SET Asylum

Posted by audiofolk (A) on December 21, 2006 at 10:09:45

Well, this is kind of a long story. Since 1999 I've been a SET amp kind of man but, last year(2005 fall) I fell for a digital amp and new speakers. I needed new speakers all I had was a pair of Apogee Duetta Sigs which were great but had been stored and I had just sold my Hornings. I was going to take a break and just enjoy music for a while. Well, SETs don't do so well on planars so, I was in the amp market. So, the story goes on and I ended up with a pair of digital monos and then,later on, a pair of Audio Physic Scorios. The scorpios are great! They're 91 db at a flat 4 ohm. One of the best speakers I've heard. Well, this story would be great if it ended here but, I must go on. I got crazy and decided to try all sorts of digital amps. They are all good! Some do things better than others, just like anything else in audio. I was selling tubes and tube amps that had been laying around like crazy. I had upgraded everything in the meanwhile. A new Cary 306 SACD player,new cables from VH audio, and finally it was time to try some active preamps. I had been using a passive for years. I liked it for it's transparency and it's detail retrieval. I tried all kinds of solid state pres from a Mark L. 380S to a Sim Audio P-5 ltd.,Ayre K5xe. All were good and made improvements but, I had not tried a tube pre. and I had a friend who had just gotten an ARC LS 26. I tried the ARC and it was in a league by itself! Just killer! Hard to explain this preamp. But, it made my system sound so much better. I've never had such an inprovement at one step. Well, I ended up buying a LS 26. So, two weeks ago I take my digital amps to my other home to listen to another system while there and I had to suddenly leave to go back to the other home.Which has the LS 26 and the major system. Well, I left the amps cause I was supposed to come right back! It didn't happen that way. I was sitting around the house the other day with no music and I decided to hook up this old Ideal Innovation amp that Syd built for me that uses KT 88s in Single Ended ultralinear. It uses 12AX7 as input/driver tubes and it has two 5UG4 rect.and puts out 8 watts! Well, to make this long story even longer I was blown away! Was it the new preamp? All the new cables including some power changes or the new Cary source or what? I've never had a super preamp until now. I honestly believe that this new preamp has made such a difference. All you guys using a passive or semi-good preamp, before you try another amp cause the one you have is just not doing it for you anymore. I suggest you try a nice tube active linestage. It's not as loud as the digital's can be but, it does'nt need to be! My wife said (about the SET) it like it's loud but not loud. Now you gotta understand I was the SET amp poster boy for years and had all but given up on SETs. I had always been told by others that SETs are very dependent on a good pre. well, they were right! Or is just a great synergy that I've stumbled on. I don't know. One thing I do know is that I'm pissed that I sold so many tubes and other SET amps. I just can't get over the sound that I'm getting. Just incredible! Merry Christmas all. Maybe this is my Christmas magic this year. SET amps forever!