You might consider what push pull *triode* amps can do. Triodes are a lot more linear than pentodes and tetrodes.
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The Cayin EL34 *baby amp* has a switch for Triode and Ultra Linaer
I never understood what these 2 modes were, But I can say for triode you need a higher sens speaker than the Thors at 87db.
I would guess each has tube has their pluses over the other.
From what i've heard the EL34 has a superior midrange t vs the character of the KT88.
Honestly hard to say.
Richard Gray lent me his Dynaco modded EL34 aka *The Baby Gray* and his Allan Organ monos with KT120's.
I really found it hard to tell the dif twix my Defy KT88, EL34, KT120, all sounded close,
But was not done with extensive testing on a higher sens mid/tweeter.
A xover with midtweet dome lacks the sens to pick up subtle nuances, Which is why I got rid of the Millennium.
The driver acting as mid/tweet has to be higher than 94db sens, or else it will not voice subtilities in the tube amplification. That is to say low sens speakers 93db lower, with their xovers and drivers, suck the life out the tube.
For speakers with 93db lower, ss amps make a good match.
I'm considering 93db as the cutoff point, perhaps 92db.
Horns and high quality FR drivers start sens ratings at 96/07 db
The 93db-96db is sort of a **No Man's land* in speakers.
There really are only 2 classes of sensitivity in speaker designs,
Low vs high.
Perhaps others here can detect differences in various tubes, but I had a hard time with the EL34, vs KT88 vs KT120.
The subtilities were *Miniscule*
