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40+ watts SET, cost is not a problem

Friends,

Hope everyone is well here. I am visiting after a long time. I have a query on behalf of a close buddy of mine. He is using a pair of TAD CR1x loudspeakers. Gorgeous speakers for sure. The source is an EMT 927 TT & JPA66 preamp. For the amplification things are getting tricky. He has tried the TAD M700s reference power amp and while it sounds very controlled, it doesn't have the openness and dimensionality of tone that a good tube/SET amp provides. We are considering trying a good SET for this system. Given that TAD needs some power blossom well and expand on effortlessly, at least 40 watts of SET power would be needed. The quick choices are Kondo Kagura & Wavac HE833 Mk2. But I need more suggestions on these and other comparative products.

1. Has anyone heard the Kondo and Wavac gears to suggest a comparison? I am just a bit worried on the amount of Silver used in Kondo. I have normally found that silver takes away something from the flow and harmonics. Tell me more about it.

2. What other options can be considered in this realm? No SS please. Looking for SET options primarily.

 

Room size is moderate 17 x 13 feet. Music preferred are classic rock, jazz, pop and some classical

 

pani
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 

@atmasphere

300b is about as powerful as you can get and still claim hifi bandwidth. The thing is, if the amp doesn’t employ feedback, you’ll get phase shift down to about 10th the upper cutoff frequency (-3dB point) and 10x the lower cutoff. This is filter theory.

On technical grounds I won’t even try to dispute what you stated. I can only rely upon what I have heard. I’m very familiar with in particular two PSET 845 amplifiers (50 watts for each pair) that could suffer the bandwidth limitations you mentioned. I can genuinely say however that both of them sound superb and so natural reproducing music.

I am referring to the Absolare Passion 845 mono blocks and the Viva Audio Aurora 845 mono blocks. I don’t know how they conquer/manage the potential bandwidth limitations. I can attest that listening to music, Both are stunningly terrific! No doubt their respective designers/engineers could explain how they accomplished this.

Charles

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 

@pani 

I own the Coincident Frankenstein 300b SET mono blocks. They also build a 211 push pull  (Class A zero NFB) mono block named the Dragon. It’s 75 watts per channel. By all accounts it is fabulous sounding.

Charles

audioaholic1
8 posts
 

My friend just finished some 52 watt single ended triodes he will be selling 

 

pani OP
1,219 posts
 

@charles1dad I conquer with you completely. There is something so natural about the way SET present music. What it does with distortion is true and theoretical but it must be preserving something vital to make music sound so "right".

Having said that I am totally open to exploring PP amps. @atmasphere will your Novacron work well with a load like TAD CR1x ? Normally OTLs also need friendly loads. Hence I ask

pani OP
1,219 posts
 

Has anyone here heard the Wavac preamps?

If I go for SET, I am strongly considering AN (UK) Gaku-on but I don't like AN preamps. They are way too colored and even slow. I have owned M6 and M8. Sold them both because of their colored and slowish (too much body and tone) sound. But I absolutely love Wavac preamp. Fast and dynamic without losing harmonics

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