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

so  how would you describe the sound of a  845 tube?  I guess this would depend on front  tubes, driver/pre tubes.

Compared to other SET and PP tubes, 845 always exciting, fast, immediate, impactful. Can also be refined or relentless, synergy important for last two. I prefer 845 driven by 300B, allows max refinement.

 

Speakers for SET, usual suspects, Klipsch Heritage, Devore, Omega, I've used Alon (now Nola), also used Merlin VSM-MM, Spatial Audio, Zu, always been curious about Pure Audio Project, Coincident, Audio Note, some claim Tekton, Charney, Coherent, Reference 3a, Avantgarde, of course I'm missing some.

I want to add vintage speakers to the list, like:

Altecs - VOT A5 A7, 19, Valencia, 604.

Old Tannoy - Silver, Red.

Old JBL L200.

Used full range: Lowther, Klangfilm, Telefunken.

 

New full range drivers like:

Audio Nirvana, Lowther, Fostex, AER, Voxativ.

 

I use myself Altec 604E. They can be driven easily even by 45 tube.

 

how would you describe the sound of a 845 tube?

You can’t- any more than you could a 300b or type 45, because the output transformer and the individual tube’s match to it plays such a critical role.

People often say the tube has a certain sound. But with all the differences in transformers there's no way they could possibly tell.

People often say the tube has a certain sound. But with all the differences in transformers there’s no way they could possibly tell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The local tech here also pronounces trans quality especially in SET desogns,, **only the best will do..***, His pure Colbalt in the UX250 vs say Z6 or Z11 steel,

 

are we talking nuances of dif.

I was refering to general charachertistics f the 845,

. I’ve read good things about the 2A3,, then here we read the 845 is simply gorgeous. Another comment likes the 300 as driver stage tube,whereas my tech says avoid 300B in any part of the design. He has no sympathy for the 300B, and yet some big manufactuers employ the 300 as driver tube. I guess as with all amp designs everyone will have his particular preferences. The 2A3 arrives next month, its a intergrated with my fav pre tubes AX and AU. Last note, what keeps me away from considering the 845 amp, is the weight, All offerings are over 70 lbs,, Even though it will not be moved around much,,I just don’t want a amp over 60 lbs, as my ultimate limit as I age. The 2A3 is right at max, 60 lbs. Lower weight = cheaper trans. I get that. But it is what it is. The Defy is 70 , one is enough. 60 lbs I can lift w/o injury.