OTL amps with Wilson Watt/Puppy 6s

Through the generosity of Chris, I received a Berning ZH270 to audition in my system. I must say that my first impression was, "Damn it's small". Don't let the "small" matter fool you.

I read the manual and it is evident that the engineering of this amp is completely different from other OTLs. It is an all out effort to bring out the benefits of OTL design and overcome some of the shortcomings including heat and current limitations. There are three settings to adjust the feedback so one can tailor the sound to the system and taste. The late Harvey "Gizmo" Rosenberg gave the design a thumbs up and so do I. It is one of those special innovative products that take a back seat to the mainstream way of thinking. It also has the sonic attributes unique to OTL designs. Then there's the bass...it almost defies belief that a 10 lb amp can put out this degree of well defined natural bass with power. It never ran out of gas although I have efficient speakers with no impedance dips. I'm sure it would work very well with the Wilson's.

Bryans I would encourage you to add this amp to your audition list regardless of your budget.

Tubegroover.
You should hear two ZH270's strapped Mono, your speakers wouldn't know what hit them :)
These tiny little giants are just awesome, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Certainly breaks the mold " bigger is better" doesn't it?
Allan

hey tubegroover...
is the bering any competition for the t-8s w/ the merlins?

inquiring minds want to know

Hi Ryan

I haven't heard a pair of mono T-8's in my system so I can't compare directly. What the Berning does do over the Transcendent is probably a result of the extra power but a direct comparison would have to be done to be sure. On large orchestral music I noted that more of the musical information is preserved during busy passages. High frequency extension is better as is space/ambient information. My wife noted this immediately. She loved it. The T-8 stereo gets a bit polite or should I say stays polite at such times, not nearly the dynamic performance of the Berning, not enough power. You have to remember Rhyno that the T8's are very large. A pair would take up a lot of space. Plus you have 16 output tubes and 10 driver tubes total. The Berning has 4 output tubes and 6 driver tubes total. Power rating would then be equal. The Berning could be used with a wider variety of speakers, the Transcendent would have to be matched more closely. 4 ohms is the max impedance dip for a pair of monos.

I love the Transcendent but have realized almost since I first acquired it that it wasn't enough power for some music in MY room which has a large volume. Always figured I would upgrade to monos or look at other options. I need to listen to Joules before I commit to anything else but I'll tell you the Berning is in the running. An incredible amp it is.

Allan, I can't even imagine 2 ZH270's strapped, it must be an awesome experience.

Tubegroover.....Awesome in Mono's
Bernings ZH270's is everything you want and nothing you don't..... well it could be bigger and prettier but then again, it could cost $10K.

I bet you if the ZH270 had a line of tubes going out the door and was the size of your microwave and consume the same amount of power as it, people would really be impressed :), even if it does not sound as good as it does now.

I once sold one to a guy that thought I sent him a little scaled model of the amp :)
For those that remember Berning amps back in the 70's, they were big, really big but still cutting edge back then, some had high speed switching power supplies.
Allan