Enough SET Power for Rock and Roll


I'm still trying to figure out what SET amp would sound best for Rock and Roll (and other music but especially Rock) on Klipsch Cornwall II speakers (101dB efficiency) in a room about 18x13 (with kind of medium acoustics - not live, not totally dead.) On a Marantz 2230 (which sounds very good, surprisingly good for being ~35 years old and 30 watts of solid state) I found that when I crank up the Rock and Roll on the Cornwalls I'm listening from about 89dB to 97db, but frankly if I wasn't worried about clipping or blowing out the speakers or receiver I could probably enjoy an occassional 100 dB :) - but if I have to live at 97 dB and below I could. (Measurements made with a Radio Shack meter set on fast, C weighting - taken from 1 meter away from the speakers, and also at the main seating position which is about 10-11 feet from the speaker plane.)

From many posts here and over on AudioAsylum it sounds like a 45 SET amp would sound great but might not have enough oomph - although that isn't 100% certain. It seems that a 2A3 SET amp would have a better chance of handling the loud music and the "complexities?" of Rock (and orchestra music) vs. say simple instrumentals and vocals. Next up would be a 300B SET, more power but some people seem to think it gives away some of the "magic" of the 2A3 and especially the 45. It isn't so clear to me from reading the various posts how any of these tube types do on the low end; I think low end (reasonably deep and tight) is needed to do Rock and Roll well - but so is good midrange and highs, so it's a balance, of course.

What do you think, more power and listen loud with ease, ie go with a 300B, or can a 2A3 or possibly a 45 do it all? Or is it possible that SET just can't do Rock and Roll seriously with 101db speakers in a 18x13 rom? In which case, next up is what kind of tube amp? If SET makes sense, I'd like to give it a try but I don't want to push physics or the budget too hard with experiments that aren't likely to work.

Thanks!
hi_hifi
The volti vittora have that immediacy and warmth that I found captivating. They are huge and expensive and some say they need a subwoofer, but wow!. They may need more than 8 watts to come alive. I heard them with what I think was a push pull 300b amp.

Hi Jet,
I respect and appreciate the many contributions of Atmasphere as I know you do as well. I do agree with your comments written above regarding SET loudness/distortion. In addition to my 8 watt 300b SET I also have a 40 watt EL 34 push pull(PP) and a 100 watt 6550 PP amplifiers. I use all 3 on my Coincident 94 db (14 ohm load) speakers. 95 to 100 db is loud IMO and sounds loud with all three amplifiers. That SPL isn't perceived as any louder with the 8 watt SET. The SET is my preferred choice due to its superior tone, emotional engagement, musical pace and flow. It's just more natural and resolved/transparent. Jet our experiences are very similar and this includes a broad genre of music.
Charles
Hi Charles, yes I agree with you about Atmasphere's many helpful posts. This particular subject helped me very much to listen for those ear hurting loudness queues. Would be very interesting to take a sound loudness meter to three for four different types of systems and see at what db started to hurt ones ears
Jet,
In all honesty I'm not a fan of loud music ,recorded or live. A few weeks ago my wife and I went to a bar featuring live electric blues. It was just too loud and unenjoyable for the entire group of us. I know some like it cranked up this way and more power to them. I visit jazz venues far more often (usually unamplified) 95-100db is still loud. I don't need or want this volume at home on a regular basis. Personal preference for sure.
Charles
The easy test is if you can turn up the volume and things are in fact much louder but do not seem to be, that’s a good sign. You can tell by how well you can hear other sounds in the room at same level with volume down then up, like someone talking to you.

My Bel Canto Class D amps (lots of NF, high damping factor) do this quite well despite those things usually working against it "in theory".     Class D amps are a different breed for sure.

Also happens often in live concerts where you don’t realize how loud teh music is until you try to talk to someone.