I was one of the pioneering voices of the SET movement and as I grew with the hobby I discovered that as good as SET amplifiers are, there are not as many good loudspeakers to complete the chain. Having heard well set up-up Wilsons, Magicos and owning MBL 101Es I can honestly say that the speaker is t-h-e most important variable in a high end system. SET is incomparable if you have uber expensive amplifiers mated with loudspeakers that you (can) allow to have certain faults; like lack of LF or lack of dynamics, or lack of finesse. There is no magic bullet speaker for SET. On the other hand, great speakers like MBLs and numerous others allow for many different amplifiers and combos that you can tailor to your taste. In SET land the dog's tail is wagging the dog-- with great speakers and higher powered amps the dog is wagging the tail. I've lived it, reviewed it, and promoted it and it's just the way it is. Some may say that you can cheat physics with big Wilsons and low powered Lamms but a question mark hangs over my head with these set ups. I think that you may be shortchanging both products and ending up with neither fish nor foul.
A great SET systen is very satisfying, with hints of human realism, almost stylisticly so. A great Wilson, Rockport MBL, Magico (fill in the blank) system is like being at a concert, though matching ancillary equipment is very demanding. Both are fun, but only one is like being there.
Peter
A great SET systen is very satisfying, with hints of human realism, almost stylisticly so. A great Wilson, Rockport MBL, Magico (fill in the blank) system is like being at a concert, though matching ancillary equipment is very demanding. Both are fun, but only one is like being there.
Peter