SET Asylum: RE: Tube matching in SET amplifiers by Whats-a-vacuum-toob?

Hi TubeGuy,

Thanks for your kindness and suggestions. I do feel quite proud to own that amp. *edit* I made a request to the widow to get the other amps designed by the same guy. I'm hoping... *End edit* I'm not sure what I'll ultimately do with it. At the moment it sounds great, but it gets really hot. I think this is one of the potential issues that the designer was referring to when he said "... but it's more complex than most SET amps in this power class and it lacks refinements that could improve reliability as well as temperature stability. At this juncture, CatSkin is more like an advanced experiment or early prototype than a production-ready design."

So if I want to use it very much I'm going to need to do something to improve cooling. Unless the caps are automotive temp range, and I don't think that hi-fi audio caps typically are, they're going to cook. Fortunately, electronics cooling is a big part of what I do for a living. Time is another matter.

At the moment I'm inclined to leave the amp unmodified. It is finished and complete as-is, even if not perfect. It is representative of a person whom I sorely miss. Any additions would be as you describe, external and removable.

As for a wooden shell, I'm with you on natural materials. The humble character of the Catskin amp has it's own charm, but I do prefer the look of those that incorporate fine woods and polished metals. I like tube back-lighting as well. I suppose aluminum is a natural material in a way, but you'll never see it in a pure form in nature. So to me it feels kinda artificial.

I did get some Tekton Lore Reference loudspeakers for the amp. There is a big disaster of a discussion about that over in the High Efficiency Speakers Asylum. I posted a photo of the budding system there. In it you can clearly discern my preferences for decor.

All the best!