Art Audio Carissa Signature 845 or 300 b amp?

Mattzack2,
You can`t go wrong with either amp type. So very much depends on which particular brand/model. Within the genre of 300b amps there`s quite a bit of variation in terms of performance due to implementation,part quality, power supply,transformers etc. Same principle for the 845 amplifiers.Factor in different brands of the output tube for even more variables.

How sensitve and efficient is the speaker you`re drivung?A 845 tube outputs more power but a 300b may or may not sound better, it all depends. I`d say for 4000 dollars you`re likely to find 'more' choices of a quaility built 300b but if buying used you can find very good examples of both.

I use the Coincident Frankenstein MK II 300b SET 8 watts and it is superb. There`re other amps(like the Wavelength mentioned above) that I`m sure would make you quite satisfied. Jeff Day(Positive Feedback) loves the Sophia Electric 300b SET.It ultimately is amplifier-speaker matching.
Best of Luck,

I had an Art Audio Carissa Sig many yrs ago. I liked it a lot but much preferred their own 300b, the Symphony II which I still own although it sits idle more than it should.

I truly love a good 300b amp and think it offers more than an 845...BUT...so much depends on the speaker you plan on using with it. I don't know the impedance graph of your Dali (or even if you are planning to keep it), it may be that your CS would be the better amp for it.

Another amp you might consider is the Cary 805 AE. They (monoblocks) use 845's (or 211's) and the output tube is driven by a 300b. I like them more than the CS. I bought them to see if I could pull off the SET magic with my Magnepan 3.6's. Works for me. The other night I played Autumn Leaves from Patricia Barbers Nightclub CD and it was one of the most realistic presentations I've heard to date. The AE will probably be above the 4000 mark but past generations should fit your budget. Just look for one that uses a 300b for the driver.

For a 300b rec, you'd probably like their Symphony II. The Wavelengths are right up there and the Coincident Frankenstein would at the top of my list if I were looking. Good luck.

I have Dali Helicon 800 speakers at about 90 db. No problem with the 845 at 16wpc. I need to sell my Carissa and get serious about a nice 300b amp.

I was going to sell my Jadis, but after changing to JJ EL34L tubes, I have decided to keep that one.

08-14-12: Mattzack2
I have Dali Helicon 800 speakers at about 90 db. No problem with the 845 at 16wpc. I need to sell my Carissa and get serious about a nice 300b amp.

The MkII version of the Helicon 800 is specified as 89.5 db for a 2.83 volt input at 1 meter, with a 4 ohm nominal impedance. A point to keep in mind is that that means its efficiency is 3 db less (86.5 db) for a 1 watt input. That is because although 2.83 volts into 8 ohms corresponds to 1 watt, it corresponds to 2 watts into 4 ohms.

That assumes particular relevance with a tube amp, which will not increase its power capability significantly into low impedances, as a solid state amp would.

Also, if you may be interested in a higher powered push-pull 300B amp, rather than a low power SET amp, you may wish to consider the VAC Renaissance series (the 30/30 or 70/70 models, which are in your price range). Research posts by member "Raquel" for lots of good information about them.

Good luck in your search. Regards,
-- Al

A P.S. to my previous post. Keep in mind also that many SET amps will not do well into a 4 ohm load, even apart from power capability/speaker efficiency considerations. The Franks, for instance, appear to only provide 8 ohm and 16 ohm output taps (Charles, correct me if I'm wrong).

My push-pull-parallel VAC Renaissance 70/70 MkIII, btw, has taps designated as "4 to 8 ohms," "2 to 4 ohms," and "1 to 2 ohms"!

Regards,
-- Al