Enough SET Power for Rock and Roll


I'm still trying to figure out what SET amp would sound best for Rock and Roll (and other music but especially Rock) on Klipsch Cornwall II speakers (101dB efficiency) in a room about 18x13 (with kind of medium acoustics - not live, not totally dead.) On a Marantz 2230 (which sounds very good, surprisingly good for being ~35 years old and 30 watts of solid state) I found that when I crank up the Rock and Roll on the Cornwalls I'm listening from about 89dB to 97db, but frankly if I wasn't worried about clipping or blowing out the speakers or receiver I could probably enjoy an occassional 100 dB :) - but if I have to live at 97 dB and below I could. (Measurements made with a Radio Shack meter set on fast, C weighting - taken from 1 meter away from the speakers, and also at the main seating position which is about 10-11 feet from the speaker plane.)

From many posts here and over on AudioAsylum it sounds like a 45 SET amp would sound great but might not have enough oomph - although that isn't 100% certain. It seems that a 2A3 SET amp would have a better chance of handling the loud music and the "complexities?" of Rock (and orchestra music) vs. say simple instrumentals and vocals. Next up would be a 300B SET, more power but some people seem to think it gives away some of the "magic" of the 2A3 and especially the 45. It isn't so clear to me from reading the various posts how any of these tube types do on the low end; I think low end (reasonably deep and tight) is needed to do Rock and Roll well - but so is good midrange and highs, so it's a balance, of course.

What do you think, more power and listen loud with ease, ie go with a 300B, or can a 2A3 or possibly a 45 do it all? Or is it possible that SET just can't do Rock and Roll seriously with 101db speakers in a 18x13 rom? In which case, next up is what kind of tube amp? If SET makes sense, I'd like to give it a try but I don't want to push physics or the budget too hard with experiments that aren't likely to work.

Thanks!
hi_hifi
We just had a four hour listening session last night that included the MFSL of Queen's "The Game", and Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sigh", with Coincident Frankensteins shining brightly through Coincident Total Victory IV's. I love the Franks on hard rock. The bass is insane! Tight, organic, articulate and totally satisfying.
Some guy's selling a pair of original Franks with KR Balloons and two other pairs of 300B's for $2600.00. That's pretty close to a price you could safely "audition" them with your Klipsch pair. Make sure you have good power cords with these amps, though. A lot of current for eight watts!
I personally like the KT-88 type tube for having authoritative bass with beautiful mids and highs. This tube was invented for audio, and is readily available for reasonable prices. A parallel single ended integrated amplifier (using 2 KT88s per speaker) offers 30 watts. But, in reality, w/ spkrs that have 101db of sensitivity, "how many" watts should not be the concern but rather "how good" of a watt can you get. Your spkrs actually do the work in this case. 3 watts should knock sheetrock off your walls. I still like the sound of the KT88 type tubes though and even a single ended amp using (1) kt88 per spkr. will offer 15 watts. Also, don't overlook the importance of the output transformer (not in OTL amps of course). The best sounding amps will only come from the best, musically driven manufacturers. I also credit the CD player with providing the quality of sound that the rest of the system gets to work with. Once your music leaves the CD player, it will not get better. It will get worse, but not better. Actually, to get the best sound per dollar spent, make sure everything in your system has similar quality. (spkrs, cabling, electronics & especially the source) Just my opinion. Hope this helps.
I also use the Coincident Frankenstein MK2 amplifier and their 8 watts per channel(300b) will be surplus power for your needs. My room is 14x26x8 feet and opens into an ajoining 17x 24 room. My speakers are 94db efficient, yet if desired the amp can easily drive to sound levels of 95 to 100db with ease and no hint of strain. Given your speakers and smaller space you should`nt have any problems. I can`t speak to other 300b tube amps given the differences in transformer quaility, driver tube choice and part selection. Best of luck.
I haven't had the pleasure of hearing the Franks, but I'm consdering them. It's hard to fathom 8 watts having a lot of bass....I'm not doubting anyone's claims it's just hard to wrap my head around that statement. Which is why I thougth about going to the dragons, but now not sure again....
Gwng8,
To answer your concern honestly, yes the Frankenstein amps can do 'very' good bass. It depends on your speaker(load characteristics,efficiency,crossover type etc...) this is really the key. It ultimately won`t match the more powerful Dragon(211 tubes in push-pull). There`re always some degree of trade offs. The choice of 300b tube makes a significant difference in the bass quality also.

The Frankenstein has a superb power supply, over speced transformers and uses the very potent,high current 6em7 as the input/driver tube. It`s a exceptionally capable amp'if' matched to the appropriate speaker. I`m using the marvelous Takatsuki 300b tube and it drives my Coincident speakers(94db and 14 ohm load)with utter ease and control. I hope you get the chance to hear the amp with a proper speaker.
Regards,