SET with inefficient speakers

Anytime speakers are being driven by less than the ideal amount of power, "success" will be pretty subjective. I know people who use SETs (not flea power) to drive speakers that spec like yours, and state that they hear no benefit with additional power. I seldom share their assessment. Even when I like the sound a lot, I can still hear gains with an increase in power. There is no right or wrong here. It's just one of those times when there is no substitution for listening yourself.

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

In the SET world, that usually means starting with efficient or SET-friendly speakers and building your system from there.

Any other approach, outside of luck, leads to a lot of trial & error, with most of it being on the error side.

Agree with Darkmoebius. Many of course not all of the SET posts that are - are coming from folks who expect SET to run most any loudspeaker. Sure some guy will post that his SET drives maggies or 80db 4 ohm BBC monitors. Sure they do music will come out but why not try for synergy. If loudspeaker needs power use amp with the right design power ohm rating for loudspeakers used. We know that load effects responce and levels of distortion of running SET into the wrong loudspeaker will be much greater than running loudspeakers designed for SET use. Plus frequincy responce will not be ideal.

Having recently purchased some NAT SE2SE amps which produce about 70 watts each to drive my Soundlab speakers has shown me that you MUST listen in your own system to achieve what you are trying to accomplish. The NAT SE2SE drive my Soundlabs with ease and authority and if I followed some "informed" opinions my new discovery wouldn't have been realized. I say any person that has doubts about "high powered" SET amps particularly NAT SE2SE driving their inefficient speakers should seek out these amps they are a revelation and are self-biasing.I have had my speakers for nine years and have never heard them produce music so glorious and awesomely real.I have no relationship with any dealers or manufacturers just a music lover. Try them out you will be amazed how your system will sound!!!!!

Nice thing about audiogon, you can roll amps as easily as you can roll tubes...

I'm having success with a tubed amp on my speakers, despite manu claims that they 'sound best' with SS amps. I have a Cary Rocket, definitely not SET, but the power output in UL mode is "only" 60w (which sounds better the triode @ 30w -- i think the speakers really like the increased power). This amp bested all the SS I had before, including some 200W Nuforce class D's. Speakers are rated @ 150W, and I'm glad I took the gamble.

My point is, don't always believe the specs, or even the manufacturer! But it's still important to keep numbers in mind if you want any hope of synergy.