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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.
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pawlowski6132 OP
592 posts
 
Thanx Larryi. Nice analysis.
tomryan
796 posts
 
I still say you'd better audition any horn speakers in your home. Almost a must for any new purchase but an absolute must with horns.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
c123666 is right. sets with most speakers just turn to mush with classical and big band recordings. they are fine with stuff like patricia barber and...well...other stuff like patricia barber.
linkoping
112 posts
 
not agree with Jaybo, sorry. I have a set amp (master sound 845) driving my SAP J2001mkII horn/hybrid speakers. Most orchestra works sound wonderful with fast, accurate and natural music. Set amp can drive big orchestra easy, depends on matching equipments.
Patricia Barber and stuff like.... Patrica Barber, sounds fine with most of system, no need for high end system.
c123666
871 posts
 
A quality SET does not sound mushy or bloated; it simply has a bit less "slam" than a comparable push/pull design. The SET has a bit better/lusher midrange than a push/pull.

If I wanted a quality tube amp making at least 20 watts with good dynamics the 300b push/pull interstage coupled dual monaural design would be at the top of the list. A 211 based SET designed to run up to 30 watts would also be on the list but it is more expensive to build than the push/pull due to transformer requirements.
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