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How hot is pure Class A solid state vs. SET?

Generally speaking, would a Class A solid state amp generate a lot more or similar heat as a single ended tube amp? Not surface temp, but the air around it. Tubes get hot, but their surface area is usually very small compared to big heat sinks on a SS Class A amp.

I am thinking about going from an AB SS amp to a Pass Aleph 30, but I am concerned about the heat. I have an Almarro A205A 5 WPC EL84/12AX7 SEP amp that is fine for me in this regard.
eugene81

Showing 1 response by eugene81

eugene81 OP
270 posts
 
Thanks for the responses. Two 100W light bulbs: that puts it into perspective (although an idle Class A SS amp is not as efficient as a light bulb <- sad). Too hot to touch, but not putting out a significant amount of heat into a decent sized living room.

Almarro states power consumption of its 18 WPC A318B 300b SET at 260W, so assuming the same efficiency my A205A is drawing about 70W at the wall -- roughly 1/3 of 200W just like you said, Al.

Anyway, I guess the numbers from Pass and Almarro gives us an idea...

Pass: 30W/200W = 15%
Almarro: 18W/260W = 6.9%

Class A SS wins on efficiency in this case.
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