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SET 45 Amp Driving Dynamic Speakers

I have an Antique Sound Labs Tulip SET amp running Emission Labs mesh plate 45s, driving Audio Note AN E speakers. It will play WAY louder than I want to listen, and the dynamics are amazing with all types of music.

Why do I keep reading that 45s (and other low power triodes) are only appropriate for horns, or other super efficient speakers? I think a real disservice has been done to the audiophile community by the propagation of this idea. IMO, anyone who prefers to listen to music at sane levels can enjoy the many benefits of a low power SET amp with carefully chosen dynamic speakers.

Anyone else feel this way/have similar experience?
tommylion
inna
7,923 posts
 
Yes, here we do have a profound disagreement. I even believe that only analog tape sounds right. Many do too.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Inna,
I understand your position as this debate is discussed to the point of Ad nauseam (and this is unlikely to change). So in this case we respectfully agree to disagree.  Both sides of this argument have plenty of company 😊😊. 
Charles, 
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,976 posts
 
Seems more than a few running 45 SET with under 100db loudspeakers are saying they do not listen loud and are limited in music selection. If you want few limits with 45 SET want to play any type of music you care to you will most likely need a horn loaded loudspeaker and might even have to biamp. Or enjoy within limits nothing wrong with that but I do feel those insisting that the suggestion that 45 SET needs hi-eff is wrong because if they use within limits it works for them misses the point of the over 100db easy ohm load suggestions for 45 SET use and that is to get the best out of these SETs.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,174 posts
 
If using a 45 amp to only reproduce 350 to 2000Hz on a 100 dB/W driver in a 25m2 room and if average listening level is 85-90 dB SPL, would a 45 suffice or be driven to the point where 5th order harmonics become an issue?

Al did an excellent job of answering this.

Since the type 45 can operate with exceptional bandwidth, I would have considered this amplifier to be a good one for the tweeter, where high power is usually less of an issue. Alternatively, if you could operate a mid-range driver with more efficiency, then you would also have a good payoff.
lewinskih01
912 posts
 

Hello Al.

Thanks for the excellent and thoughtful reply. I've gone through it several times in the last couple of days.

You made it very clear so I can work through the tradeoffs. Maybe running the amp up to 50% si not as offensive? Something to try and learn.

I think most of my music is going to be rather compressed. Of course I have some good recordings, including Telarc's Firebird you mentioned, but the majority of my listening is going to happen with lesser quality recordings. Let alone having 3 kids into teenagehood and wanting to share some listening time with them, with their music ;-)

FWIW, I'm working on the midrange driver. It's a horn-loaded cone, so efficiency is yet another tradeoff in the design. I believe 100dB/W is about a floor, and probably a cieling around 106dB/W. Hopefully I can get it to 103-104dB/W and then things start to look significantly better. Or I'll have to settle for a 2A3 or higher power amp.


Glad to see a healthy thread develop on SETs. I'm hoping that eventually more people will be open to try what well-implemented DSP can do for a system (emphasis on "well-implemented"), just like Charles was open to experience well-implemented digital. Not saying it will be best for everybody, but I find it a pity people follow so many preconceived notions in audio and preclude themselves from trying new things. OK, time to get off my soap box :-)

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