Listen to the advice from @atmasphere but take the advice from @carlsbad2 with a grain of salt. The whole point to point vs circuit board argument has many intangibles that need to be considered. It's not black and white. I also would not focus so much on the sensitivity spec but rather focus on the output impedance of the amp vs the impedance curve of the speaker. There are a lot of nice SET kits and SET DIY projects out there, but a nice low power PP amp kit will be a better option. There is one exception in my opinion and that is the Class A3 amp circuits from Jack Elliano.
Your journey with lower-watt tube amps -- Can a kit be good enough?
Looking for stories about your low-watt amp journeys.
Here's the situation: I have new speakers, 97 db. Trying them with lower watt tube amps (45/211, 300b, etc) seems generally wise. I am attempting to borrow some from audiophiles in the area.
The horizon beyond trying these things involves actually buying some. I'm looking at a budget limit of about $5k.
Curious as to folks' experience with lower-watt amp kits vs. those of good makers (e.g. Dennis Had, etc.).
If you have any thoughts about the following, I'd be interested:
Did you start out with a kit and then get dissatisfied? Why?
Did you compare kits vs. pre-made and find big differences?
Did you find you could get the equivalent level of quality in a kit for much less than the same pre-made version? How about kit vs. used?
Also: did you find there was a difference between "point to point wiring" vs. "PCB" in these various permutations?
I realize that there are good kits and bad ones, good pre-made amps and bad ones. I'm hoping you'll be comparing units which seem at comparable levels of quality and price-points.
Thanks.
Showing 2 responses by clio09
@hilde45 I will keep it simple, it should always be about the circuit design. Whether the circuit is executed on a board or hand wired should not matter. What matters is starting with a well thought out circuit design. It's helpful if the design is reliable and if needed, easily serviceable as well. So circuit layout and parts selection are important intangibles as well. |