Poll - SE / PP [message #8435] |
Sun, 05 September 2004 13:10 ![Go to next message Go to next message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/down.png) |
Ricercar
Messages: 3 Registered: May 2009
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Esquire |
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Observation: Seems like fullrange speaker designers like SE amps and large scale speaker designers generally prefer PP tube amps. This includes 105db+ designs so it isn't just sensitivity. Ironically, many fullrangers are 95db and less. Questions: 1. Which do you generally like better, SE tube amps or PP amps? Why? 2. If biamping, would you rather have solid state or PP tubes for the woofer? Why?
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Re: Poll - SE / PP [message #8437 is a reply to message #8436] |
Sun, 05 September 2004 16:59 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/down.png) |
Thermionic
Messages: 208 Registered: May 2009
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Master |
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A hearty second to Frank Echols' opinion here. Though I love the weight, slam, and sparkle of a good PP ultralinear amp, for normal listening I still prefer the free spirited openness and musicality of a single ended amp. I have a very nice PP EL84 ultralinear amp using one half of a black plate Raytheon 5687 as a driver, with the other half as a current source for the 6922 phase inverter. The circuit is a winner, very clean, open, and dynamic, and uses zero negative feedback. I built it with loving care and the best of everything, including some very fine vintage Chicago Stancor iron, and it sounds fantastic (to me anyway!). But, I still prefer my DRD 2A3 SE amp. The EL84 PP amp (and to my ear, PP in general) has better bass slam and weight, very good high end transparency and clarity, and owns the definition of "high speed." While it is MILES away from sounding flat and uninteresting, it still doesn't have that living, breathing quality of a good, directly heated single ended triode. IMO, nothing does. :) I love the flavor of those 2A3s! Thermionic
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Re: Poll - SE / PP [message #8439 is a reply to message #8435] |
Tue, 07 September 2004 10:50 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/down.png) |
akhilesh
Messages: 1275 Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (3rd Degree) |
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So far, the amp i listen to almost all the time, is my SET 45 with pretty high end parts. I LOVE the way it distorts (:-)). It sounds good on my 95-96 db home brews, but even better on my klipschorns. SETs offer a kind of distortion that seems to mate well with the (very limited) abilities of a single driver, or a wide range driver set up. There is a simplicity & elegance here that actually measures terribly using all the conventional measures, yet manages to sound really appealing to many of us (including me). Maybe SS manufacturers need to design amps that offer the same transfer functions & distortion properties as a full blown SET 45! I'd definitely listen to them! PP amps measure a lot better, and likely becuase of this, lose that SET magic. I think Amp engineers need to understand: humans LIKE distortion & weird transfer functions as offered by a SET (well at least some humans do!) -akhilesh
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Re: Poll - SE / PP [message #8440 is a reply to message #8435] |
Fri, 10 September 2004 11:17 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/up.png) ![Go to next message Go to next message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/down.png) |
George M
Messages: 1 Registered: May 2009
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Esquire |
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Guess I'm the contrarian here. I like the power and control that a good PP or UL design offers. You'll notice that in the heady years of tube audio there were almost no SET designs. I think the SET craze is a fairly new phenomenon. They do have appeal but in actual use I just can't quite get there with a SET. That's IMO and YMMV, George
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Re: Poll - SE / PP [message #8446 is a reply to message #8440] |
Mon, 13 September 2004 06:43 ![Go to previous message Go to previous message](/forum/theme/AudioRoundTable/images/up.png) |
akhilesh
Messages: 1275 Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (3rd Degree) |
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I agree! One way to make SETs provide power & control is to use high eff speakers. ANything over 96 db should be OK. thanx -akhilesh
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