Ron’s New System

[Ron Resnick]

If you must go push/pull then get something like the VAC Phi 70 used, if you can find them or the new Thrax 300B amp that is all 300Bs! To my ears, the best sounding Jadis I heard was their relatively affordable Defy 7 mkIII with siltech wiring...that made a nice sound!

A good hybrid, like a Sphinx Project 14 or 16 (true Class A) or the Conrad Johnson EVO2000 (sounded great on Duetta Signatures) would probably be preferable sonically to most PP tube amps.

I prefer not push pull. Why aren't you suggesting the NAT Transmitter Evo?

(80 watt SET is on target for my SET or PSET mission brief.)

 

[Atmasphere]

I prefer not push pull. Why aren't you suggesting the NAT Transmitter Evo?

(80 watt SET is on target for my SET or PSET mission brief.)

SETs of that power have severe problems making bandwidth! This fact is well known.

When you use a single power tube to make power (vs multiple tubes in parallel) the only access to the designer is to use tubes that use progressively higher plate Voltages. At some point this gets a bit more risky for the user, since a good number of transmitting triodes use a plate cap and run Voltages in excess of 1000V. Voltages that high tend to attract dust; over time if you were to open the amp up you'd see the dust clinging to the wiring like short hairs. In addition higher Voltage power tubes tend to emit X-rays.

I'm pretty sure you read my comments about what happens when SETs try to play bass; if you wish to get the most out of an SET its best to keep bass signals out of it so the load line of the power tube(s) remains a straight line.

If you are dead set (if you see what I did there) on using an SET then your best path is more efficient speakers so you don't need that kind of power.

Plan B (which might actually be plan A) is to look at one of David Berning's more powerful amplifiers, since his patented approach gets around the traditional problem of playing bass, making power and having bandwidth at the same time. Its very reasonable to say that David developed a breakthrough for SETs with his patent! Rick Brown commissioned a higher power SET version of his amp which you might consider.

 

[Ron Resnick]

SETs of that power have severe problems making bandwidth! This fact is well known.

Thank you, Ralph.

I do not care about bandwidth. I use the ~80 watt amplifier only for around 500Hz and above.

 

[Atmasphere]

Thank you, Ralph.

I do not care about bandwidth. I use the ~80 watt amplifier only for around 500Hz and above.

The more power you ask of an SET the worse the bandwidth.

There are problems in the bass of course but this affects the highs too.

If you don't have feedback, to prevent phase shift (which over a range of frequencies can be heard as a coloration, but also affects perception of the sound stage) you need bandwidth well up to 100KHz. Not happening with an SET; the exception being Berning's amps which don't suffer that problem.

 

[microstrip]

(...) Plan B (which might actually be plan A) is to look at one of David Berning's more powerful amplifiers, since his patented approach gets around the traditional problem of playing bass, making power and having bandwidth at the same time. Its very reasonable to say that David developed a breakthrough for SETs with his patent! Rick Brown commissioned a higher power SET version of his amp which you might consider.

You should tell Ron that Plan B has a RRP of $ 230, 000.