set vs otl, which is the most musical

when all is right....less is more. in other words; when the speaker is properly matched to the OTL amp then to my ears an OTL is the closer to my ideal than SET's. i've had big OTL's (Atma MA2 for a few weeks) and more modestly powered OTL's (Tenor 75W for three years). an OTL seems to have overall more clarity and imposes less of a signature of it's own. there is more bass articulation and deeper extention 'generally' with an OTL and very extended highs.

as mentioned above an OTL can sound 'tubey' and an SET can be fairly neutral and extended.

my answer is that an OTL is more musical if one's definition of 'musical' is 'reality'.......if your definition of 'musical' is 'rounder' and more 'lush'.....then your answer might be SET. there is no wrong choice.

my perfect amp is a combination of the best parts of the Tenor OTL performance added to the strengths of solid state (darTZeel.....or Tenor Hybrid).

Boa2, yes, OTL's typically run quite hot. the three OTL brands i am familiar with (Atmasphere, Tenor and Joule) all run pretty hot.....the big Atmasphere and big Joule's run the hottest in my experience....to the degree that summertime listening in certain parts of the country is avoided if you don't have air conditioning.