SET amp owners thread

marslo

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Even better than the Ayon C3? :eek:
Under this time I have had C2 . And yes , it was a bit better but having already 3 sources I did not want the separete amplification. The integrated Entropy was less convincing.
 

morricab

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Those Amare amps ( De Forest Pre and Diamond monoblocks) were the best I auditioned at home with my former AG Duo Omega.
Interesting products...however, I am finding that currently the Ayon Helios works better with my speakers than the Entropy. Perhaps the DeForrest pre is the difference (it is a quite interesting design) or the tube rectification on the Diamond monos (the Entropy is SS rectification)...or perhaps the silver output transformers (I think the Entropy is using more pedestrian copper). I had very high hopes for the Entropy Diamond given the very cool design of only two tubes per channel, both of which are DHT from Emission labs. The Ayon is more spacious (particularly with depth) and has more grunt and texture in the bass. Disappointing thus far...
 

morricab

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Under this time I have had C2 . And yes , it was a bit better but having already 3 sources I did not want the separete amplification. The integrated Entropy was less convincing.
Have you by chance heard the Amplifon SET 42 se? This is also an interesting amp from Poland.
 

morricab

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Under this time I have had C2 . And yes , it was a bit better but having already 3 sources I did not want the separete amplification. The integrated Entropy was less convincing.
If you have never tried one of the 6C33C based Ayons, give a Spark Delta (the integrated version of Helios) a try. I am preferring this sound on my speakers to the Crossfire 3 I used to have.
 

marslo

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Have you by chance heard the Amplifon SET 42 se? This is also an interesting amp from Poland.
I had two Amplifon amps in the past - WT 30 II and WT 40 II but not with AGs.
Then Amplifon TACD player with Philips mechanism which my nearly 40 years old son is still using, Mullard NOS .
I did not try SET 42 though but some fellow audiophiles use it with less efficient than AG speakers.
 
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morricab

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I had two Amplifon amps in the past - WT 30 II and WT 40 II but not with AGs.
Then Amplifon TACD player with Philips mechanism which my nearly 40 years old son is still using, Mullard NOS .
I did not try SET 42 though but some fellow audiophiles uses it with less efficient than AG speakers.
A colleague of mine heard it with Voxativ field coil drivers in a backloaded horn and thought it was the amp he has been waiting for his whole life. Now, he is not a SET guy per se (although he does have an interesting AS-125 from Line Magnetic, which has real potential as well) but he has heard a fairly large number of different well regarded ones and was totally blown away by this one...so much so that he ordered one!
 
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the sound of Tao

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Which 300B tubes were you using before the WE's?...stock? I'm using the EML 300B-XLS's in my LM805 and am quite happy but I have to say these WE's are intriguing. Just wondering if I'd recognize much of an incremental difference in sound over the EML's.
I’d love to help on that Deadwax but I went from stock on the 300Bs. I have read twice someone swapping out from Psvane Acmes to the current WE300Bs and preferring the Western Electrics but I don’t have any data points at all on the EMLs unfortunately. I continue to be impressed by the WEs and would only suggest that they have a real rightness to them overall.
 
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bonzo75

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Which 300B tubes were you using before the WE's?...stock? I'm using the EML 300B-XLS's in my LM805 and am quite happy but I have to say these WE's are intriguing. Just wondering if I'd recognize much of an incremental difference in sound over the EML's.

Both KR and Elrog 300bs are better than EML XLS. Elrog is better than KR. dunno about the new WEs.
 
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bonzo75

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bonzo75

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btw heard both the new and the 1990s production WE300Bs a week ago at ETF in Belleme, Normandie and I couldn´t hear any difference

I know who lives there.

The 1990s ones weren't that good
 

the sound of Tao

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Both KR and Elrog 300bs are better than EML XLS. Elrog is better than KR. dunno about the new WEs.
I had also considered going with the new Moly version of the Elrog 300Bs and the TM300B which Thomas Mayer has developed and apparently he considers closer in some ways to recalling a 46 tube in nature apparently. Great to have even more choice again.

Trinity of Elrog 300B
 

bonzo75

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I had also considered going with the new Moly version of the Elrog 300Bs and the TM300B which Thomas Mayer has developed and apparently he considers closer in some ways to recalling a 46 tube in nature apparently. Great to have even more choice again.

Trinity of Elrog 300B

The EML is colored. The Tak is a bit forward, dense mids. The KR and Elrog are more transparent, the Elrog more than the KR. That said, some amps can be made to voice to a specific tube.
 

the sound of Tao

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The EML is colored. The Tak is a bit forward, dense mids. The KR and Elrog are more transparent, the Elrog more than the KR. That said, some amps can be made to voice to a specific tube.
Thomas Mayer seems to be saying the new Elrog Moly and his TM are more neutral and resolving again than their other version of the 300B… I’m tempted to get his TM to try and have as an alternative to compare when possible.
 
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DasguteOhr

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Elrog is not a 300B
Right, elrog 950 ohms-300b 700ohms
Amplificationfactor elrog 3.3 - 300b 3.85
whether that notices really notices in an amplifier I don't know depends on the concept
 

acousticsguru

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Totally unrelated question: anyone here own, tried or heard the Audio Note 211 tube named AN-4242E, made by Psvane? Thanks in advance!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
 
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christoph

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Totally unrelated question: anyone here own, tried or heard the Audio Note 211 tube named AN-4242E, made by Psvane? Thanks in advance!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
Hi David

Sorry, I have no experience with 211 tubes and amps

I would start a new thread regarding 211 tubes.
That way you will probably reach more poeple than in this thread ;)
 
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kpz

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Hi Everyone! Finally the pair of Avantgarde Acousitc Duo Mezzo has arrived ! As I have posted before, it was my desire to upgrade the Audio Note E speakers that now came in. I just installed the Mezzo's temporarily, having them connected with the low cost copper speaker cables that was handy, the difference in performance compared to the AN-E is indescribable. It is much greater joy to listen to music now! i have reached a significant milestone by installing the Duo Mezzo's in my ambitious journey of chasing perfection in listening. Honestly I still have the sonic details in my ears of the ultimate, reference playing system that is a set datum level for me in enjoying all sorts of music, the system I have been exposed to @ Clarinet Audio Design studio where the set up was a chain of their own branded amplifiers with pair of Avantgarde A. Trio connected by their own speaker cables and interconnects. This is an ultimate benchmark for me. I am truly delighted to take a leap step now with the Mezzo's. The sonic performance my ears are exposed to now is rather clear with loads of details and the falloff's are entirely different. Overall music started to become what it should be....
Please let me share my joy through the attached photos! To further progress in my journey, I am also lucky benefitting from the expertise in fine tuning my system: I am ordering speaker cables and onsite fine tuning from Clarinet Audio Design. The time I could spend enjoying music is sadly constrained by other duties like work; i could hardly wait for spare time @ weekends!
IMG_2631felrak.JPG
IMG_2645.JPG IMG_2643.JPG IMG_2634.JPG
 

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