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RE: Well it's 'objectively' true that SET distorts

Nothing against Schitt - it sounds okay but there is a world of of difference between what Schitt does and what I am talking about. Distortion with SET amps is linear - rises with volume. So with an insufficient speaker they will distort. With an efficient speaker they do not. While they may sound better when they distort than SS when SS distorts I would rather not run either of them into distortion.

In either case - my view has changed over the years because we live in a world where we don't have to live with one thing.

You are an example. You want to listen to a tube amp for Loreena McKennett or a small scale lounge act great if you want to buy a 500 watt SS amp for Beethoven's 5th hey you can buy that too.

My case has generally been that if you buy a top end HE speaker and a really good quality SET - you will be able to play both of these kinds of music.

With SS and LE systems it is my view that no matter the expense none of them have captured that beauty in the small scale music - the individual instruments and one singer at a piano kind of stuff.

Thus Eva Cassidy with a guitar on the best SET based systems moves me. Listening to that on any of the $100k SS systems usually sounds lifeless.

Big music they do well - Guns and Roses at 105dB will blow you into next week - seems like the band is in the room belting away - Mahler is Mahvelous. Put a SET amp on LE speaker and Mahler will be Meh.




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  • RE: Well it's 'objectively' true that SET distorts - RGA 11/19/2021:35:56 11/19/20 (1)

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