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SET the best?

Is SET amplification where we should all end up? I keep reading posts where people tell of their journeys from plenty power to micro power, and how amazing SET amplification is 45 set 211 set 845 set otl, and usually, ....with the right speaker. I have yet to read of anyone who has gone the other direction from SET, to High watt beast class A amps or others.
If your speakers can be driven by minimal wattage, is this the most realistic, natural sound we can achieve? versus say, 86db sensitive speakers and a 1000w amp?
Is the end result solely based on speaker pairing? circuit? tubes?

I am in the process of changing my direction in my search for realistic sound, just because, and wondering if this really is the best direction to be going.
From what I have been reading I think it may be.

What do we get with SET? What do we give up?

What's you favorite color?
hanaleimike
alexberger
922 posts
 
Hi @atmasphere ,

Yes it is true. There are a few SET friendly speakers on the market.

But the hard to drive tower speakers like Wilson and Dynaudio will always sound compressed, and too loud at 95dB+ volume even with 1K watt amplifier.

I think a  low sensitive speakers fashion is a huge delusion of Hi-End market .

Regards,
Alex.


wolf_garcia
6,711 posts
 
My Dennis Had amp is an SEP (pentode) at from 12 to 17wpc depending on tubes used, which means with Gold Lion KT77s, my "tube du jour," I'm likely getting 10 to 12wpc. This drives my 99db Heresy IIIs to as loud as I need to hear 'em with plenty of headroom left. I cheat with a couple of REL subs, but man...a great sounding thing.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,859 posts
 
I think a low sensitive speakers fashion is a huge delusion of Hi-End market .
I totally agree!

This drives my 99db Heresy IIIs to as loud as I need to hear 'em with plenty of headroom left.
Its this phenomena of *sounding* loud that's what I'm talking about. My speakers are 1 dB less and my room is not particularly large; I find 30 watts to be a nice minimum power. This means the amp is loafing all the time. When an SET or SEP is making over 20% of full power, the distortion is causing it to sound 'loud'. A sound pressure level meter sorts things out pretty quickly. They are available as an app for smartphones.




luisma31
516 posts
 
Its this phenomena of *sounding* loud that's what I'm talking about. 
Agreed I have compared a PSET with KT150's 16 Watts or so vs the OTL's and it distorts after 70% or so, that impression of playing loud to me was plain distortion. My speakers are 96 db not 100 db so I think it could get better but don't know how much more.

wolf_garcia
6,711 posts
 
I can't tell if my amp is loafing, and I've used the iPhone meter for years out of curiosity and to test relative channel levels...no idea how many watts my amp is actually using as I don't own whatever gear would tell me that, but it sure seems clean even at uncomfortable levels.
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