Pairing Tenor 75 OTL with Soundlab Majestics?

I ran my Sound-Lab Ultimates with Viva Aurora SET which is a very low power amp. I also ran Ultimates with a couple of Atma-Sphere OTL amps, including the 200 WPC version.

The Viva was more liquid and mystical sounding but very limited in it's ability to play dynamics or loud like the Atma-Sphere. The Tenor probably shares some of the personality of both amps I ran but with it's own strengths.

I added my comments to help keep your thread alive, I hope you find an Audiogon member with the exact combo you specify.

Thanks, Albert, for the response. My room is about 4000 cubic feet, and I'm concerned I won't have the power I need at the extremes.

I think you're wasting your time. Those two will not go well together and will squander the strengths of each piece.

Hi Jeff, you will need a lot more power to work with a room that size!

Agree with others about room size, more power is better and with the low efficiency of the Sound-Lab big amps are a requirement.

My room is about 5600 cubic feet and with the Sound-Lab Ultimate (a bit less efficient than yours), the three amps that got dynamics and volume correct were Atma-Sphere 200 watt, Tube Research GT-400 and VTL 750.

The Atma-Sphere and VTL are very reliable, can't say the same about my experience with Tube Research. Hope you're able to find a match that makes you happy.

Thanks for the feedback, esteemed audiophiles!

Albert,

What trouble did you have with the TRL GT 400 and how did it fair with the AS 200?

What trouble did you have with the TRL GT 400 and how did it fair with the AS 200?
Glory

I had problems with it running away, super heating, trashing tubes and blowing resistors. This happened more times than I can count. I think this amp was out of spec, delivering too much voltage for the tubes it was supplied with.

Performance wise Tube Research was wonderful, better than the (then) Atma-Sphere and maybe better in the midrange than the VTL. Since that time Atma-Sphere has upgraded several times and I hope to someday try them again.

As for output volume and reserve power the Atma-Sphere was right in there with the Tube Research but VTL 750 is top dog for dynamics, hard hitting bass and reserve power on difficult material.

Ultimately the VTL 750 is the most reliable tube amp I've ever encountered. One pair of 750s on my Dali Megaline are the exact amps purchased back in 2003 for my Sound-Lab Ultimate. I bought these used and have pushed them for an additional eight years with no repairs !

The second set of VTL I purchased used in 2004 or 2005, I have one of them in the shop right now, first repair in 6 years.

I have replaced tubes several times but when a tube shorts with VTL 750 it takes out a big fuse. Replace fuse, replace tube and repair is done.

Maybe I'm getting old but I just don't deal well with product that fails a lot. I get so depressed I can't enjoy the music.

I cannot speak about the compatibility of the Tenor OTL and the Soundlab speaker. However, I heard the Tenor OTL with other speakers and the impression I got was that it did NOT sound like an OTL -- it did not deliver incredible speed, vibrancy and liveliness -- the very things that I like most about OTLs.

I would check out the other common high powered OTLs that are commonly available (Atmasphere, Joule).