Giving up on Power Race, and going SET?

I use a SET rig, and I think it sounds as good or better than any high power rig I've heard. You have to get the right speakers for it. I prefer a direct radiator sound, and draw the line at front-loaded horns. My preference at this time is the Lowther single-driver speaker system. I drive it with a 2 watt 45 SET amp.

I personally think that the "Power Race" is one of the most absurd things that has happened to audio since the CD was invented. The more I've lowered my amp power and increased speaker efficiency, the better sound I've gotten.

I've been messing around with low power for a couple years. I'm not evangelical about it. There are lots of ways to go and almost every design choice is a compromise of some sort. Many of the SET systems (amp/speakers) I find are really wonderful for small jazz, blues, "acoustic" stuff and I listen to a lot of that. Many are not so convincing for symphonies and heavy electric blues, R&R. Some are of course.

I like horns for some things. You almost have to get yourself to listen differently though. Lots of folks do not like horns. Twl is one I believe. Really personal taste.

One of the nicest things about low power sets is that they are simple. No more than a handful of compoments in a stage. You do not have to be very smart to get into DIY at a very rewarding level.

I think this is one of the things driving their popularity. If you are a manufacturer you can sell an amp for big $$$$$$ that can be really very simple and inexpensive to make. If you are into DIY it is easy enough to do without being an EE or something. Of course, they sound really good too. But if they were really difficult to implement I do not think they would be enjoying the resurgence.

If you do just a little reading you can afford to make several systems and tweak them to taste. Like home cooking.
Most of the circuits used in SETS were worked out 70 years ago. There is very little that is new. Again, there are exceptions like Tom's Berning 45 Otl.

If you want a cheaper pair of horns in the Avantgarde style try the Oris horns at the Welborne site. I used a friend's pair for several months and they are very good. If you have any thoughts about DIY SET I have some info about online diy info that you might find helpful. Drop me an email. It's not rocket science.

I remain

If you're not a horn fan (I am not), nor a Lowther fan, then Nearfield Acoustics offers a Performance Series 924- 6 ft 9 drivers, 18 tweeters, 96dB, and an easy load ($12K). I am getting either an ASL Fox 22i, or an AQ 1010 (4x 300Bs) to drive mine. My biz partner ordered a pair of ASL Tulips and a pair of Hurricanes, both of which should be outstanding for his Reference Pipedreams.

I am presently going thru this very conversion. I had Dunlavy SC-IVs with ARC VT-100 MKII and LS-25. I was looking to upgrade speakers as I wanted more definition, detail, imaging, depth, better bass, etc. Everything told me I was going to have to spend a whole lot more money and change out my electronics. I heard a pair of Lowther speakers and I was very intrigued. There were problems but at the same time, they were many things right. Imaging, detail, dynamics, !!! I heard these speakers with a receiver and inexpensive CD player. I wanted to hear them on my system but in the meantime, I researched a number of different forums on single driver systems. I took a leap of faith, sold my speakers and electronics, and bought a SET amp and Supratek preamp. I bought some AER drivers (sometimes called high-end Lowthers) and I am having some rear-loaded horn cabinets built. I also bought a Art of Sound Tycus subwoofer that will do double duty for the new speakers and work as a sub for my combined 2 channel - HT system. I have the SET amp and Tycus subwoofer already. I already like both of these very much with my Dunlavy SC-Is. I am using my surround processor for a preamp which leaves something to be desired but I am already happy hearing improved imaging depth, bass, da da da. I am about 4 weeks from putting the new system together so the real test hasn't begun yet. But if it works out the way I believe it will, I will have invested maybe an extra $1K for something much better.

Depending on what you want out of a system, I think you can get more bang for the buck with this type of approach. Obviously, if you have the money, you certainly can buy some very great sounding equipment via the power race.