. I may be in the market for a toddler-friendly HE speaker in the near-mid future and at a bargain price as I've drastically reduced my audio budget (and suffered little in doing so).

As I think I mentioned to you previously my favorite amp now is my FW F3. So close to the best SET and better in important ways too (bandwidth, noise floor). I am sure it would be a good match for the Soul (which has caught my eye).

[I really, really like my Cardersound Tybones but they are just begging to be knocked over by the 1 year-old. A couple close calls already. I figure they might be better off in the bedroom. Like some others here, I refuse to have a "man-cave", insisting that our main system be in the living room as a family centerpiece.]

I had a pair of Druids 4-5 years ago that I enjoyed very much. In the shop powered by a 2A3 SET, they helped me complete 25% of an airplane.

The Soul is undoubtedly superior, reasonably priced, and obviously toddler-proof with a high driver and fat bass resistant to disturbance.

I would suggest you try a FW F3. By all accounts it is much closer to the SET sound than the F1. When I had AN/Es (which I might return to if not for the same kid-friendly issues), the F3 and a Korneff 45 were a toss-up for me. That is saying something.

>>My 10wpc Firstwatt F1 sounds better to my ears than my Dynaco ST-70 (Zu recommended)<<

It's not surprising you'd prefer the F1 over the Stereo 70. A stock ST70 is certainly pleasant but in modern teems also quite flavored, however euphonically. It has very soft bass and extreme top end, and while it has energy, it doesn't deliver slam.

There are many circuit and parts modifications that push a more accurate sound through a ST70s excellent output transformers, but anyone expecting the transparency, bursty dynamic vitality, improved bass and extended treble along with traditional midrange appeal from an unmodified ST70 -- especially from a speaker as wideband and revealing as Superfly -- will be sweetly disappointed. it can be made quite good, but there ar many more contemporary alternatives.

I know Zu has recommended Dyna pairings wih Soul for people who want tube characteristics inexpensively, and that's right. But if you're starting with a FW F1 as your reference, you'll have to hear something more compelling than a stock ST70 to sell you on a tube amp, I think. And I say this as a former owner of many stock and modified Dyna 70s.

Phil

Paul,

From the emails we've exchanged and from reading a lot on the forums, I'd love to pick up an F3 when one comes available. The Pass built one is out of my budget at the moment, but hopefully a rawson built clone will come up soon... it seems like people are really holding on to them these days since Tim retired.

Phil,

I think you are absolutely right. The stock Dynaco is a good recommendation for someone wanting to get into tubes inexpensively with these speakers, but not really an 'advanced' piece.

It does sound nice--fat warm ans as you noted euphonic, but it was putting me to sleep... literally. I was falling asleep an hour and a half earlier than usual with that amp.

I will say this though--listening to a couple other good amplifiers reminds me of how good the Firstwatt is and makes me realize I'll really need to step up to something 'great' to better it... tubes would be nice, but the experimenting I've done has taken away some of my feeling of urgency to move to something else and the thinking that my pairing is less than optimal.