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OTL, Output Transformerless Amplifier User Group.

RE: Touche', sort of...

"I have never heard any negative consequences "

Until you compare them to equally good no feedback circuits I can imagine you don't hear the consequences as it has to be in relation to circuits without it. I have no doubt you find the OTLs of this design to sound good...I do too but not as good as the best SET designs in some important ways. What the OTLs have is this sensation of absolute transparency...something that you find only with the best of the best SETs and even then the quality is slightly different...where I heard my OTLs ultimately lacking was coherence and this only with full range electrostats...not with conventional speakers.

This is why the idea of a SE OTL is so appealing because IMO SET has greater coherence and harmonic integrity and the OTL greater transparency and punch...so marry the two and ViolĂ  perfect amp ;-).

I have close to this with my SE(Transistor) hybrid from NAT. It is single ended, it is OTL but it uses a MOSFET on the output (only 1 device per channel though...so kind of like a big output tube), it is hybrid, it is direct coupled and it has no negative feedback. Does it sound like a typical SET? No, it sounds less colored than most. Does it have the otherworldly transparency of an OTL? No, it doesn't quite startle you in the same way...althoug after 2 hours of playing it does get kind of psychadelic sounding, where transparency approaches OTL but with less leanness (feedback related, IMO) and superior tone and coherence.

I recently heard the new integrated amp from Ypsilon, the Phaeton, and it was extremely good sounding...also a hybrid but WOW! It REALLY makes me want to hear the SE(Transistor) hybrid mono blocks...although they actually put an output transformer on theirs (a nearly 30KG one at that). The price is unobtanium but really nice machines


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