SET Shootout China VS The USA

Sitting here listening to an excellent PP 15 watt 2a3 amp and I say nonsense there will be plenty of PP amps around in 20 years.

Mozart FYI there is such a thing as a parallel SET amp using two, or more, tubes per channel perhaps that's what your amp is?

@charles1dad Great call I totally remember that amp! Seemed like an odd idea at the time and still does. 😋

@larryi I'm jealous of all the amps you've heard and own! I  also never knew there was a 349 tube until your last post. I've heard a pushpull 45 amp sounding great as well as my own pushpull 2a3 amp, also loved a Cary pushpull 2a3 integrated I was loaned for a week once. @charles1dad Glad you had a chance to hear that Manley it sounds like a cool amp.

@mozartfan One of your main problems here is you're paying attention to tube type and not much else. Look at Charles list above especially output transformers which really make or break a tube amp's quality. Parts matter it's why generally tube amps, SET amps especially are more expensive. You should let your tech go over your new amp he obviously builds amps and knows parts quality, I suspect your Yaquins could be a good platform for some parts mods that could boost SQ significantly.

@mozartfan Hey it's great you like your system so much at the end of the day that's really all that matters. Don't think folks here are arguing or disagreeing merely sharing our experiences with many different amps. My previous amp was a pushpull el34 amp triode wired and Class A with vintage output transformers it sounded fantastic. My current pp 2a3 amp also sounds fantastic but different it's also triode wired and class A different vintage output transformers. It's about the tubes and everything else in the circuit not to mention the circuit itself. Happy listening!

@charles1dad Lets just say when I took my EL34 amp in for repairs the guys at Deja Vu knew just what they were doing loaning me this amp. 😉 Here is a gratuitous pic of it 😎

Thank you Charles! And @mozartfan I have to say I've never heard about overly moist Dac chips until this thread. So thank you for that if nothing else.

I don't know anyone who thinks Jadis is the worlds greatest amplifier though I'm sure there are some. One thing I've learned in audio is there's always something better sounding you just haven't heard it yet. It leaves you with a certain amount of gratitude for the sound you have and humble for knowing it can be bettered. Well most of us at least.

The 45 tube is a fantastic tube to many DHT enthusiasts it's their favorite. However because of the exceedingly low power it's not for everyone and proper speaker matching is essential. I prefer it and the 2a3 both to the 300B tube as a general rule but obviously that's amp dependent there are tons of good 300B amps out there.

The Sonus Faber version sounds better but it's impossible to know if it's the system or the quality of the recording. Neither sounds great but that's YT for you.

If you're speaking of the Genalex Gold Lion KT77 repros yes they are far superior to the KT88 tube and most EL34 variants as well.

On the subject of vintage trannies my aforementioned PP 2a3 amp uses vintage Eico trannies.  My previous El34 amp used vintage Accrosound trannies, vintage iron really makes a difference!

Ha yes Chinese advances in 1920's technology are more of a niche sector. 😂

@charles1dad @larryi and @alexberger well said all around on tubes and the Japanese influence on audio. And @pesky_wabbit what amp are you running?

@mozartfan you're getting tons of great info and advice on this thread but you need to start listening to actual amps and not youtube. You seem to have a good tech maybe you could commission him to build you an amp or two using these tube types that fascinate you?

I have no experience with the KT series other than the KT77 which I think is a great tube. But you are doing it again you're not listening to tubes you're listening to tube amps. So whatever tube it is you do listen to next make sure it's in a good amp.