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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: Re: Please help regarding SET amp choice posted by njjohn on February 14, 2007 at 11:49:09:
I’ll be also honest; I have not heard AN amps for ages. I have heard a few setups at the very beginning of my audio journey. They were the first amps, that I’ve heard that stood out from the commercial lo fi crowd. At that time my ears were not trained, but I think I have a pretty stable long-term audio memory. (Huh, what are we talking about?;).
But I can’t say with certainty how they’d compare to other amps, and how much my taste has changed since then. I’ve heard a while ago a px 25 amp that reminded me of the AN sound. Indeed, I borrow your words, it sounded too polished. You fall for the sound of the amp, no matter what it plays, as long as it’s playing on that amp. Fine for a listening session, very enjoyable, but it would be like on drugs 24/7 listening to it every night. I prefer the music itself, rather than a certain way of presentation, on a constant basis. However, once in a while, that sound is very enjoyable with the right material.I heard the AN gears from a local dealer, who was DIY nuts, and wanted to build a kit for me. He was showing me 300B tubes, and the insides of the AN amps, and a tweaked AN chain. I guess that was where I was lost to the normal world, and was infected with audiofilia.
At a Budapest High End show, somewhere around 1999-2000 I also had a chance to hear AN gear. On electronica music the crowd filled the room, they were shocked beyond belief, then fled when classical was playing. I did the same, and ended up in the other room with the Ongaku. That also looked like a tweaked chain, and despite the horrific acoustics of the hotel room, the music was wonderful, making you forget the unbeleivable price tags. Even the concurrent dealer, whom I knew, was saying that that setup played well, and he was deeply into abasing concurrent products and dealers.Indeed, most commercial amps go for sonics that catch you, and stand out. Sonics that has strong individuality, is highly sculpted, and cannot be mistaken for something else or for plain acoustic instruments. People want more, they want special. “If I pay 20K for an amp, be it special, more than a boring live concert!†Of course, this line of thinking gets you to an unbalanced sound, that, although with aspects surpassing real events, are lacking in the presentation as a whole, and make you a slave of illusion rather than making you understand the music played.
Indeed, PP amps can sound very, very good. :))) Recently heard a stock Dyna stereo 70 restored with excellent caps, in triode mode, and that one gives a supreme challenge for any amp. It played pure music, you forgot all about the gear. And no hifi details and qualities were missing...
The Yamamoto (DIY, a good friend of mines) also striked me as an amp, that has strong character. I can’t put my finger around its sonics, but there is something to it that stands out when it drives a Lowther horn.
>People mention different models, but there is not mention of the typology
of the tubes, whether they are dht, idht, or pentode drivers. And I really
think that tells you alot about the amp.Agreed. Topology makes for character, parts selection for fine tuning, tweaking the sound from muddy to crisp; build quality changes it from non-working to excellent.
Can someone tell me what the 417a is? It's a WE tube and it seems to be a
very good driver. I wonder who is using it.It’s a high transconductance, low plate resistance triode. The 5842 is the layman’s version. The super-low rp makes it a very good candidate, however, the 5842, which is electrically identical, is reported to perform not so well.
I like your comparison with shoe polish. :)
Here’s a link for we tubes:
https://www.tubeworld.com/400a723a.htm
Thank you for your comments,
Janos
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- Re: Please help regarding SET amp choice - Janos 19:22:03 02/14/07 (0)
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