Best 300b single-ended Tube amp. for the $
Good choice Saffy, The PX-25 is one of the finest amps I have ever heard. It has a musical quality that is entirely unique, one reviewer coined the phrase "as if instruments were lit from within". I agree. The PX is 6wpc, but has current capabilities beyond the normal 6-10wpc SET amp. I suggest speakers of >95dB to really let the amp shine. I'm partial to single-driver, or more accurately, wide-range driver speakers. They usually feature a 1st order, or no, crossover at all, which along with the single point of origin for the majority of the frequency range leads to a greater time and phase coherence than multi-driver speakers with higher order crossovers. By "musical coherence" I mean that is as if all sound flows from a single musical tapestry. Not one dimensional, but a beautifully woven soundscape of depth and nuance. Done properly, it is awe inspiring and there is nothing like it. But, that isn't the only, or even best, approach. Like everything in audio, which is best for you is a personal choice and may not be the same for anyone else. Welborne Labs, which also makes fantastic SET amps, has a great page listing speakers that mate well with SET amps. They also have a short primer on proper speaker matching. The best advice I could offer for anyone interested in high-eff speakers would be to check here, Audio Asylum's High Efficiency Speaker forum, and on the Fullrange Driver Forum for a horn or high-eff listeners group in your city. At the very least, there might a few owners in your area. Ask if you can check out their systems. The more you hear the better. Take your time before jumping in, high-eff systems are much harder to get right than most people would think. And enjoy the learning process. |
I think I may have it here. Recently off ebay I found a Spark/Cayin 300b single ended from about 1997 design , but this appears to have been a model year 2000 unit. I retubed it with a set of VAlvo e188cc vintage and a set of Sylvania 6sn7. The 300b are kr audio 300b. Playing a variety of jazz LP's and some varied blugrass, female vocal, strings, horn section, with some clean plucked bass. Just finished some odd Japanese album I was lucky to find today. Linen jacket and early Victor pressing. Gorgeous Sounds are playing through some vintage Altec 604's with a clean sealed sub for the nether region. The Altecs are housed in a heavy solid Teak ply cabinet. The subwoofer has a cabinet that is quite dense. Very fast and bass notes are complete and full throughout the range A friend that's a musician was here and we might have had some Adult beverages... but he'll attest Something clicked totally within the system this eve. I finally figured out two key things that perfectly hit the stage-like realism at low non-fatigueing levels. So solid yet so there... yowza, nirvana. In looking for an equivelent system, I haven't heard another like it. Cheers RW |
Saffy The KCS Back Loaded Horn by Johnk for sale on right now on AG would allow you to use a wide variety of 300B or 2A3 amps. KCS offers many other designs of great value. I bought the BLH and love it. Please take the time to look at this speaker. 98db. 8ohm load. http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1173796424 |
Thanks everyone - a wealth of info Think I've nailed it down to the PX-25 amp Really like what I see in the Druid MK-IV, + they let you try them for 60 days. The abbey line looks nice, but don't get as good of reviews as the Druid, + they have less chance to pass the living room furniture police. 1- your thoughts on Abby vs Druid, and/or other Sp. options? 2- are theses low power amps sensitive to what speakers cables one uses? 3-am I ok going with just the PX-25 passive, or do I really need a line stage? |
