SET the best?

philjolet2,302 posts11-01-2009 7:49amI like SET but you will never resolve this with a post here on Agon because too many disagree. You can not get people to agree on SS or tube as the best let alone SET t


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Oh for sure.
The 90%+ Audiogon members are sold out on the xover low efficiency types.
SETs really have a  hard time making Wilson's, Vandersteens, Magnepans, come to life.

So SET's have to take  a  back seat for the big PP amps.
My Defy7 100 watts.
But if I can only employ 10 of these watts before  the SPL is overalod in my small lsitening room, near field,, what's the point have all these wtts, i will never use??
My New WBers really work best with SET amplification...Or maybe a  low powered EL34 with triode/linear switch, like a Cayin I had, but sold off, as **being under powered***. The cayin was 25 watts/35watts.
Might have worked better than this big EL34 and Defy.
But again, a  Low powered el34, tube  will not present music as a  good SET tube will.

Big SS/PP amps rule around Audiogon.
Note how so few SETs are up for sale.
Once folks add a  SET, its a keeper for life. 

something. The horn speaker was as dramatic a transformation for speakers as tubes were with amps.

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Big high tech horns Rule, 

Matched with a    high tech SET,, 
WOW factor off the charts.
One day I will take a  look at horns, , I am quite content with my new WBer speaker system for now.

It's hard to understand how some audiophiles have such an aversion to tube gear in general, and in some cases plain prejudicial, without even hearing one. But thats' how some people are. They don't like change

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That attitude against tubes, back then, has chnaged over the past decade,
Seems more posts are about tube amplification.
So thats a  good thing..
But there remains the aversion, the neglect, of showing any interest whatsoever in WBer speakers, as single point source or combined in a  multi WBer speaker system.

Posible in another 10 years this  misunderstanding and disdain,   concerning  WBers(as ultimate midrange experience)) here too, we may  begin to pale as more folks jump on the WBer  speaker train. 

Train's leaving the station,,all aboard.......

SET. However, if you feel that you need the entire frequency spectrum at decent or full weight, then you may end up disappointed


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You might be refereing to the 300B tube amplification.


My tech says avoid 300B.
Cayin has a  massive incedible 845 witha  300B power tube as driver.
I am not sure this is the right mix,.
Will the added 300B tube make the sounda  bit too tuby/fluffy.

The 250 tube SET I have borrowed from my techs hand made collection, has slam, massive bass. On the wide band8 92db + Seas W18E001(duals per channel)

Don't underestime a  SET;'s bass SLAM potential.
SET's can rock matched with the right speakers.

wolf_garcia5,865 posts05-28-2020 1:44pmIt is interesting that one can box yourself in with a lower watt tube amp, and deny yourself the vast multitudes (and clear large margin majority) of 83 to 90db efficient speakers...I check efficiency in every review and simply say meh...it will be a while before I lose interest in efficiency, and I'm happy with the sound of my massive 12 watts into horns...the dynamics are there, the clarity is there, the musical "correctness" is there, and I'm there.

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The vast majority of speakers are low efficient, unefficient, poor efficient.
Like you the very 1st thing i ck is 
~~~~~db sens level~~~~
I boughta  single brand new Seas
New Flagship tweeter
~~Crescendo~~ Seas on their site claijms 92db
So I bought it on the cheap/winning bid.
. Not even close to 92db. More like 84db
IF THAT!!!!!!!!!
at 84db, you will need
~~~Jadis's JA800~~~ to  force it to sing..

WBers at 92db (true db sens) and on up, , now here is where a  SET amplifer gets happy.

My friends 6w+6w 250 tube had made amplifier, packs a   punch in bass. 
The Seas W18E001's with 87 db, ROCKKK  on Sophie Milman's  recordings.

I've got all kinds of nice mods in my Jadis Line stage and Jadis DAC, that now finally can take on presence
Mundorf Caps, Takman resistors.
New high  tech Class A JFET's opamps in the DAC, 4 duals. 
Now these tweaks can voice via  higher gain on the DPL linestage vol pot.
Vs the Defy's over load 12 KT88's power, where gain could not be more than say 9 oclock with spilling over massive SPL strain on the speakers

SETs allow the mods to come alive with usage of more gain on vol. 
+ the WBers are more happy with SET power vs PP  power. 
Its a 
win-win-win