Which 300B SET for SF Guarneri Homage?


Driving my Guarneri with a Pass Aleph 3 amp(with audio aero capitole mkIISE cdp+pre), which goes quite well, but thinking of upgrading amp to a couple of 300B monoblocks...
The thing is this is a tricky change because, among other things, the Pass is built like a tank and is an excellent amp. So I want to make the decision carefully with no hurries...
Considering as an option the Coincident Frankenstein's but i'm not too informed about tube amps.
I listen to all sorts of music though fav is Opera, so my expectations with the change would go on the line of getting a more real life experience.
I wonder if anyone had any experience of driving these 87db sensitivity, 6-8ohm speakers with a SET and would appreciate opinions or suggestions
dongiovanni
Canary 300B amps are awesome.
My friend has the Canary Ca-339 300B amps on the Cabasse Iroise. Great combination.
Dongiovanni, I looked up the output of the Coincident Frankenstein's. They put out a max of 8watts/ch! I would be VERY surprised if this amp could drive the GH's.( especially since you have a fairly large room) I noticed that Coincident also makes another model-- The Dragon; which puts out a max of 75 watts/ch. IMHO, that amp would be a far better choice. Do you have a chance to listen to the Coincident/GH combo before buying.. That is what I would suggest if you have the opportunity.
Daveyf,
Have you personally heard these amplifiers? I have and forming an opinion based simply based on specs alone is`nt good advice at all.Per the stereophile measurements this speaker has a very favorable load and phase angle(8 ohm nominal and minimum 5.8 ohm0 with it`s 87db sensitivity and the given listening preference of the OP the Frankenstein could work quite well. The Dragon amp would certainly drive these spearkers but the OP expressed an interest in the 300b amp. I`ve experienced a number of times when a lower powered tube amp(with good transformer and PS) have matched or outperformed a higher power rated amp on speakers with a suitable load. Numbers don`t always tell the whole story.
Charles1dad, have you heard these amps with the GH's? I admit I have not, BUT I have heard several low powered 300B amps with these speakers that are clearly a poor match . What you end up listening to is basically distortion. I think YOUR advice is actually very poor IF you haven't heard the amp/speaker combo that the OP is asking about. My suggestion, IF you read my post, was for the OP to try and hear the Frank/GH combo for himself and then decide. That is really the only way that I know of wherein one could be absolutely sure that the combo works well enough for the OP's taste.I agree that numbers don't always tell the whole story, however, as I own the GH's ( Do You also?) I know that these speakers do NOT work well with lower powered amps and are NOT that easy to drive ( Plus, I have a much smaller room than the OP!) So, a safe bet would be the Dragon's and the Frankenstein's a very questionable choice, IMHO ( regardless of the transformer and PS).
BTW, your point about numbers also applies to your statement that the GH's have a very favorable load and phase angle ( aren't these numbers?)
Daveyf,
We both can agree that listening to the GH/Frankenstein combo would be ideal. I`ve not heard this GH just as you`ve not heard the amp in question. I did place this amp on a friends 89db/8 ohm speaker in a larger room than the OP`s room and they sounded very good and strain free. All 300b SET amps are`nt created equal and yes, power supply and transformers matter greatly. Based on my experience wirh this amp(which the OP specified by the way) I simply feel it could be a good match. Regarding numbers some are more relavant than others. Certainly in this case the known load characteristics of a speaker is critical when considering a match with SET amplifiers as oppose to just knowning the wattage rating without context.Can we also agree that all 10, 50, 200watt etc. amps don`t preform the same despite identical power ratings