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SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream. |
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SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream. |
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In Reply to: When did you know SE sound was it? posted by RGA on August 7, 2011 at 17:54:41:
I started my first serious stereo system with a SS Pioneer SX-1980 in the 70’s because a friend of mine worked for Pioneer and swore it was the best thing out there. I put it with a pair of RTR omni-directional speakers and could really rock the house.
I got into tube amps in the 1980’s with an Audio Research D-70 MK II and Thiel speakers. These were the days when there were lots of great stereo shops around and you could audition to your heart’s content. I was taken by the rich sound and more natural reproduction of the music with tube gear. In the 90’s I had switched to a more powerful Music Reference RM 9 Mk II with fabulous Audio Physics speakers and had a dedicated audio listening room.
In 2003 I got married and moved to a house where I had a combined Home Theater and stereo listening room, but the configuration did not allow for good speaker location. So, I decided to set my home office up for serious stereo listening. I started with the RM9 in the office and soon heard about these SET amps. I bought a Tube City 300B online (Chinese integrated amp) for $900 and immediately was thrilled by the three dimensional sound stage and the richness of the mid range. In this case, the SET amp cost only about half what the PP amp cost, and the monitor speakers where a small fraction of the cost of the Audio Physics speakers. Almost right away I started tube rolling, which started increasing the costs. Now, of course, several large sets of storage shelves in the garage are filled with tubes. After reading about 45 amps, I bought a Moth S-45, which could use either 45’s or 2A3’s. The clarity, detail and transparency of the 45 really hooked me. Even at it's best, my PP tube system in a dedicated room could not match the immediacy and presence of a good SET system. Since then I have been doing the buy/try/resell thing with amps and speakers. I do my budgeting so I can buy the next item, test it against the current piece, and sell the looser. Since I got hooked on SET’s, I have owned a couple of dozen SET amps and a dozen or so speakers, always looking for the best amp/speaker/room combo. The quest continues.
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Follow Ups
- Road to SET - Rick R 14:08:45 08/09/11 (0)
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