atmasphere : even that in the past in WBF we had the same kind of dialogue on the BS tube electronics against the superlative SS technology where I asked and you said that because you designed SS you already knew the problems with an then your choice for tubes.
Please Don´t ask me but to Prof. Johnson of Spectral or Dan'agostino of Krell in the past and D'angostino today electronics or even to N.Pass an all of them will tell you that all their pure class A amplifiers are non-feedback and you can ask too the level of headroom on each one top models that nevers clip.
Years ago I owned the Classé Audio DR3-VHC to run Apogee Scintillas that gone down to 1 ohm and even lower than that and the speakers were low sensitivity down 84db..
The DR3_VHC is a stereo pure class A non-feedback design with only 25 watts output power and a headroom of 6db.
Well this amplifier runs the speakers at high SPL in fantastic way. Btw, the other amps with the capacity to handle the Scintilla and any other today top speakers are the ML 20.6 monoblocks ( that I own. ) fully regulated balanced design pure class A non-feedback 100watts output doubling that level output down to 0.5 ohm ( almost runs a short circuit condition ). I think Levinso knows something about SS designs that you just do not.
"
overload character- clip it and the distortion is instantly audible. "
You live in the past that kind of clipping just does not exist in SS today electronics even in the years of my Classé Audio.
It's not only totally inaudible but almost does not exist even if you try to you can't because the designs are very well care about.
@atmasphere this is the 2020 year ! !.
Tubes at any audio home electronics is bs. and unfortunatelly you can't do nothing about but to follow sale your electronics to the mediocrity/average of the audiophiles that were teached and learned through the corrupted AHEE where obviously you belongs as me and every one in audio. Period.
Our Essential 3160 is an SS where you nopt even can dream with:
" This, our self design, Essential 3160 use bipolar transistors in two gain stages for MC phono stage and FETs for MM phono stage in the same two gain stages, the Essential 3160 is not only a phono stage that you must to connect to a line preamp ( where you need an additional interconnect cable that do a degradation to the signal ).
No, the Essential 3160 is an integral one unit (with out step-up transformers ).
Where there is no compromise, the MC and MM stages are very critical and needs to be independent. Each phono stage ( MC and MM. ) is designed for its self precise and specific needs.
Our design is a discrete Non-feedback, direct coupled, pure class A , current mode, true balanced ( differential ) input to output, dual mono design and fully regulated input to output.
The dual mono design only share the chasis but both channels are totally independent from each other even in the dual mono external power supply ( that use too a pure silver Kimber Kable power cord. ) that is so important to the performance on this phonolinepreamp, it has separate attenuator volume control and separate phono/line switch, impedance changes by solder resistors.
Inside parts: teflon Cu capacitors, " naked " Vishay resistors,mathed transistors , no internal wires ( every part is soldered directly to the four layers circuit boards. ), etc....., only the best neutral non-sound parts ( no step-up transformers, no head amps, etc.. ) and in the critical stages with tolerances at 0.001%.
The RIAA equalization is a critical issue.
A developed proprietary technique guarantee an accurate RIAA de-emphasis. This technique assures an initial RIAA accuracy of +/- 0.011 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz ( Both channels ), resulting in a neutral phono stage that reproduces exactly what the cartridge generates that are in the recording.
The result is a preamplifier combining the purity and transparency of a passive preamplifier with the speed, dynamics and drive of an SS active preamplifier ( Truer to the recording. )
To round off the preamplifier's RIAA capabilities, its has a switchable 3.18 us turnover point Neumann pole. ) to compensate for the cutting head preemphasis roll-off during the recording.
Some specs:
- RIAA eq. deviation from 20 Hz to 20 Khz: 0.011 db ( both channels )
Frequency range to: DC to 1,5 MHz. ( both channels. )
Clean gain: Adjustable to 100 db
Signal to noise ratio: better than 85dbA in MC stage refered to 0.5mv. and according the standard/norm/rule: EIA/CEA-490-A , the same spec for MM but reffered to 5.0mv and 110db at 1 V ( unity gain ) in line stage. ( Both channels .)
Slew rate: 350 V/mseg.
Common mode rej.: 150db. ( Both channels. )
Distortion: 0.002% ( Both channels. )
Dynamic range: 131db.
Crosstalk: better than 140db.
Input overload: MC: 20 mVrms @ 1 kHz (High-gain), 40mVrms @ 1 kHz (Low-gain)
MM: 550 mVrms @ 1 kHz. ""
That is what own a customer from you.
My home unit is even better: up-graded/up-dated.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
