OTL amps, my pick for the tube used.

I have yet to talk with the owner of a product that uses 6C33 tubes that hasnt had to live with much higher than average problems with these tubes during the first 50 or so hours of use. Perhaps this is no longer the case. 

Just to be clear, that’s 100 **watts** not amps, per the manufacturer’s website. With 150 watts into 4 ohms, that’s about 6.2 amps total. Our MA-2 can do more than that.

Hi Ralph,

Before George points it out, the datasheet shown at the second link in his last post does in fact say "output current: 100 amps (continuous)," for the ME 1400/ME 1500 amplifiers referred to in that post (as opposed to the OTL amp referred to in his OP).

However, as best as I can tell from some somewhat blurry rear panel photos I found on the net there is a 5 amp fuse located immediately adjacent to the ME amp’s pendant power cord. Assuming 240 VAC (as is used down under) that would correspond to a maximum AC input of significantly less than 240 x 5 = 1200 watts, assuming reasonable derating of the fuse. Which in addition to calling into question the specified "typical" output power capabilities (e.g., 800 watts per channel into 2 ohms and 1500 watts per channel into 1 ohm, these figures stated to be "continuous and with both channels driven"), would mean that 100 amps could be continuously supplied into a load impedance of no more than 1200/(100 x 100) = 0.12 ohms. And actually much less impedance than that, given reasonable derating of the fuse and reasonable efficiency assumptions, and if two channels are to be driven.

In other words, a usage scenario that would never exist in practice.

Best regards,

-- Al

Beautiful amps, I can't afford the tubes let alone the amps though.

I have no interest in any amp that can not do at least 200 watts.
Mike

And hey! I also have no interest in any amp that can’t drive speaker loads that can vary from 2-32 ohms without becoming a tone control.
I just started this post with those pics as they are more a work of art to me rather than listened to, been down that OTL path and with SE transmission tube as well, I will never go back there again.

Cheers George

Before George points it out, the datasheet shown at the second link in his last post does in fact say "output current: 100 amps (continuous)," for the ME 1400/ME 1500 amplifiers referred to in that post (as opposed to the OTL amp referred to in his OP).

@almarg If you look at their website, they claim 100 watts into 8 ohms and 150 into 4. So I am assuming that '100 amps' is a typo, not uncommon on the web... but just for fun, since Power = R x I squared, and giving the amp the benefit of the doubt by assuming a 1 ohm load, 100 amps would work out to an amplifier that makes 10,000 watts into 1 ohms, and 40,000 watts into 4... Obviously the amp can't do that, so I'm going with Occam's Razor on this one, IOW a typo is the simpler explanation :)