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SET the best?

Is SET amplification where we should all end up? I keep reading posts where people tell of their journeys from plenty power to micro power, and how amazing SET amplification is 45 set 211 set 845 set otl, and usually, ....with the right speaker. I have yet to read of anyone who has gone the other direction from SET, to High watt beast class A amps or others.
If your speakers can be driven by minimal wattage, is this the most realistic, natural sound we can achieve? versus say, 86db sensitive speakers and a 1000w amp?
Is the end result solely based on speaker pairing? circuit? tubes?

I am in the process of changing my direction in my search for realistic sound, just because, and wondering if this really is the best direction to be going.
From what I have been reading I think it may be.

What do we get with SET? What do we give up?

What's you favorite color?
hanaleimike
mozartfan
2,143 posts
 
My 300B amp measures flat well below 30hz. 30hz is the lowest range of piano ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ hummm My tech mentions the 300B was made for tele industry and the low hz and top hz's are cut off. Its made for human voice. Also note, most high end FR do not go below 40hz, but the good news is, there is only 1% OR LESS of the music below 40hz. Cellos lowest notes are 65hz. If you want more sparkle on the highs with a FR just add a high end high sens tweeter. SET + FR + Tweeter = Music made in heaven. I have not heard any other SET other than my techs UX250. My hopes are to add a 845 amp late next year. I do not hear limpy wimpy bass in the SET, again it has pure colbalt out trans, so that may give more slam vs Z6 and Z11 steel tran
mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

I can listen to piano on my iPod earphones which definitely don’t go as low as 27.5Hz, but I can still "hear" bass notes on the piano ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Yes Although my FR specs say 40hz. lets say bass guitar riff, bass drums are hitting fq’s below that mark, Still you are hearing bass/kettle drums, maybe not as deep as say a 10 inch woofer, = You just don’t miss out on bass.

 

FR play bass just like Wilson’s Monolithic towers with dual 10 inch woofers,,just not as deep.

larryi
3,982 posts
 

As I’ve said before, all types of tube amps can sound great, or less than great, depending on specific implementation and personal taste.  My favorite amp is a custom-built 35-watt OTL, my second favorite is a pushpull 252 tube amp, and the third favorite is a parallel SET design.  All of these can handle reasonably efficient speakers that are easy loads; there is no reason to exclude multi-way speakers from consideration.  Of my own amps (two pushpull, one SET), my pushpull 349-tube amp is my favorite—it is around a 5.5 watt amp, and it powers a three-way horn-based system.

mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

alexberger472 posts 05-26-2020 1:30pm IMHO, SET are most transparent, best in texture and tone, most organic and musical. They need sensitive speakers. But in any case, the sensitive speakers are MUST for any good, musical system. SET sound quality depends a lot from parts quality: tubes, transformers, capacitors, resistors,... So a good SET can’t be cheap to built. SET are best for acoustic music: classical, jazz, vocals. If you listen electronic music, POP, rock - there are better options than SET amps. I will never go back to transistor amplifiers and low/mid sensitivity speakers. Regards, Alex.

 

 

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Very well written post here I will say its only been in the past 10 yrs that FR speakers has come into new high fidelity development. Fostex seems to be still struggling getting rid of its characteristic **The Shout*,. Maybe they have in a few recent models,,I don’t know. AER, Voxatix, Cube and my DavidLouis are Fr to consider pairing up with a SET. The magic of a SET is only limited by ,,well obviously as Alex mentions, quality parts of the amp’s build,,,but also limited by the quality of the speaker, whether horn or FR. The finer voice of the speaker = more magic opens up with the SET. Once you heard the magic of a SET via a high end FR , PP amps lose some of their emminence.

 

Caveat in order here, light jazz/classical chamber SETs shine. For big orch swing jazz/heavy blues, big orchestra, then PP is the amplifier for the task. And yes a PP amplifer(under 100 watts)  will work just fine with a FR speaker,, provided the db sens is not higher than 95db.

 

THe DLVX8 is 95db. DLVX6 @ 93. Best sens for a FR is 93-95db.

mozartfan
2,143 posts
 

QUOTE from Mozartfan:::~~Poor Mr Jadis.... so sad,......ARC in Minnesota as well....End quote

 

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Well not true. Jadis amps, PP amps (under 100 watts please) will work just fine with a FR speaker, provided the speaker is not over 95db sens. Here’s the thing SET’s offer a super linear *speaker disappears* musical image pair witha high end FR. But on heavier jazz/blues, big symphonic orchestra, PP amps offer the ideal power for these complex loads. Good thing about a FR is a big PP amp is not required though is usable. With a FR speaker any/all PP will work just fine.

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