Thanks, @jjss49 I'll take a look at that link. As I hoped to convey in my post, I don't expect the SET 400 to sound like my tube amps, and so I am trying to just record what I am hearing in the event that people have comparisons of their own to report. I don't want to contact Frank until I've done more listening. Despite some claims that it will just sound like what it sounds like, out of the box, it may change or my expectations may. I don't want to be premature with Frank in any questions or statements I make.
Thanks for your reply, @arcticdeth
@jackd Thanks for reflecting on my question. I also really appreciate this statement of yours,
"Be patient and adjust to the differences and don't compare one to the other. As to Pass amps no matter how great they may or may not be they will never fit your stated budget."
I was heading for this conclusion -- in other words, just settle in for a couple weeks, listening to just the SET. Like a new pair of shoes, just gotta wear them and let them wear me. We'll see if there's mutual love. Comparisons with the tube amp don't help me understand. It would be like getting Italian food and thinking, "There's a distinct lack of soy sauce and bean sprouts. Hmmm." ;-)
As for Pass, yes, this is not the level of investment in solid state for me, right now. One thing that really attracted me, and still does, about the SET amp, is that it's likely way beyond its price point for sound quality and has the capability to push whichever alternative set of speakers, including electrostatics, etc., I might want to try. I've seen some very nice deals for, e.g., Maggies, come and go, and my position was, "I don't have the power for those." With the SET 400, I would. Now, I just need to stick with your advice and see how we get along.
Thanks for your reply, @arcticdeth
@jackd Thanks for reflecting on my question. I also really appreciate this statement of yours,
"Be patient and adjust to the differences and don't compare one to the other. As to Pass amps no matter how great they may or may not be they will never fit your stated budget."
I was heading for this conclusion -- in other words, just settle in for a couple weeks, listening to just the SET. Like a new pair of shoes, just gotta wear them and let them wear me. We'll see if there's mutual love. Comparisons with the tube amp don't help me understand. It would be like getting Italian food and thinking, "There's a distinct lack of soy sauce and bean sprouts. Hmmm." ;-)
As for Pass, yes, this is not the level of investment in solid state for me, right now. One thing that really attracted me, and still does, about the SET amp, is that it's likely way beyond its price point for sound quality and has the capability to push whichever alternative set of speakers, including electrostatics, etc., I might want to try. I've seen some very nice deals for, e.g., Maggies, come and go, and my position was, "I don't have the power for those." With the SET 400, I would. Now, I just need to stick with your advice and see how we get along.
