New System - Ready for Weekend Audtion

[NOSValves]

Tim,

I believe the music that we listen to differs alot. But you have to have some real hard hitting Rock and Roll around the house. I wonder if you could compare the 2 amps with some real active hard hitting rock. Not talking the scorpions here just something with real meat and see if you still notice a big difference. I'm just curious for my own listening habbits

Craig

[mobile homeless]

Well, having listened to that amp more than a few times with it spending some time in my own house, I can say that the Wright 2A3 is not quite as adept at rock as the Moondogs via the Cornwalls. The man difference here is in the bass dynamics where the MagneQuest DS-025 output transformers, which are a far more hefty output, really do provide amazing bass that can be startling with actual BETTER dynamics from soft to loud than the EICO. The EICO has more across the board heft to the sound but not the level of blackness that the Wright or Moondogs exhibit. The MagneQuest TFA-204 outputs in the Wrights are VERY good, but not quite as much heft and guts in the low end.

Listening to Led Zeppelin, Who, Hendrix, Doors, Yes, Cream, etc is still doable with the Moondogs and CW reaching loud levels; SET amps clip very gracefully and the Moondogs are surprisingly powerful in this regard. The Wrights are designed to run into class A2 which allows more power but I think the TFA-204 is slightly less adept at rock, personally. Then again, my buddy listens to Pink Floyd etc all the time on his and is happy. He does not look to reach total concert levels, which just is not completely obtainable with a SET. Beyond a certain point, there is only so much it can do. Still, it amazing how much a good design with excellent outputs can deliver. It is here you finally realize that watts are only a number.

Now Pat did raise the point that the 2A3 does run out of steam. I personally think the 2a3 actually has better bass than the 300B in some ways. But you WILL need speakers 100db or greater to go there. Pat is using some Adire HE10.1 monitors, which are about 95dB and will need more than a 2A3 to push to this level. If you have something in the 100db range, things get much better. Khorns and the ilk at 104 bring it home (I imagine the extra bass from a Khorn to be a good thing here in comparison to the Belle etc).

But SET amps are not for everybody and I think TWO systems, as Pat mentioned, might be the ultimate trick here. I listen to ALL my music with my 2a3 Moondogs, even at very high levels and find amazingly little compression or clipping problems. I have some pretty challenging material as well. Yet when my buddy came over to stay up all night for a LP blow out with wine, beer, and as many LPs as we could run through, it was EICO time although the Moondogs could have done a lot.

The problem with PP amps of ANY variety is that once you get a taste of the ultimate clarity and see-through nature of SET, going back to PP triode or pentode (or tetrode for that matter) is a letdown in some ways. It is like tasting REALLY fine wine and then going back to GOOD wine...but longing for the really good stuff. Still, I will always have TWO systems and several amps to cycle through for different needs. Actually, I like listening to my monitor speakers as well; these are what the EICO is hooked up to 90% of the time and I enjoy them for their strengths. I have a good EL-34 PP Ultralinear/Triode (depending on how its wired) amp, several great EL-84 offerings, and my 2A3 Monoblocks. Between these choices, I have everything covered.

Tim, you will also find that the Sovtek 2A3 will do a better job with more challenging rock if you opt for the 2A3 solution. I think they can be pushed a bit harder than the RCA. They just dont have the harmonic richness that the RCA gives, something that will literally totally relax all your muscles when given a chance, as you can literally feel the tension flow from your body.

If push comes to shove, I will also say the Klipsch Heritage speakers are not exactly the best speakers for rock unless the recording has a good low bass foundation, this regardless of amplification. Certain rock with more resonance in the lower midrange and upper bass, along with massive treble energy can just be very problematic. This is where it seems as if the bottom is missing. It's a strange happening and I have only heard it with Klipsch. But if the recording has slightly more pronounced lows with a deeper back beat, it masks this fault much better. Certain recordings can be very unforgiving via the Cornwalls and I imagine even MORE so with the LaScala. This is where that brightness comes to roost. It really in recording dependent more than amp dependent although poor amplification can make this unbearable.

Ultimately, I think you can do 2A3 SET with rock and Klipsch, most of the time, unless you really need to reach near party levels, when a handful or more of watts can be helpful. But all SET amps are not created equal in this regard. And without at least 100dB or better, I would NOT think the 2A3 the best alternative. And even so, there is a needed place for a good PP amp to kick out the jams every once in awhile when the need strikes.

kh

EDIT: Tim, perhaps without knowing it, does bring up an interesting point. When pushed to the very limits, the SET solution does lose a bit of what makes it so special in the first place, narrowing the gap a bit. Still, I dont think I will ever be without at least ONE quality SET amp in my house ever again.

This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 09-22-2002 at 09:00 PM

[No Disc]

I took this offline with Craig, but thought I would share this test with the general populus.

Playing Dire Straits - Money for Nothing and used the SPL Meter to make sure it was loud. Both the Eico and AES/Wrights had no trouble keeping the meter pegged at about 100 - 104 db as measured from about 1 meter. That was about as loud as I could take it. The volume on the AES was about 3/4 way and about same on Eico. I didn't feel as those either of them were running out of headroom.

IHMO - At that party volume level that a SET amp is not really needed at all. A Scott or an EICO would do just as well if not better for that type of listening.

-tb