SET Shootout China VS The USA

@larryi I'm jealous of all the amps you've heard and own! I  also never knew there was a 349 tube until your last post. I've heard a pushpull 45 amp sounding great as well as my own pushpull 2a3 amp, also loved a Cary pushpull 2a3 integrated I was loaned for a week once. @charles1dad Glad you had a chance to hear that Manley it sounds like a cool amp.

The 349 is now quite rare and expensive, although there is a reasonably priced drop in alternative (6V6?).  The amp also runs 348 as input and driver tubes.  Both types now sell for somewhere around $1600 each for used tubes that test “strong.” My stereo amp runs four of each type.  The only good news is that the tubes are run gently so they seem to last forever.  The amp is essentially a stereo rebuild of a Western Electric 133 amp.  It has the correct input and output transformers for that amp type as well as some other vintage parts.

The sound of my 349 amp is similar to a 6L6 amp.  I generally like that tube and KT 66 tubes as well.

"I've gone over this more than a  dozens x's here on audiogon and I aint gonna repeat myself."

Of course you will mozartfan, you always do.

@larryi 

The listening experience was quite some years ago at CES. At that time I actually felt the push-pull was the better sounding choice. I just don't believe you can serve 2 masters equally due to inevitable compromise design and implementation decisions to do both. Could be SET was more affected by the  dual purpose/circuit design.

 

I'm a SET amplifier guy but without any question push pull (Particularly with DHT tubes) can sound superb.  I heard a Jadis amplifier using the very common el 34 and it was exceedingly good sounding. Talent level of the builder is such a huge factor. 

Charles 

Of course you will mozartfan, you always do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Boiled down, I despise xoverlowsens box speakers, Lets just all get along here, eh? Nothing wrong with strong opinions. So long as we keep civil. If you hate FR, go ahead and explain.