40+ watts SET, cost is not a problem


Friends,

Hope everyone is well here. I am visiting after a long time. I have a query on behalf of a close buddy of mine. He is using a pair of TAD CR1x loudspeakers. Gorgeous speakers for sure. The source is an EMT 927 TT & JPA66 preamp. For the amplification things are getting tricky. He has tried the TAD M700s reference power amp and while it sounds very controlled, it doesn't have the openness and dimensionality of tone that a good tube/SET amp provides. We are considering trying a good SET for this system. Given that TAD needs some power blossom well and expand on effortlessly, at least 40 watts of SET power would be needed. The quick choices are Kondo Kagura & Wavac HE833 Mk2. But I need more suggestions on these and other comparative products.

1. Has anyone heard the Kondo and Wavac gears to suggest a comparison? I am just a bit worried on the amount of Silver used in Kondo. I have normally found that silver takes away something from the flow and harmonics. Tell me more about it.

2. What other options can be considered in this realm? No SS please. Looking for SET options primarily.

 

Room size is moderate 17 x 13 feet. Music preferred are classic rock, jazz, pop and some classical

 

pani

Check out 11stereo.com

Mikey is both a TAD dealer and a NAT dealer. They make SET amps that are powerful. 

"...silver takes away something from the flow and harmonics." LOL!  Another opinion not supported by Material Science.

So you want an SET amp? These typically have output impedances over 1 ohm and higher. Due to interaction with speaker impedance the result is a non-flat frequency response (Ohm's Law). The typical SET amp acts as a tone control as it tracks the speaker's impedance curve - something that is not desirable!

So you want an SET amp? These typically have output impedances over 1 ohm and higher. Due to interaction with speaker impedance the result is a non-flat frequency response (Ohm's Law). The typical SET amp acts as a tone control as it tracks the speaker's impedance curve - something that is not desirable!

What an SET amp does right far outweighs its limitations provided it has enough power for the load. If we make it an SET vs SS/Push-pull discussion, we will lose the discussion for which I started this thread. Lets do it after we have enough responses/suggestions for the OP