845 SET? deHavilland / Art Audio/et..al.

I'm keeping the CAT, just interested in adding to the mix. Want to see what SET is all about, though I suppose 2A3 or 300B would be truer to the genre, but with my Merlins it is not an option. And of course OTL is on the horizon.

Goldenerguy, do you mean that with the Joule the Viva the combo would be to warm? too lush?

Pubul57.No,what i meant was that the Solista being an integrated amp has its own preamp.You could use the Solista
as an amp only and use the joule-electra for the pre, but that would mean you are paying for something you wont be using.
Sorry for the confusion

Thanks for the clarification.

Well, I have sold the CAT JL2, and am now really focusing on the Art Audio Carissa and deHavilland 845-G for use with my Merlin VSMs. Would appreciate any additional thoughts as try to settle on one or the other. Am also considering an Atma-sphere M60 as a possible option.

Hi Pubul57,
Well, I'm probably the last person who should try to get technical but here goes: From all that I've read, I've come to think of output transformers sort of like window glass. We want windows so we can enjoy a view. The cleaner and higher quality the glass, the more lifelike the view. That said, the glass in the window also serves the purpose of sheltering us from the elements. If we had no need of this second purpose, the best view would be enjoyed by having no glass at all. Likewise, if your speakers have a sufficiently benign impedance, OTLs seem to make sense to me IMHO.