OTL Tube Amps-- are they superior to everything?

Short answer is no.

I agree that all designs are a compromise. You have to decide what compromises are right for you. I have a 20 watt OTL and speakers with low impedences do not work well with it at all. This does not mean that it will sound good with all high impedence speakers either. But, as a general rule, with high impedence or flat 8 ohm speakers, the OTL will sound more transparent and fast than other amp designs.

Most OTL amp designers contend that the Berning is not a true OTL. With all the wires and circuitry in there it is amazing that it even works. It is more amazing when you hear the thing play- with all types of speakers. I believe that Mr. Berning is a genius who just happens to design amps. He is so far ahead of other designers (most of which use basic amplifier circuits created in the 50s- not entirely bad) that the only thing they can do is ignore him. I almost bought one, but........ The only drawback is that it is so unconventional that if it ever breaks you better pray that Mr. Berning is around to fix it (and have parts for it).

It sounds to me like you need to commit to an OTL amp, and then choose a speaker that works well with it. This is a big step, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for such a commitment. I also read quite a few reviews on the otlamp.com website. Although every reviewer liked them very much, Todd Warnke of Sound Stage seemed to zero in on the flaws they do have. So, I guess they don't do everything perfect, but then nothing does.

Sean, since I'm in Chicago, perhaps you could drop me a line, and maybe we could talk...

It sounds to me like you need to commit to an OTL amp, and then choose a speaker that works well with it. This is a big step, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for such a commitment. I also read quite a few reviews on the otlamp.com website. Although every reviewer liked them very much, Todd Warnke of Sound Stage seemed to zero in on the flaws they do have. So, I guess they don't do everything perfect, but then nothing does.

Sean, since I'm in Chicago, perhaps you could drop me a line, and maybe we could talk...

I personally haven't heard any amp design that offers what OTL's do when matched with an optimal load. The traditional design will however exibit problems if not properly matched to a stable high impedance speaker load. The ideal being 16 ohms. Not too many dynamic speakers exibit such a load therefore the zeroformer is used. This thing DOES affect the sound of the amp. The higher the multiplier, the dryer the sound becomes losing some of the characteristic OTL "sound", in my mind a compromise. The plus side with this device is maintaining the clarity at the frequency extremes.

The Berning zh270 really isn't a true OTL which by definition means nothing but wire between the plate and speaker terminal. The Berning uses a patented high frequency impedace converter which is essentially a transformer without the effects of iron, the signal is unaffected. What you get is a pure signal with the pluses of OTL's PLUS the ability to drive low impedance loads at full power. This design is also high bandwidth and doesn't have the limitations of traditional output transformers. I expect some of the more expensive modern tube designs have limited some of the problems associated in the past with transformers.

Ultrakatz's reservations about owning such a product was also a concern of mine. What happens if the designer isn't around to fix the amp if there is a problem down the road? Berning's track record for reliability of his products is legendary, he personally assembles his own amps. I guess at some point you have to take the leap of faith and not worry too much about it. Listening is believing, this amp is quite special as well as offering flexibility beyond a typical basic amplifier.

I agree that a Berning ZOTL differs from a normal OTL amp. The ZOTL has all the advantages, and none of the limitations of "normal" OTL.

As many of you already know, I feel that the ZOTL is the premier audio design in history, thus far. That being said, if I heard a better sounding amp that I could afford, I'd buy it tomorrow. Don't think that's too likely, and not because I didn't have the money.

Agree that there are speaker limitations with just about any amplifier, even high power SS ones. Nothing matches with everything perfectly.

To answer your question directly, I feel that tube amps do music better than SS, and OTL gives a clearer faster insight into the music, with the right speakers. ZOTL does that even better, and can do some things a nomal OTL could never do, such as allow true SET configuration, without the use or limitation of traditional audio output transformers.

This is all my humble opinion, and is not meant to disparage any other type of amp, or its manufacturer, or owner. I use the ZOTL product, and know its capabilities.