What are the trade offs? PUSH PULL vs. pure SET

Yes, the triode operation of an amplifier that has tetrode or pentodes is compromised. Such tubes in triode mode are not as linear as real triodes.

In triode mode, a push-pull amp still differs from a triode amplifier that is single-ended. Push-pull has greater power and wider bandwidth, but also *more* distortion at low power levels. SETs have vanishingly low distortion at low power levels, on account of the way the output transformer behaves when operating single-ended (no hysteresis loss) as opposed to push-pull (where hysteresis loss causes a loss of low-level detail due to increased distortion).

Of course there is more but that's a good place to start...

Thanks Atmasphere

it is always a compromise

look at this link from Steve Vaughn's Home page

link

best to you

Groovey

Listening to Simon & Garfunkel-Bridge Over Troubled Waters- the Only Boy Alive in NYC

Hi Groovey, thanks for the link. In general Eddy is on the money. He does leave out some details that *I* think are important- namely OTL amplifiers.

Take away the output transformer and you remove most of the arguments for SE. So it then becomes possible to have more of the best of both worlds- low harmonic generation along with power and bandwidth. Negative feedback remains optional (in my case I disdain it as it robs the music of soundstage depth and adds and undesirable 'sheen' on top).

All the Best!