TRL Dude Dilemna

Tellefsen, that is what I suspected. It's too bad you have the impedance mismatch with the Dude since it imparts enormous drive and energy and would most likely improve the Vivas performance on rock and large scale music. Another obvious and logical solution would be to try a more efficient set of speakers (but that is a pain). That being said, I have heard SET systems falter with rock and large scale orchestral music even with 16 ohm 101 dB speakers. Yet another solution would be to have two systems. I am jealous of guys who are able to do that.

Just to clear the air, I have to state emphatically that I am not anti-set. It is not a technology that audio evolution is leaving behind. Some of my favorite rooms at Axpona in Atlanta were set-driven. I get it and I like it.

I think a lot of threads decompensate due to semantic issues. We talk by or around one another since things are poorly defined. So....when someone says an amplifier has a "purity and thereness" that is hard to match, what exactly does that mean? I have heard philes talk about their OTLS, SETs and SS amps that way. I think I know what that means but I want others to answer to see if we are on the same page.

Agear,
I understand your point,and the problem is there`s no definitive or precise vocabulary ground rules in high end audio. We all use adjectives in an attempt to convey what we hear and of course different words and terms have various interpretations by others.

For example my use of 'purity' and'thereness' was my attempt to express the sheer presence(vivid and palpable) factor and lack of mechanical-electronic character my SET provides. It`s the highest level I`ve ever had in my system, the performers and sense of venue is that apparent.

I know among SET amps there`s a hierarchy for sure, some are just better than others, but the higher quality SETs are superb in this regard(noticed even at audio shows)
If someone says they get the same level of these characteristics from their SS amp I have to except that they do, it`s just I have`nt 'yet' had that experence with SS personally. I simply won`t argue about the listening impressions of someone else(pointless). We hear what we hear.

The vast marjority of my music is jazz, large and small scale.I find no limitation with other genre of music with my SET system.
Regards,

Charles, I think we are all a little loose with our language. Add to that the trite nature of electronic mediums, and we inherit the whirlwind so to speak.

Your elaboration of purity and thereness is good. A vivid palpability or "presence" minus mechanical artifacts is a solid foundation. For me, that magical presence also involves ambient energy. A lot of systems I have heard, whether SET, OTL, push pull tube, or SS, fail in that area. You have the soundstage clearly delineated with good depth, clear, 3D images, and yet the whole thing is limpid and static. Pretty sounding hifi.

I believe ambient energy is linked to dynamics. If a system is not capable of lifelike dynamics, the absence of any mechanical edge is irrelevant. As Maril555 pointed out in a Coincident Frankenstein amp thread, SPLs in a concert hall are on average 85 dB with peaks at 100 dB. If an amp/speaker inteface cannot pull that off, its a mismatch. This is purely a matter of physics and not personal taste.

Another ripple to add to the equation is power. Clean power and SOTA power conditioning adds all the things we have been talking about here regardless of amplification type. I was involved in an after hours demo of Miguel Alvarez's Tripoint Orion in a SS system at the recent Axpona. It utterly transformed the sound, and provided the most palpable images I heard there. So, the thing that is most often forgotten is somehow the most important. I have had similar experiences with Dale Pitcher's new Theorem conditioner. Without it, the system sounds broken regardless of what's upstream (I am not a dealer for either company).

As for the TRL Dude/Samson cocktail, it does not sound SET-like in the traditional sense. Due to the Samson's transparency, the speaker and source are uber important. Paul and Brian are big on master tape, and I understand why.

In terms of pure logic, Tellefsen needs to demo other speakers. I know that is painful, but if you like what the Viva does, it makes sense.

Agear,
Tellefsen may or may not be getting the most from his Viva,all I know is it`s capable of outstanding dynamics,presence and projection with the 'right' speaker.

Agree completely about AC power conditioning,I use a BPT BP-3.5 Signature Plus(balanced transformer 20amps) and it makes a 'substantial' improvement in sound quality(no down side either).

System synergy/compatability takes planing and time to get things right.
In my case the linestage,amp,speakers(made to match with SETs) and power cords from the same talented designer simplified this process a lot.
As a result a SET based system works fabulously for me(maybe not for others). I wish you the best with your current amplifier evaluations.

I got to spend some quality time with my Air Tight/Viva combo spinning vinyl this past Christmas weekend (Technics SP10-MKII/Basis Vector/Denon DL301 thru Tom Tutay tube phono). This combo just makes music and mostly lets me forget about the hardware. It makes me want to buy more records (a good indicator).
I think I am going to hang onto the Ddde a little longer until I find a way to demo an amp that can show its potential in my system. If there is anyone around Dallas with a pair of Samsons or D225 interested in "playing in someone else's sandbox", let me know. Thanks to all for your insights and thoughtful discussion.