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Shigaraki and other simplistic gear

I am fed up. I have amassed a collection of to date, 4 amplifiers, 2 preamps, as well as 3-4 pairs of speakers, and the more that I try to achieve a pleasing performance, spending not inconsiderate amounts of money, I soon become desillusioned. Therefore, I am in the last stage of my audiophilia ridiculosa....I have ordered some cabinets from a speaker maker, to properly have my fostex full range driver housed, and I am in the path of either running them with my stashed 300B Platinum edition Assemblage amplifier along with WE tubes...or, I am truly considering acquiring the 47 labs Shigaraki integrated. What I wonder is the type of sound I will get from the Shigaraki set up. Some people have loved the Gaincard to death, but then, the Shigaraki seems to have a different sound. Have anyone here compared the Gaincard with SET tube amp and also heard the new integrated? I wonder. If you are the unlikely candidate who have the fortune of comparing all the about, then, what sort of speaker was used for the set up. Will I reach nirvana with the combination of shiny aluminum and ceramic pieces?
bemopti123
twl
3,251 posts
 
I use an extremely low power SET system. It has only 2wpc and I use Lowther single drivers loaded into my modded Voigt Pipes. In room response is quite good down to about 40Hz, and the top end is fine beyond 20KHz. There is a rapid dropoff below 40Hz, but it sounds quite nice to me, because I don't play organ music much. There is no way that you will get the "slam" like big multi-drivers with high power out of a system like this, but it is not anemic like many people would think. Detail and coherence are superb.

I agree with those people that you talked to, who mentioned that many audiophiles are taking the low power SET route, and abandoning the complex high powered low efficiency systems, and loving the change. That's what I did, and I am quite pleased that I did.
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,973 posts
 
I have owned the 47 labs 50 watt ,best radio I ever owned picked up so much RF was hardly usable. Also screws for binding posts try ramming your wire in those also so small will move all over the place .The final music 6 had better sound no noise bit larger build.I use fostex f200a speakers and fe208ez also phy hp.But my SET amps all sound better.Happy listening
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,354 posts
 
Bemopti:

The key to a decent SET based system is using speakers of high sensitivity. An easy load (smooth impedance curve) would also seem to help make the most out of the available power.

If the 208's are an easy load and around 97 dB then they should be fine with the 300B amp in a small/medium sized room.

With my current rig (details including room size are listed) I do not experience compression, but then I also do not listen @ high SPL's. Though the setup does not do low bass it still manages to nicely portray dynamic swings in the music. Can't afford decent subs and would rather do without than screw up what's already good about the sound.

My previous setup (Audion 300B SET/Reynaud Twins) did compress a bit with certain complex material (fine with simpler music). It was better suited for a spare (11 x 14 x 8) bedroom, but we prefer to listen in the living room.

Other than the occasional crescendo, or rim shot if seated too close to the stage, I never experienced many "slams" in 30, or so, years spent listening to live music (no longer do so). Because of this I tend to stop taking a gear/music conversation seriously @ the point that this word is used to judge a musical system.

Even "The Who" never slammed me live. They may have been nauseatingly loud, but they never slammed me.
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