2. amps-preamps
  3. 1034041473

What SS amp do you use with your SF Line 3?

I tried everything from Pass X-350 to Rowland 8TiHC, but none of them sounded good with my SF Line 3SE. I know impedance matching is critical when mating tube pre with SS power, but SF Line 3 has very low output impedance and should be easy on amp choices. I was getting thin midrange and flat sound, not very musical at all regardless the speakers I hook them up to. In comparison to ARC LS-15 which I used to own, it always sounded musical regardless what amp I used and ARC had much higher output impedance!

So short of getting a SF power amp which will guarantee matching, what do you guys use? My speakers are Sonus Faber Amati Homage which will need some power to drive, but will sound fine if tube amp is able to handle 4 ohm load. I don't play loud and I listen to mainly classical and jazz, so absolute bass control is not as critical. I will prefer SS over tube because of room arrangement, I also do not want my kids to get burned. Last thing is I much prefer having XLR input so I can continue using my AQ Diamond interconnect.

Thanks,

David
semi
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Mdomnick,
I am not familiar with Sonic Frontiers equipment but many reviewers were satisfied using simple tube dampers that might do the trick without spending $$$ on NOS that i repeat some day will be gone.
fpeel
455 posts
 
Marakanetz, don't get me wrong. My main interest was in passing on my first hand experience with a component from the same line as Semi's, not to get into a debate about design philosophies or the drying up of the NOS tube supply. The former is outside the scope of my limited knowledge and the latter is pretty much a given.

You have raised my curiosity about tube dampers. Are there specific ones you recommend? They might be a nice addition to my NOS tubes... ;-)

Mdomnick, follow this link for more information on the 6DJ8/6922/7308 family of tubes. It's the best articel I've yet to find. http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
the tube dampers are pretty often posted here and called hal-o.
i saw them used almost in any tube amp/preamp on last NYH home-entertainment show.
mdomnick
332 posts
 
I bought some tube dampers about 2 months ago, and to be honest I never really did anything to see if I heard a difference, but I was using them on telefunken tubes, so if there was a benefit to them, I'm sure it was negligable. I have since pulled the Telefunkens in order to send my amp in for repair, and will be trying them on my Amprex tubes in my Line 1 (rear bank). I'm excited to see if they really help. I bought an expensive set, heavy brass, nice quality and design, and to be honest probably spent too much ($100) but compared to the $10K in gear, it's a small purchase. I'll try to post the maker of the dampeners, but don't have the name as of right now and will let you know what I found on my Amprex.

Found the URL:
http://www.vintagetubes.com/Dampers.htm
More to discover