SET amps ?

Hi Tubegroover,
Agee,It comes down to preferences as my experiences differ from yours and all considered it's SET rather than the OTLs I've heard. Certainty many listeners will find genuine satisfaction with either, that's for sure. The sheer realism quality of SET is the most compelling/convincing I've heard so far.

It does seem the OP has disappeared.
Charles,

Take a look at Bottlehead. They are kits, but offer a lot more value for the money. If you can get past the "kit" aspect you will be rewarded with a great amp sounding much better than the price. Of course, getting it professionally built might push them out of your budget as well.

Tubegroover,
It could just be the case that OTLs suit your desires better and I could
understand that easily. My exposure has been Atma-Sphere and Berning,
they both do 'many' things well and their reputation and loyalty have been
earned. This will obviously be a personal perspective but the better quality
versions of SETs I've heard (primarily 300b and 845) win out with superior
tone,timbre-harmonic overtones and profound tactile pressence. They
sound closer to what I consistently heard at live events, full body, color,
weight and vibrancy. For me the OTLs present a leaner, scaled down
interpretation that some will say is more accurate, not to me. When that
natural tonal body and color saturation is missing, so is the life, soul and
emotional connection. I must have this realistic fullness otherwise the
effective result is merely hifi. I also find SETs to be utterly transparent
and maintaining musical purity. It goes without saying that there are those
who'd disagree with my impression and that makes sense and would be
expected. Is it 2nd order harmonics I'm responding to? Could be but it
sounds closer to live
instruments and voice and that's all I want , as much organic realism as is
possible. There are multiple choices in amplifiers and each type will have
its advocates. The key to sonic happiness is knowing what is most
satisfying and involving for you and going for it.
Charles,

Thank you Charles for your input. I do suppose that you are right, I just prefer OTLs overall for what they generally provide and I hear in live music. I don't personally find OTLs lean sounding but compared to virtually all the SETs I've listened to I can certainly see where some would. I have an audio buddy that owns an Italian Integrated 845 based SET, huge transformers and a beast at 135 lbs. I've heard it plenty of times and really like it for vocals, it can really draw you into the performance. The last time we listened my impressions were as you describe so well above. Interestingly to ME that "color saturation" that really serves voice so well did not carry over to instruments. The timbre was too much of a good thing which is a consistent impression. Piano sounded unnaturally rich to me and ironically I found it missing much of the subtle ambient harmonic overtones and decay in the recording venue that is so clearly resolved with my Berning. There must be a balance somewhere and I was just curious to know if there is an SET out there reasonably priced that might "win me over" with across the board performance. I just haven't heard one to date less the Lamm but would love to.

Tubegroover,
SETs I've heard that sound very natural and honest without embellishment
are the following. Absolare, Coincident, Wavelength, Dehavilland and
Allnic. By reputation Audion amplifiers , Fi Audio and some Yamamto amps
meets this standard and I'm sure there are more. To be fair within the niche
of SET there's much variety of sound and presentation. Simply swapping
either output, driver, input tubes or changing capacitors can produce very
noticeable differences. I've heard Viva sound fantastic with certain
speakers.
Of course my idea of natural and realistic could be interpreted as too rich
and warmly colored to you and conversely my too lean and thin is
may be your "just right".

I get exceptional resolution, articulation, separation and clarity with my SET
so I don't suffer the short comings you've mentioned. You may not find a
SET that satisfies your ears as much as your OTL does. So many factors
shape our preferences. Berning could simply be the ideal choice for you
and anything else will fall short of your needs. We both are very happy with
our different types of amplifiers.
Charles,