Myth: low-power high-efficiency

Power on, Scott!

I have both SET amps and PUSH/PULL amps. I liked the delicacy of the set amp and midrange magic.No the set did not have the slam or punch off the pp amps they dont have the head room. I have several PUSH/PULL amps and it's all about interfacing. I have a 15 watt, 40 watt, and a 100 wpc. on 4 different horn loaded systems. The 40 wpc. won every time. You want to talk about slam, punch dynamics, it would take your head off. I don't think anything does that better than horns. It can't be just any push/pull, it has to interface. Do a search on web and read these articals by Dr. Harvey "Gizmo" Rosenberg THE SUN RISES IN AMERICA©
REINVENTING PUSH/Pull
SOME DANCING ADVICE FROM A 300B MANIAC
UNDERSTANDING
TUBE ELECTRONICS II©
PUSH/PULL VS. SINGLE-ENDED AMPLIFIERS
SAVING PUSH/PULL FROM ITSELF

I have argued until I am blue in the face that even very high efficiency speakers need lots of power to develop a truely rich sound but that was in reference to my my 104 Db/W/M La Scalas. I think a single driver speaker can sound fairly full with a low powered not flea powered SET amp. I don't consider anything above 5 wpc flea powered. I will repeat my own experience I was raised on K;ipsch Heresies which I bought new in 1977 and powered them with a 60 wpc SS amp which was about all you could get as tubes were way out of fashion for the mainstream buyer. I always wanted the Big Klipsch so a couple of years ago I bought the LaScalas vintage 1978 from a fellow audiogoner using a 2A3 amp to power them. It was a local pick up so I had a chance to audition them. Sure I could play them at loudish volumes with the flea powered amp but the guy was honest and told me that one of the tweeter diaphragms was replaced because in his opinion the power was quote not the right power! I bought them and hooked them up to 100wpc ARC power amp then later a 50wpc Mac and various other reasonable power amps. The result was remarkable the 15 inch woofer came alive and even for what many consier a screechy horn these speakers delivered a rich full sound with bass. I don't know if your speakers are single driver types which really rely on the enclosure to deliver the best bass the driver is capable of. In addition there are watts and there are watts. Some low output amps have fabulous transformers which can somehow compensate for the lack of rated power output, but only to a limited extent in my humble listening experience. In the end I agree Eldartford size really does matter no matter what she says to make you feel better!!!

As Boa2 (or better Terry Cain) so nicely mentioned: Keeping a second amp around for times when you need the additional dynamics seems to be the best idea. My Cain Abbys sound already incredible on 2 Watts for most music: Immediate, lively, engaging, with nice tonal and harmonic rightness. However, to get absolute dynamics and bass control I need a couple of Watts. Of course, this is not too surprising in my setup: I used an 80W amp on a set of 89dB speakers before which would translate into roughly 20W into the 94dB efficient Abbys.

Also, one more comment: Different tube amps can sound quite different and from descriptions the 300b is NOT the most immediate and punchy sounding tube (no personal experience with the 300b though). Did you try any of the other varieties of tubes, e.g. 2A3 or 45? While lower in power they might give you more what you are looking for.

Also, amp-speaker synergy seems way more important with higher efficiency speakers of the horn or single driver variety. E.g. I was quite under whelmed with a pair of Zu Druids on a Cary Rocket 88 or even on a Cary 300b amp as well. Then again, my Abbys sounded much less engaging with a Jolida EL34 based PP than with a 2 Watt Bottlehead amp. Go figure... :) . A First Watt F1 does wonders though in my setup in terms of dynamics and bottom end control.

With best wishes,

Rene

....it is an art to build a SET system!Remember, that you have to find the right MATCH of speaker and amplifier...it can be SET,PP,SS...it is when the music starts to be "there" with no editorial, just free floating and then you have all...detail dynamics etc. High efficiency speakers is a MUST. SET amplifiers, especially 300b variety...I have had many and all sounded different and maybe a little "300b" same, but what about Final Labs, 47 labs if you want more dynamics?!