Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

It's not about music being loud. Distortion always seems louder due to noise. The issue is the contraction and constriction of dynamics that come way before clipping. My 97db efficient, 12 ohm Coincident speakers played loud enough for me, but not well enough over a period of time. Gorgous music to be sure, but in the end the music was limited to jazz and vocals.

It took time for me to notice this and more importantly, other more powerful amps made that easily apparent. You can get loud in your little room, but not the kind of expansive, at ease, fully dynamic sound that is possible with a better suited amp. Sure, you get beauty and tone with the right kinds of music, but not the full experience with many kinds of music.

The right speaker for the amp will also work, but it also has to be the right speaker for Rebbi. It will be interesting to see where he lands. More than one way to accomplish a bit more flexibility in his system. All good points thus far.

I was reading about the Tektons lore. Seems like a great value speaker worth a try. Little to lose trying. I think it has a good chance of fitting the bill for Rebbi. Of course fitting the bill and loving the sound are not the same. No way to know without trying. On paper I see no reason not to. The design using good quality tweeter. Large 10". Pro audio bass driver larger box and simple crossover checks all the boxes for me. As does the asking price. Interestingly the designer expresses his preference for high power amps still but seemingly should not be required if one is a tube amp lover.

Mapman, I rarely listen to music above 78-84 db on my 90db efficient 8 ohm speakers. I am driving them with two sets of Monoblock amps. I swap them out from time to time. The first set is a homemade tube PP set that sound marvelous. But, my main set are 300 watt SS amps and one could say that is complete overkill in my modest sized room at my low listening levels.

I have found that the sense of ease and flow is tremendous with the amplifiers barely breaking a sweat. Paired with my tricked out TRL Dude tubed preamp and Romulus tubed CD player I am getting that SET like sound. I have the latest version of the Trl Samson amps with some nice new improvements.

The amps are very open and deliver see through transparency and in the end just reveal the strengths of my pre and CD player. My speakers are uber musical and the total system just delivers that SET like sound that is intoxicating without SET limitations.

I will acknowledge it has taken some effort and learnings to get to this point.

Many things have helped such as.....

- using great solid core silver wire throughout the system
- speaker placement, speaker placement, speaker placement
- room treatment.......very important
- tricking out my preamp removing all electrolytic caps in the power supply, battery powered filament heaters and a few other things
- the right speaker with a simple crossover network

All these things do indeed deliver a SET like sound that is immediate, intimate and all together lovely, lively and engaging.

I am probably using 1/10 of the power available in my amps! Ha! But it works very well indeed.

I agree a great amp can only be great if not "breaking a sweat".
My 500 w/ch bel canto amps were acquired mainly for my large ohm f5 speakers in my larger room. I dabbled with various lower power amps for awhile. These are the ones that handle the job effortlessly and the music reflects that. I also run the other smaller less demanding speakers in various rooms concurrently of the same amps. They are overkill perhaps for all the rest but prefer to think of that as my insurance policy. All my speakers get driven to their max. Including the small more tube amp friendly triangles. These always excel at lower to moderate volume and that is the case these days more than ever. I would like to do the tube amp experiment with those someday not that I feel the need but as an experiment. In that I have heard many tube systems including a few sets but never owned one plus I find all the various technologies fascinating...different recipes for a favorite dish in essence. But you can never tell what a pair of speakers are capable of until they are driven effortlessly to their max. The same might be said for an amp as well I suppose if one prefers to look at it that way.

One ironic point in this discussion is power output and its stated benefit . Rebbi had high power Bel Canto amps and wasn't impressed. He says the lower power Manley tube amp was much better. Now the AN 300b has brought him the best overall sound he's ever had in his home. Food for thought, quality trumps quantity sometimes.