SET vs OTL

Thanks it was Audioaero. This was a good P.P. amp. that was flexible on which power tubes were used. I think I ended up using some old stock  6550s. This amp used 6SN7s as drivers and I was smitten by the Tung-Sol round plates in this application. Using P.P or S.S. designs sure makes life easier in many ways. 

Oh and so you know, much of the auditioning of amps was done on a pair of DeVore 0/96s which responded very well to changes in amplification. A speaker which is better than the sum of its parts and I mean this in a very positive way, although this was not my personal speaker. 

👌 on the DeVores!

The one thing that clearly differentiates an SET from any Push-Pull (OTL or not) is the crossover distortion which occurs due to splitting the wave and joining it back. Once I heard and lived with an SET, that distortion was so clearly audible in Push-pull that it was no more acceptable as "right". It is a fundamental compromise.

The sound without the crossover distortion is a very continuous flow like a inner tissue connecting the whole spectrum of music. It feels like a "one" sound. Whereas Push-pull just feels disconnected pieces playing together "in comparison". It is not a triode or tube thing. I have heard the same effect even in single ended solid state amps (Sugden, Valvet).

In real life all sounds are single ended hence it is recognisable as natural when that aspect is preserved. Surprising that no one points to this.

@pani,

touché: your description is dead-on. That said all but the best SETs suffer from their transformers: it usually sounds like there has been a cushion put on the music; yes, the flow is there but it somewhat sounds muffled and damped. Other than my Wavac I have only heard Kondo, top end Audionote and Reimyo not severely affected by this problem and none of them are cheap. Transformer design is the real differentiating factors on SETs.

@pani wrote,
'The sound without the crossover distortion is a very continuous flow like a inner tissue connecting the whole spectrum of music. It feels like a "one" sound. Whereas Push-pull just feels disconnected pieces playing together.'

@pani, "it feels like a one sound". Yes true, and this has been pointed out before by other listeners. This purity and natural sound character is what makes SET unique and special in my opinion. I agree that high quality output transformers are paramount to achieve this.

This is why SET will always have its devotees. OTL will always have its own devotees as well for what it provides. It’s been stated many times that it all depends on what one is seeking. Both SET and OTL clearly have their specific strengths. What hidg quality SET does so well are exactly the sonic attributes I want. @panic you nailed it.
Charles