does more power=better quality ?

Raquel,

Yes - I read your Singer anecdote - and noted the qualification.

However, the conditions of the comparison made that
comparison absolutely WORTHLESS.

So worthless - that it shouldn't even be brought up -
qualifications notwithstanding.

I reject your contention that there is one "way to go"
in audio system design - efficient speakers and relatively
low power amps.

Some well executed speaker designs, for example ribbons;
are inherently low efficiency and require high currents.
You can only make a permanent magnet so strong. A ribbon
driver has inherently a single turn in its "voice coil" -
so unlike dynamic drivers where the efficiency can be
increased by putting more turns in the voice coil - a
ribbon can't take advantage of that technique. With a
limited strength magnet, and a single turn - the only way
to get more output is the third term in the equation for
the Lorentz force - the current. The impedance must be
lowered to obtain more current. However, that means a
more powerful amp.

That approach is every bit as well considered as your
approach.

As far as the 300B being linear - ARE YOU KIDDING!!

Have you ever put a 300B on a test bench to determine
the linearity? I have - and I would NOT say that they
are champs in the linearity department.

One can make an amp that sounds very nice to those that
like the sound of the 300B, but please don't say it is
anything special when it comes to linearity.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

Eldartford,

Very good - I agree with you 100%

All else being equal [ which is the key ], the more
powerful amp is more linear.

Some audio systems - some speakers - require the higher
power amps; like the ribbons of a Magneplanar.

Some speakers are very efficient and won't tax even a low
power amp - thus keeping it in the more linear regime.

I get really irked by people that say there is ONE WAY
[ usually their way ] to accomplish a given task.

If that were true, we'd all be driving the SAME car,
because there would be only one BEST car, watching the
SAME TV, because there would be only one BEST TV....

There are a whole host of different philosophies. Any
engineer will tell you that engineering is about making
compromises and trade-offs. You trade one set of advantages
for a set of disadvantages. What choices one makes is
determined by what they value.

As the old saying goes - "That's why they make chocolate
and vanilla!" Chocolate is NOT necessarily the one BEST
choice in ice cream.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

Raquel,

Here's the web page of someone that has actually tested
the tubes they're dealing with:

http://jcverdiervalvevinyl.online.fr/Kinky300/300Binfo.html

The quality of the tubes varies - which is true of
every manufactured component. However, it is especially
true of hand-assembled devices like vacuum tubes.

However, one can see that even in the tubes labeled "perfect",
there is a degree of non-linearity. The plate characteristics
curves are not perfectly straight - and they are not
perfectly spaced.

The author is correct that they are "perfect" - but
perfection only goes so far with a hand-assembled
1935 designed electronic device.

The 300B is not bad for a tube designed in 1935.
In fact, it's a rather impressive tube for a
device that did not benefit from modern computer
modelling, and modern electronics manufacturing
techniques.

However, one can produce devices with better linearity.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist

How do you trim a transistor with a laser? Would a sharp razor blade work?

A little off the subject but seems somewhat relevanet. Given the argument that fewer devices, simpler design, gives a better quality sound, less to mess it up, would an OTL amplifier be a more reasonable solution, rather than looking at power alone, to question of sound quality?
Power and simplicity are favorites of mine. Any thoughts would be appreciated