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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
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.
arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,572 posts
 
Thought about it.
 Then heard the McCormack, sunfire 600 Sig & odyssey kismet amps.

  There is no substitute for watts & headroom.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg14jNbBb-8


alexberger
922 posts
 
Low sensitive tower speakers + super powerful transistor amp = COMPRESSION!!!!!!!
Oppressive, tedious, non-natural sound.

Most of audiophiles have zero experience, with high sensitive speakers.
The reason is - all high sensitive speakers (excluding Klipsch) are not mainstream today.
When I first time (17 year ago) listened Lowther in Oris 150 horns with 2a3 SET monoblocks, I felt like a middle-age knight who saw a tank :-)
I understood that anything I heard before where toys (including Montana, Wilson Audio, Martin Logan, Dynaudio, Spendor, Focal,....).
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