I have Transcendent 80 watt monoblock OTL's and Berning OTL's (according to some). I know someone who has Atma-sphere M-60's and someone else who has the MA-1's, as well as other Berning owners and people who have extensive experience with Joule OTL's. They are being used with a variety of electronics and speakers, ranging from Merlin VSM to Vandersteen5's. None of us has had any of the problems mentioned above. No blown tubes, no blown speakers, no constant fussing. Maybe we are all lucky, but I don't think so. The Bernings run so that tubes last a LONG time, and are auto-biasing; Transcendents need to be hand-biased, but not every time you turn them on. I forget if someone mentioned this above, but supposedly Ralph at Atma-sphere does a demo where he shorts out the amps with a coin, and....nothing happens. NO boom, nothing.
OTL amplifiers
Can anyone explain to me, in layman's terms, the advantages or disadvantages of OTL amplifiers? I have heard a lot about them, but have not listened to any to date. I am really a tube fan and want to reach tube nirvana and don't know if OTL is the way to go. Are they suitable for all types of music? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.