Saki: Will do.
What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?
Hi, Gang,
I response to my recent review of the Reference 3A De Capo BE speaker, someone wrote that if you really want to hear them sing, you should try them with a SET amp, or words to that effect.
That got me thinking. The De Capo's are 92 db efficient, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems kind of borderline for low-power SET amps.
In any event, right now I'm running mine with a pair of Manley Mahi mono-blocks. They are switchable from triode (20 watts) to "ultra linear" (40 watts). I run them in triode all the time, and in my room, the volume knob almost never goes past 9 o'clock; more would just be too loud.
All that said, what do you guys think of running the De Capo's with a SET amp? And if I did, what's the best bargain in SET's these days?
Thanks!
I response to my recent review of the Reference 3A De Capo BE speaker, someone wrote that if you really want to hear them sing, you should try them with a SET amp, or words to that effect.
That got me thinking. The De Capo's are 92 db efficient, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems kind of borderline for low-power SET amps.
In any event, right now I'm running mine with a pair of Manley Mahi mono-blocks. They are switchable from triode (20 watts) to "ultra linear" (40 watts). I run them in triode all the time, and in my room, the volume knob almost never goes past 9 o'clock; more would just be too loud.
All that said, what do you guys think of running the De Capo's with a SET amp? And if I did, what's the best bargain in SET's these days?
Thanks!
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- 600 posts total
Rebbi, you might want to take a look at Audion. Good value, very well built. |
Charles, good question. I'm inclined to say no, it's not a Frank Jr. I like the dynamo a lot, and have listened to it for hours on end for the last 3 days and have really enjoyed it. The more hours I put on it, the more some of the harshness at high frequency subsides, so it is clearly not close to being burned in yet. Yet, when I put the Franks in, Oh my! They are most certainly in a different league, and are worth every penny of 5 x the cost of the dynamo. The incredibly rich harmonic pallet, seemingly endless power reserves (no, that is not a joke), and the beautiful air, breathtaking decays, etc that make the Franks what they are won't be there in the Dynamo. Think Monet vs Ansel Adams. Both great artists and I love them both, but they are very different. To me, the Franks don't sound like a tube amp. They certainly don't sound like a solid state amp. They don't sound like any other amp I have ever heard. I guess that is what Israel means when he says the sound like nothing. The dynamo sounds like a good amp, with all the clues to let you know it is a tube amp. You get enough of that big beautiful, fat, tube bloom in all the right places to let you know its a tube amp. It has me wanting to see what kind of tube loveliness I can dial in with some tube rolling. With the Franks and a great piece of music, I just sit there in awe. When I run for president, my platform will be "A Frankenstein in every house!" Wonder how that will play? |
- 600 posts total