Are SET Amplifiers Less Resolving Than Solid State Amplifiers?
- Thread starter Mr P
- Start date
Mr P, I’d possibly suggest that the position is just too open and generic so the answer for me is no SET is not inherently less anything than solid state.
Indeed I’ve often found generally greater natural resolution and a kind of more whole truthfulness in the better SET than in equivalent good quality solid state.
The best of each can do sensational things in their appropriate context. I’ve settled on a SET amp and will likely only own speakers that this amp can drive from now on so definitely not looking elsewhere for any other topology of amp. After some 40 years of looking I believe I’ve at last found my destination amp.
Indeed I’ve often found generally greater natural resolution and a kind of more whole truthfulness in the better SET than in equivalent good quality solid state.
The best of each can do sensational things in their appropriate context. I’ve settled on a SET amp and will likely only own speakers that this amp can drive from now on so definitely not looking elsewhere for any other topology of amp. After some 40 years of looking I believe I’ve at last found my destination amp.
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IMO no they aren't. Further also just in my opinion it has been only recently that I've seen SS approach the low level resolution of well built SETs and OTLs.
No... However many people use SETs to underdrive speakers, or they use mushy colored sets. In that case, yes you will lose resolution. There are many many varieties of SETs. The right SETs coupled with the right speakers have extremely high resolution and a pure signal that goes through minimal circuitry
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I agree 100%. I have not heard all SS amplifiers, but many SETS to my ears have micro detail and timbre, a seemingly effortless way of presenting music. They also seem to retain the same signature at low -medium-higher levels, (when well designed and with efficient speakers). This is something SS seem to struggle on IMO. Yes we know SS can blast away at high levels, but at 'normal' levels I detect less realism and a shift in presentation. SS just leaves me a bit cold and un-engaged. May be a personal thing, but that is how I find this subject.
I've been a high powered SE fanatic since getting my first 845 amplifiers years ago. I've never found these to be lacking in terms of anything except possibly control, but as you go up the quality chain this improves dramatically. I've only had two SS amplifiers really move me: T+A and Norma Audio. Get either of those on the right speakers and you get a majestic performance, but even then, I still find myself falling back to Single Ended/Parallel Single Ended amplifiers.
For what its worth, even SE amps with a good amount of hiss have surpassed the resolution I've found with comparably priced SS. This is of course on the lower side of pricing.
For what its worth, even SE amps with a good amount of hiss have surpassed the resolution I've found with comparably priced SS. This is of course on the lower side of pricing.
I would add, IMO, that we have resolving, so that can mean for example 'detail' or 'transparency'. I would add 'timbre' to that. This is texture, tone AND resolution. The small cues in the music that add up to something bigger, and make the whole illusion much more believable. That is where SETs can leave the rest of amplifier topology behind to my ears. As in all things, no amplifier or matching speaker is perfect. But the important parts of the illusion or music image, in a SET has it nailed to me, it convinces me much more often than solid state.
Agreed, texture, especially in the bass is important to what I would call resolution and also leads to greater believability.
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