Tekton Double Impacts

Hey Charlies,

I have owned for over 30 years Nelson Pass's wonderful amplifiers ( Threshold SA-1's, Aleph 1's, XA-60.5's, XA-60.8's, SET-2) and loved them all. Each generation of his great creations got better and came closer to what tubes have to offer in a solid state design, but tubes, particularly SET designs offer aspects (spatial qualities / 3D imaging / timbres/tonality) that even his wonderful transistor amps just can't quite provide.  Therefore, the Pass Labs XA-60.8's comes in at third place behind the Triode Lab SET 2A3 and AricAudio SET KT-88 amps driving the Ulfberht's based on my personal taste.

However, I still have not heard a P/P 120 or 150 tube based amplifier that I have liked better then the XA-60.8's. The Pass Labs amplifier sounds more like a great tube ampilifier compared to the tube amps using this configuration and these tubes to my ears.

I'm still relatively shocked with what I'm hearing from Aric's SET KT-88 amplifier.  It's a great combination of most of the color and palpability of a SET 300b with the slam/speed more like a 845 SET based amplifier.  Never would I have imagined that a KT-88 could sound this way, but I never heard a SET design using this tube before.  This is a great amplifier and very reasonably priced indeed!   

@evolvist  Mini Inquiring Minds (MIMs) would like to know. Perhaps you could start a pool?

Teajay, 
Thank you for your reply regarding the listening impressions of these three fine amplifiers.  The Pass Labs XA series of amplifiers are upper tier solid state amplifiers and thus are a very creditable reference point.  As you rightly observe, it's a matter of individual taste. Wow,  you have or had the First Watt S.I.T. 2 ? You've certainly  owned  some excellent power amplifiers which fortifies one's perspective. 
Charles 

 
jcarcopo35 posts09-14-2017 7:20pmMapman,
My purely biased answer is that Single Ended Triode tube amplification is the best sounding for any emotional meaningful reasoning in sound presentation.

Generally speaking, solid-state is a compromise IMHO, but more specifically, Push-Pull amps are a compromise regardless of whether it's tube or solid-state.  Even the best class A Solid-State doesn't compare to Single Ended Tube Amplifier sound quality-wise.  I prefer 8-10w 300b variants.

This is purely subjective of course, but I'm not alone in this camp.  

Generally speaking tubes are a compromise IMHO .My point here is that the Rogue Audio ST-100 comes closer to giving you the best of both worlds,compared to other tube amps.Not many amps can do this  .It has some nice solid state attributes,such as , Speed , Dynamics, Articulation and Bass Slam., but it  also has the qualities that you look for in tubes, such as Presence, realness ,smoothness, imaging ..etc
There is LESS of a trade off in either direction.
I agree that Sound Quality is also quite subjective .