A couple of quick observations but first, congratulations on your health and congratulations on finding what you were looking for.
I have a pair of single driver, set driven full range speakers and they are extraordinary. So, I agree with you in principle. They are not, however, the pinnacle nor are yours. Full stop. They are what they are and on certain types of music I can see how some, maybe even you or I, might believe they have found the holy grail. What they do well, they do well. They are not the best overall speaker that I have in my home, those are two way with an exquisite crossover in an exquisite, well thought out cabinet developed by a respected designer using tried and true principles with exceptional parts quality.
It's awesome that you love your setup but your credibility wanes as your hyperbole rises when you discuss the absolutes of your belief that your home grown speakers exceed the capabilities of all comers. It's cool the like what you like, as well you should. You should be very proud of your accomplishments and leave it at that. Just enjoy your system and leave the crowning of a champion to those who have the chops. Nobody has the best but for many of us, we have WHAT's best for each of us. Warm regards.
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@mozartfan its cool you are enjoying your purchase but how do you know what is best bang for the buck? Eroding credibility?
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@charles1dad the Merason is VERY good. Very good. Worth a listen as I can’t promise it isn’t system dependent but I have listened extensively to the Merason through an Audio Note OTO SE Signature, a Leben, two Shindo systems and it just slays…it has displaced a MSB Discrete, an AQUA La Scala Optologic and I couldn’t recommend it more highly for others to audition.
Now @mozartfan let things settle in. As long as your speakers are suitable, a proper kt88 based push-pull amp should not be smoother than a proper 2a3 amp, push-pull or set. Whao can say though as you have a whole lot going on there. What does your tech say?
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It depends on the FR speaker..
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@mozartfan which flavor of ice cream does your tech tell you to eat? The 300b in the right circuit, just like the 2a3, can be exceptional…but not all of them. Full range drivers can sound exceptional…but not all of them. This is from a happy 300b, full range single driver speaker owner. Its just not my only system.
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Thanks @charles1dad as Ive stated a few times on this forum, we prefer our audio systems to live with us rather than the inverse. The system to which you refer is just that….unlike some on Audiogon, our systems aren’t intended to evoke wow comments from guests, 7nless its playing music.
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@mozartfan once again, your absolute conclusions are premature and your sample size is limited. It doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it, it just means that your conclusions lack credibility. For instance, I have an el34 based amplifier in my closet which would likely change your opinion about absolute tube type superiority.
At any rate, I will leave you alone now. It is abundantly clear you aren’t looking for opinions or advice, you are just looking for an audience. Best.
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@mozartfan sometimes the crowd is actually right. In this case you received the amp sometime on 12/18. Later that day and into the 19th you are proclaiming the amp a world beater, which may or may not true…its your world and therefore your world to beat. Respectfully, you don’t yet understand what the tubes or the amp will sound like. You ponder a Jadis kt170 based amp when few have heard that amp let alone the new kt170 tube.
To the Audiogon community’s great credit, people are being very gentle with you but the homebrew, fr driver speakers with an extra driver and a tweeter daisy chained as your baseline with an unknown Yaquin amp and tubes with abiut 10-20 hours on it at the time of your proclamations….seriously, you should give yourself a chance to hear whats going on and there is literally no way for you to get a taste of what you may or may not have in this exercise. Give it some time, make notes of what is going on, how it is changing and whether its for better or worse.
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@mozartfan
I prefer Faith Hill, Diana Krall via the 5% distort 2A3PP vs a KT88PP. All day long. My suggestion is if you are going into a FR system as a 2nd system, this is the amp to buy..
Sadly you lost half of your audience with your first sentence and the remainder with your last sentence.
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@mozartfan It would be really cool if you could attend an audio show or maybe there is a great dealer near you. You really owe it to yourself to hear the differences between all of the topographies so that you can find out where you really are.
I remember vividly many, many moons ago when a very helpful dealer played a series of amplifiers for me, several tube and several solid state, in descending order of price. He played them through a very popular speaker at the time. My conclusion then: I couldn't hear much (if any) difference. He agreed. That made me feel great.
Then, he repeated the same exercise with a pair of exceptional speakers...everything else the same. Same descending order of price, etc, etc. The sonic differences between the amps was striking, astonishing actually. The dealer knew what he was doing. He was a WWII era radio operator, had started a radio repair shop post WWII and evolved it into a fine hifi shop which made it into a third generation. His moral to the story was to pick the speaker you like and then if you can't tell the differences between the amplifiers, relax and buy the least expensive amplifier whose sound met your goals. His BIG advice though was just because you can't hear the difference doesn't mean there isn't a difference, it just means your speakers aren't up to the task. He added that if I ever intended to upgrade the speakers then always buy the best electronics that you can afford at the time to ensure the speaker upgrade down the road would have the chance to pay dividends.
No offense intended @mozartfan but if you can't hear the differences of all of the vast array of amplification varietals that you have implied you have experienced first hand, then it isn't the amplifiers, its more than likely your speakers aren't up to the task of revealing the differences. You should be celebrating though! If you like your speakers and all of the amps sound similar to your ears and you are happy with the sound then pat yourself on the back!!! You found happiness and can achieve it for an exceptional value. @atmasphere is an amazing resource, he is an absolute expert when he is talking about amplifier design (not just OTL's but generally all topologies). He would be the first to tell you if you are happy with the sound, then stop. He would also tell you that amplifiers sound different and if you don't hear the differences then its probably the transducers.
I recognize, however, that you may be more likely than not going to argue with me and say that it can't possibly be your speakers...in that case, enjoy the solo wrestling match. Warm regards and happy holidays.
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While you are at it, why don’t you make a video playing Keith Don’t Go or Peel Me a Grape?
Jokes aside, narrating a slow motion train wreck is nerve wracking to witness.
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Oh My! You’ve had a Chinese made, sub $1,000 push-pull 2a3 amplifier for less than 72 hours and you just proclaimed it what? Better than anything the US or EU can muster? You just don’t know what you are talking about. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing what you are talking about, there absolutely is something wrong with your proclamations. The wet chip syndrome has nasty side effects.
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I'll take Sonus Faber for $500 Alex!
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@mozartfan
I think that SF model goes for like $2500 vs my FR duo @ under $1. I’ll take my FR/Duo’s all you get with the SF is a 6 inch mid and a tweeter, Neither has the fiber to voice the super duper critical 2khz-3khz band width. Breakup in both drivers in this extremely important fq zone.
The $500 Alex comment was intended to pay homage to the lat Alex Trebek. The current version of the 2-way Sonus Faber Guaneri is $18,000/pr IIRC. Stands included.
Your speakers are probably quite a bit more sensitive.
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This thread is like a slow motion train wreck. You yell “look out” and then no matter how hard you try you….can’t….look….away. Ugh.
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You shouldnt make decisions, audio or political, based on youtube videos. Also, just because your tech can fix something or tell you how it works doesnt mean he has earned the right to hear for you too. Buy what you want to buy....
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@charles1dad
BTW the 307 tube is not a DHT but is in a fact a pentode tube.
But it sounded like a SET DHT in the Youtube video!
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