SET Shootout China VS The USA

charles1dad,

A nice concise history of what happened.  I would add that another aspect to the story.  When stereo came around, the need to find room for two speakers, instead of just one, meant that smaller speakers gained in popularity.  These smaller speakers, particularly of the air suspension (sealed box) variety were inefficient and required higher powered amps and this favored solid state over tubes.

Mozartfan,

There are many pentode/tetrode tube amps running pushpull that are extremely musical and great sounding with horn systems, fullrange driver systems, and multiway systems utilizing fullrange drivers.  You cannot generalize from hearing only something like the Defy 7 and certainly not by "listening" to YouTube videos.  I have heard terrific 6L6 and KT66 amps and some of my favorites are 350B and 349 amps (the favorite of the amps I own runs the 349 tube).  I also own a pushpull 45 amp (triode tube) and a pair of Audio Note Kageki (parallel 2a3 SET).  All of these amps sound good.  My all time favorite amp is an output transformerless amp that is a custom built amp, and a pushpull Western Electric 59A amp (252 tube) which is something I could never own as a pair is well into six figures.  Even with tubes that I don't particularly like (KT88, KT120, KT150), there are examples of amps that run them that I found to be decent.  I know that there is a strong desire to come to conclusions about various aspects of design or parts choice, but, it really is not that simple to do.  The more I hear, the LESS I am able to draw definitive conclusions in these areas, although I do see rough tendencies.  As to such rough generalizations, I do like quite a few speaker designs that use fullrange drivers in multiway systems (e.g., Cube Audio Nenuphar Basis), a small handful of true single driver systems (Charney Audio, Voxativ), but mostly, I like horn-based systems.

Hi @mozartfan ,

Japanese SET audiophiles adore US made speakers like Altec and WE and German Klangfilm speakers. Jean Hiraga used Altec A7, A5 with crossovers designed by himself.
Another Japanese legend - Sakuma used 300B amplifiers and British made Lowther FR speakers. They don’t use Diatone full range speakers! They also preferred German EMT and British Garrard turntables over Japanese turntables.

EV drivers are much cheaper bult vs vintage Altec, JBL, Vitavox drivers.

I prefer horn compression driver speakers over full range for more balanced sound. BUT a few people use FR properly - with front horn and additional low frequency section.

@larryi

I know that there is a strong desire to come to conclusions about various aspects of design or parts choice, but, it really is not that simple to do. The more I hear, the LESS I am able to draw definitive conclusions in these areas, although I do see rough tendencies.

I can appreciate @mozartfan’s enthusiasm with his recent discoveries, but do agree with you concerning broad sweeping conclusions. I will say that DHT tubes just seem to produce a very impressive natural sound that I find exceedingly special.

I will be the first to admit however variables such as builder/designer talent, attention to detail and quality parts selection are crucial and vital factors. We all have our preferences. DHTs used and executed properly simply get it done for me.

BTW the 307 tube is not a DHT but is in a fact a pentode tube.

Charles

@charles1dad 

BTW the 307 tube is not a DHT but is in a fact a pentode tube.

 

But it sounded like a SET DHT in the Youtube video!

😊

Charles