SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream.

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Re: What are the trade offs with higher powered SETs?

Posted by bigtube (A) on October 10, 2005 at 14:00:21

In Reply to: What are the trade offs with higher powered SETs? posted by Lemonbishop on October 10, 2005 at 09:18:38:

There are always trade offs. Low power SETs are pretty easy to get sounding wonderful. Espescially in the mids. However, the extremes are usually compromised. Especially the bass.

Low power SETs work well with horns and monitors. If you are trying to achieve full-range sound, you need to bi or tri amp using subs so your speaker system can get somewhat complicated very quickly. If they are horns, they can get huge as well.

If you want to use an SET amp with less than efficient dynamic driver speakers, like it sounds, you need a big tube with big iron and big volts. It get's really hard, really big, and really expensive, really fast.

Manufacturers do put out these types of amps but they cut corners all over the place to keep them from getting too big and too expensive. In other words, to get a properly executed high-power SET amp, you have to spend tons of money. Or build it yourself. Dangerous stuff. Very difficult. Huge, heavy amplifiers.

Ultimately most big tube SET amps on the market, that are of a reasonable size and cost, are so severely compromised they don't produce much more real world grunt than a good 300B amp. And they can sound much worse. Their power supplies are so weak and full of electrolytics and solid state crap that you'd do better with a 300B type that has better iron and a better power supply.

However, in my experience, a big tube SET amp on the right full-range speakers can't be beat. But it's not an easy road to travel. You can also do very well with low power SETs and horns but that's a whole nuther can-o-worms.

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