Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

Rebbi your last post says it all. The amp should be able to play all the kinds of music that YOU want to enjoy on a given day. Wether the speaker or amp changes, in the end, a better match is needed.

I recall running my Coincident speakers with three different SET amps and on many evenings the music was so enjoyable, just as you mentioned. However, over a period of months it became obvious that the amps were just plain running out of gas on more occasions than I originally thought.

The question is not about wether a DHT 300b amp sounds better or best compared to all other tube amp designs. That is not even a real question as a dozen 300b amps sound as different from each other as a dozen PP amps sound from the same dozen 300b amps. The real question is wether the system with your current speakers and a new tube amp will sound better than your current amp with new speakers. The comparison is at the total system level......not the amp alone.

I owned a very expensive Canary 300b paralell single ended set of amps. They put out 50 watts per channel, but did not sound as good as a solid state integrated in my total system. By good I mean all the SET type SQ attributes we all enjoy. How is this possible? Well easy. The design of the integrated was pure magic and the world offers a vast array of magical gear that we can never begin to consume. It is a great big audio world out there with many surprises and Magic awaiting! Certain 300b amps are but one.

Tomorrow's 300 tube? Oh my!

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2015/01/29/korg-noritake-introduce-futuristic-nutube-vacuum-tubes/

Correction, my Canary CA339 amps were parallel push/pull.

Charles,
The tonality and timbre, naturalness are there, again, read the various reviews. Both Tim Smith and Scott Hull are thorough reviewers and speak plain truths as I know it with the Tektons.

Grannyring, I played bass guitar during the 60s Rock era, and unless you want to damage yours ears, a quality 8-20 watt SET tube unit in a 14x16 room with a well designed and implemented high efficiency speaker such as the Tekton and others will rock the room. If you want stadium Rock, to fill The Boston Tea Party venue or Fillmore East/West then you might want something else. Remember, Rebbi’s room is something like 11x10. What's your goal? Animal house, or musicality in a small room? But also remember that large movie venues were filled with sound using old, low powered Western Electric amps.

Rebbi, Eric Alexander is a special designer/builder. His Tekton likely would suit you. My brother has the DeCapo's (your model) as well as Harbeth HL5. I've listened to a number of Omega's, nice workmanship, but to my ears not up to the Tekton, hence, I purchased the Tekton 4.5. I hate to keep banging the Tekton drum, but they are outstanding, especially at their price points, but don't let their price points fool you, they play with the big boys, and better than many.

Mapman, I don't recall ever hearing Tuetons; but I did love your old employer's place, Tech Hifi in Paramus, NJ. That is where I met John Rutan for the first time. As you probably know, John owns a great brick and mortar in Verona, NJ. I like to think of him as "The Gentleman of Verona". John, early on, helped me make some good musical choices. One of the good guys in the trade.

By-the-way, John also helped build a nice-sounding system for one of my bother-in-laws around Vandersteen speakers. Great shop, so few left.