2. amps-preamps
  3. 1129733242

SET for Orchestral , Big Band etc.

I've always heard how suited SET amps are for vocals, chamber music, jazz ensembles, etc. And, I listen to this type of music a lot. Which is why I've decided to move to this type of system. However, after reading those opinions, I'm inferring that people are implicitly saying that these amps would NOT do as well for large orchestral or big band jazz music which I also listen to a lot of. Currently, when I listen to a symphonic piece and there is a large crescendo punctuated with a tripple forte accent, I can feel it with a big umpf! It's chilling. Will I hever have that with a SET system? Will I need a small sub-woofer? I thought sub-woofers were not very musical and used largely in HT setups. My new speakers will be much smaller than my current ones due to my small room (approx 11x13). Thanx for your thoughts.
pawlowski6132
pawlowski6132 OP
592 posts
 
I haven't bought my new speakers yet. I'm really starting from a clean slate. Only limitation is: Budget. Of course. Tomryan, you lost me at, "...easy phase angle through the crossover..." Can you break that down a bit for me. Also, which speakers are you using in your room. How's the bass?

Larry510; are 2a3's hard to find and/or expensive?

Raquel; see my limitation above. Thanx for the suggestion and advice however.

Jeffreybehr; I had read that review earlier and thought Atkinson's analysis was VERY harsh. Didn't you think? I think, towards the end, he said something to the effect of them being "broken" by most engineering standards? Did you get that same impression?
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
check out the quad ll classics....15w of push/pull....great for orchestra
jeffreybehr's avatar
jeffreybehr
805 posts
 
"...thought Atkinson's analysis was VERY harsh. Didn't you think? I think, towards the end, he said something to the effect of them being "broken" by most engineering standards? Did you get that same impression?"

Not at all. I was MUCH more swayed by Art's descriptions of the sound of the music, and, because Art used the same speakers I had and for other reasons, I bought a new pair. I believe that EVERY SET will measure similarly.

Remember, SETs are designed to make glorious-sounding music and NOT to measure well.
.
jdombrow
371 posts
 
Larry510: What speakers are you using?

JD
c123666
871 posts
 
All things being equal (power, class A, good components) a similar powered push/pull tube amp will have a bit more "slam" than a comparable SET amplifier. A quality 300b push/pull interstage coupled hard wired amp with quality trannies will make your heart sing on complex orchestral works with the right speakers.
More to discover