Would You Rather Own A Good SET Amp, Or A Great Push Pull Amp?

@atmasphere,

As a woodwind player myself, I look for typical breathing, wind and reed rasping sounds at the very beginning of a note. Having had amps from Accuphase, Chord and a Graaf GM20 before the Wavac I can safely say that none of these as well as numerous amps in other peoples’ systems have been able to reproduce a lifelike resemblance equal to the Wavac. If you call that distortion, then be it. The amp certainly wasn’t driven too hard.

Here is the Audio Beatnik on this subject: https://www.dagogo.com/beatnik-pet-peeves-part-one/

Finally had a good listen to the Tektron  Bendix 6094 mono blocks pp. So we finally find a pp tube I can really appreciate, tonally balanced, refined, resolving, transparent, dynamic. In comparison to my 845, two 300B mono blocks this a contender. Just a few hours in so final conclusions not reached, but this just a bit more resolving than my custom build 300B, Audio Note Quest, Coincident 845, just a bit more open on top, sparkly yet refined, mids really challenge my WE 300B, natural and sophisticated harmonic development/timbre, slightly more recessed and  layered sound stage, a bit more width which really shows itself on mono recordings,  just a bit more macro dynamics.  Now here's the thing, at this point prefer the custom build 300B micro dynamics. Up to now I haven't spoken on the one thing that really draws me to SET, and that is the micro dynamics, I've yet to hear any push pull that quite equals a really nice SET. I've been through a few pp such as Conrad Johnson, Cary, highly modified Prima Luna, and I've heard really top flight pp at shows, audio dealers, private homes. My custom build 300B provide this really special 'breath of life' that makes performers come alive in my room, this close, not quite there. May have some mods to do, Duelund CAST caps and nude Vishay (Texas Components TX2575) resistors, Duelund Silver bypass caps on electrolytic caps in power supply really 'woke' up the custom 300B's.

And I do like OTL, Joule with the Merlins always one of my favs at shows.

I own both types of amps and listen to both types constantly. I have several amplifiers along with speakers In my listening room. When I first began in this hobby, I wished one day I would own a really nice sounding audiophile system. Well, 35 yrs later I’ve surpassed my initial goal mostly because I was fortunate to do much better financially than what I expected. One one of my setups, I switch back and forth between a 100lb 100-watt EL34 push pull amp and a 100lb 45-watt single-end amp that gets its power using a 805 tube with a 300b tube per channel. Both amplifiers are very high level and the best quality within its category. It’s the reason I selected them. I use the exact cables, preamps, front-end so nothing is different other than the amplifiers when I do the swap. What I hear between mine, neither one is better, it’s personal preference of what someone prefers. In my setup, my single-end amplifier give me a slightly more sharper sound. Images are tighter and the presentation is more forward. I’m not suggesting in a bad way, just more forward than my push-pull EL34 amplifier. The single-end amp projects the music closer to me. So when I listen to my system with the single-end amp, I feel like the performance is here with me.  When I listen to my Push-pull EL34 amplifier, I get a slightly less focused imaging and the soundstage is more recessed. The soundstage also appears to be larger. With both amps I’m getting perfect detail and resolution and both are very open sounding but I feel the soundstage is larger with my push-pull amp. The presentation with the EL34 amplifier is that the music doesn’t sound like it’s here, it sounds like it’s there somewhere between my speakers and behind them. I feel if someone prefers to here vocals and instruments intimately and wants to feel a really close connection with that, then single-end amps should be better. If someone values a large soundstage and like to see the performance laid out in front of them, push-pull should be good for that. I’ve tweaked both my amps with various tubes and fuses so that I would be satisfied with the sound each one is giving me. I feel I really like both amps. I’m so connected to my single-end amps that uses 1940’s GE 805 tubes. What a special amp I have. But when I switch to my EL34 push-pull amp, I many times feel I prefer it over the single-end amps because it is so relaxing and laidback with so a nice laid and layered big soundstage.  Both designs are excellent and unless you can do what I’ve done, you’ll need to decide what’s your preference. Actually I shouldn’t tell you mine but I will, I’m sold so much to heart on my single-end amplifier and I love the combo of the GE 805 tubes with 300b sound from this amp. I like the sound so much that I’ve purchased 10 backup GE 805 NOS tubes.  But the crazy thing is that when I listen to my push-pull EL34 amp, I think I slightly prefer it overall over my single-end amp. I’m never gonna sell either amp and I rotate between them on a monthly basis and I can live happily with either but if I had to choose solely on which I’m most satisfied with as an audiophile in sound quality, it would be the 100lb 100-watt Push-pull EL34 amp. 

Both amps are very transparent, both have great bass and excellent highs. Both are very open. Both have wonderful sounding midrange and very palpable and natural. But I find the single-end amp is more focused in the midrange. The push-pull sounds wider in its soundstage. 

Speaking in broad generalizations, SET (or single-ended amps in general) tend to be more lifelike, transparent and have fantastic mid-range. Push pull amps, on the other hand, tend to be more dynamic, have better high/low extension and way more versatile due to their higher wattage. A person's taste in music will also be a big factor. I tend to be a mid-range guy, so I prefer single ended amps, but I can get down with a good push pull.