Bedini 25/25 or any of the higher-power models, depending upon how loud you like to listen! I have a 25/25 and a 150/150 to choose between. Class A and superior to any low-power SET amp for headroom/avoidance of clipping distortion.
SET Lovers, what's the one solid state amp you love(d)?
I'm thinking of trying out a solid state amp in place of my 300B SET, which is giving me some problems again and the builder is swamped so it's going to be awhile.
Suggestions? Speakers are 96dB 12" 2-way bass reflex studio monitors from a Japanese recording studio.
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SS: I had some good ones: Loved: None, I recommend you go for a tube amp 35-45 wpc, with remote volume, and remote balance would be a great feature. Mono/Stereo modes. ......................................................... SS, IF I consider SS, it is Receivers I have ’liked very much’, Sounded great, I just prefer vintage, tubes, and tube sound my Tandberg 2080, 2 phono; 2 tape, features up the kazoo, great Radio, and 3 sets of speakers Listed here
Tandberg Died (my fault), I replaced it with a terrrific Yamaha CR-1020. If thinking long, I should have gone for the top model CR-2020 btw, it has the best implementation of ’Loudness’ that existed in those day.
To get remote volume, balance, (and other features I don’t use) for any Vintage unit without remote, use this either 1st in line, or, what I do with my Yamaha, thru the tape monitor for optional use. Chase Remote Line Controller RLC-1
You MUST have the remote, no controls on the unit itself. ............................................... PS: IF/WHEN you get your 300 amp fixed, what will you do with it’s temporary replacement? Let that help you decide. |
The SET lover I know swaps in a Firstwatt Sit3 |
the solid state darTZeel NHB-108 stereo amplifier replaced Tenor Audio OTL tube amps in my system 19 years ago now. and over 19 years with the darTZeel brand i’m still a tube lover using solid state. you can find used darTZeel 108 stereo amps at reasonable prices from time to time. low noise, sparkling mid range with a touch of tube ’breath of life’ magic. zero solid state edge or blandness, wonderful smooth high frequencies. Swiss quality fit and finish, and built like a tank. |
@soix +1. That’s where I’d look for a low-watt, Class A, solid state amp. I run two SET systems, one with 300B tubes one with 2A3. The SS amp that I love, and which delivers almost all the delicacy and tonality that I enjoy in those tube amps, is the Reference Line Silver Signature I bought new in 1999. 100w of Class A into 8 ohms, 200 into 4. It continues to amaze. |
Interesting! Did you buy from the eBay source or from somewhere else? |
“It’s almost like we all have different physiology and hear differently...” Exactly! And not to mention the most critical piece of the equation, the synergy between the amp and speakers. I can name atleast dozen amps (both SS and SET) that did not worked out with my 96dB Tannoy Canterbury’s |
I have 3 Bedini amps including a 25/25. Other amps come and go but never the Bedini’s. The 25/25 recommendation is a good one when you have a high sensitivity speaker. The 25/25 is the smoothest and most tubelike of the Bedini’s. I’m looking at picking up Pass Labs XA25 as I’m told they sound similar but the Pass has more power. After reading the above I might try a First Watt instead. |
+1 Pass Labs. In my case I have a SET 572-11 , a Decware ZMA and Wyetech 300 B mono blocks. All sound great and my Pass Labs XA 30.8 absolutely holds its own among the three tube amps. It’s a great luxury and privilege to have a Solid State amp of such high quality a long with three terrific tube amps. |
I agree about the synergy between components, I think everything in the signal path makes a difference. The 25 ohm resistor I have shunted on both low and high frequency terminals, (Cornwall's) and the tinned copper wire from Duelund have made a huge difference in my love for this amp. I originally tried the 10 ohm resistors at Nelson's suggestion, but decided that was a little much and settled on 25 ohm. I think with any amp you have to experiment with power cords, speaker wire, interconnects, 6922 tubes (Dodd) and in my case resistors to get the very best out of your amplifier. The SIT-3 is known to sound its best pushing a 4 ohm load. My guess is that there are a lot of people that decide to try a new amp but never make the correct adjustments to make it sound its best. They never allow their forever amp a chance to shine, before they sell it someone else. If you blinded folded audiophile friends that visit, they'd think they were listening to tubes. ps. The Supratek preamp, and First Watt SIT 3 should wonderful together also.
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I replaced my tube amps with a class D amp and no downside in my system- its just as smooth and revealing as the tubes were- no harshness or brightness and good bass impact. I'm really convinced that tube power amplifiers are on life support; why have one when you can have an amp that sounds better in every way and not have to deal with tube issues?? |
Based on questions from friends, many still rotating and hoarding tube amps and tubes - I’m still seeing some success with simple tube amplifiers paired non-exotic output tubes. The tube amps with less expensive and available opt tubes I mean. In your case with exciting class-D amp success, does this somehow suggest you are eventually planning on shutting down your tube amp manufacturing side of the business, i.e. "are on life support"? |
First Watt SIT-3. I mostly use my Coincident Frankenstein Mk.II 300b monoblocks The SIT-3 is also enjoyable! It has that nice SET type of sound, but isn't fleshed out as much in the midrange. For a solid state amp it is really great with a grain free presentation and nice tonality. It works best with speakers between 4 and 8 ohms. |
@decooney That depends on sales. But if we can make a class D sound as good as tubes I suspect others can too. But there are other issues that anyone dealing with tube amps should think about. We all know about the war, which has increased tube prices worldwide. But there is also the fact that class D is making its way into the guitar world. I'm not talking about those cheap 'modeling' amps either- but good quality class D amps, often with a tube input section. They might make 50 to 200 Watts and weigh under 20 pounds. Many guitar players these days do not rely on the overdrive sound of their amps for their unique 'sound'; they get that from their effect pedals instead. So a guitar amplifier these days doesn't have to be a 100 Watt Marshall. Its happening slowly right now. But as more class D product makes it into the guitar world, tube sales in that market will dwindle. Audiophiles may not realize it, but tube sales worldwide are driven by the guitar market, not the home audio market. In ten years I suspect the guitar world will look a lot different- if you have a 50 Watt guitar amp, its a big deal that it might weigh only 15 pounds instead of 75!!
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@atmasphere Thanks for the note. All makes sense, and as they say, we’ll see how it goes. I’ve been following Class D for the past decade. A few buddies who play guitars switched with a few holdouts still running tube for lead guitars. On a related note, I remember when the HD Radio tuners came out, people went out and bought them. Folks got fired up, we’d see note’s how the conventional FM radio tuners were dead forever!!! Outta here!, blah blah. HD radio and streaming came to automobiles too. Quite a change for the auto and audio industry. Seemed to make sense in autos for sure. For home use, a few holdouts still liking old FM more. When HD radio came out it seemed like it was still missing something. While owning both, from time to time I still fire up the conventional Magnum Dynalab FM radio tuner. And what’s odd is how conventional FM radio still sounds as wonderful as ever. There are times I actually prefer its sound over today’s streaming for a different type of listening. Reminds me of tube amps and what is at question here. Also watching closely how people some buy the latest generation of Class D from AGD, NAD, Atma, and others claiming its "there" now, and then how many of those same folks put them up for sale and return to Tube based amps again a year or two later. Very interesting to see how this continues to unfold next 2-5 years.Got the mono block tube amps playing great music and close to 3D type sound as I type this now. Hey, maybe if everyone else goes Class D, there will be a glutt of tube amps and supply of tubes out there for the rest of us diehard holdouts to pick up for a great price. Wishful thinking maybe, and looking forward to it either way, good times! :)
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@atmasphere My bandmate has a very negative impression of Class D for guitar amps but he’s open. Do you have any recommendations for some good ones that are already out? Thanks! |
Compared to a tube amp, easier! Most speakers are designed to be 'voltage driven' which is to say that the amplifier is supposed to be a 'voltage source'. A voltage source will put out the same voltage regardless of the load. To do that a very low output impedance is required. This is stupid easy with class D and difficult at best with tubes, so in theory a class D amp should be a lot easier to match with a speaker. There are limits, such as extremely low impedances which will reduce the Q of the output section filter in a class D amp, but its pretty well-known that tube amps don't like really low impedances either so that's pretty well moot. The only exception might be ESLs. Some ESLs, like Sound Labs, have a pretty significant impedance peak in the bass, and expect the amplifier to be able to make the same power into that peak as it might in the mids and highs where the impedance is much lower. In general a voltage source doubles power as the load impedance is cut in half which also means that the output power is cut in half as the load impedance is doubled. IOW a voltage source might have its 8 Ohms power cut in half or in quarter with such speakers (Sound Labs have a 30 Ohm peak in the bass region). So tube amps can work out well on such speakers where a powerful solid state amp won't be able to make power. In addition, the capacitive load of ESLs can mess with class D amps that are not of the 'self oscillating' variety. This is because the capacitance of the load is in parallel with the inductance of the output filter of the amp, setting up an electrical resonance which can result in ultrasonic oscillation. I know of at least one respected class D amp that suffers this trait and can fail in this application (with possible damage to the speaker as well if not properly protected). Our class D is self-oscillating and so does not have this problem. |
@soix https://www.epifani.com/ makes some interesting bass amps. Powerful and quite lightweight with some heavy hitters playing with them. You can see where this is going... |
@atmasphere Ralph, I was recommending your GaN amp elsewhere on this site, but his speakers do drop below 4 Ohms I think in the upper bass range, but there are no specs I can find for your amp if it’s stable down to 2 Ohms and what the power output would be (same for AGD amps BTW). Could you maybe elaborate on that a bit here? |
@tubeguy76 thanks for the shout-out. My Starkrimson Ultra amps are stable down to 1 ohm. The power output is 250W into 8ohm 500W into 4ohm 250W into 2 ohm
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