Head-ups for fans of AricAudio designs. His new Super 211 SET two chassis amplifier


Many of you who own some of Aric's preamps/amplifiers already know what a talented designer and master builder he is of great tube gear.  I'll be getting in a few days his first two chassis reference 211 based SET amplifier for a review for Six Moons.com.  He went all out in both design and parts quality in this new creation.  Based on my past experiences with his gear, this is something that might be very special, indeed.  My two favorite power tubes in SET amps are 2A3's and 211's. You can also use 845's in this amplifier.  
teajay
Aric congratulations on your pending marriage!If you want to start a "system page" you could post pics there.
Hey Guys,
I'm a lucky S.O.B. in that I get to hear so many wonderful pieces of audio gear because of doing professional reviews. Listening to this amplifier is turning out to a special experience.  It is hard for me to pull myself away from listening to my system with the SET 211 amplifier powering it.  It offers such dynamic power and control with the beautiful colors/tonality and pureness of the best SET amplifiers I have ever heard.  There is no "BEST" in audio, many great pieces/personal taste, however, this ranks at the very top level of performance and how much you would have to spend to exceed it's performance, if you could, would cost ungodly amounts of $.
"Why do they use SRPP input stage and EL34 driver?" This is simple. Out of all of the other stages I experimented with- these simply provided the best drive, lowest output impedance, and best blend to the 211 power tube. The SRPP can drive the EL34 (in Triode mode- which is much different than Pentode, or UL mode as the drive requirements go up). The EL34 in Triode mode can provide the necessary swing (200V P-P) to drive the grid of the 211, and the low output impedance overcomes Miller Factor (capacitance at the grid of the next stage). It also has excellent linearity in Triode mode! This overcomes slewing, lack of headroom- and most importantly- the driver stage running out of steam before the power tube is in A1. This results in headroom, full frequency response and maximum power output. I hope this helps! Aric