What's your OTL tube amp experience and suggestion?


Are OTL amps in general much less reliable due to their nature, or due to the implementation quality, or both?

Perhaps this has been discussed a zillion times in the past.   Perhaps, however, makers have now improve on past experience?  So it could be worth re-visiting.

My past encounters with OTL tube amps are among the most negative: Wonderful (but never great) sound during the brief period that they work.  Otherwise, major fire hazard.  Overheating, red hot plates, sparks, consistently toasted fuses, burning smell, you name it.  My past OTL amps are like crying babies on an changing table - don't you ever walk away from an arm's distance.   The used market seem to reflect such as well --- way more 'as-is for parts' or 'totally refurbished' units than reliable 'used' units that rarely need service.

Beg your pardon if it's just my poor judgement that keep getting the lemons.   What's your experience, and tips to keep OTL amps up and running happily?


bsimpson
Also don't forget using an auto former like the Speltz to pair with a wider variety of speaker impedances.  

If anyone wants to hear the Atma-sphere gear in NYC give me a shout out.  TriodePictureSound. 
Thaluza
I have a Joule-Electra VZN 80 and I have never had any of the issues you speak of .
Did you bias the tubes including the driver tubes. It was easy to tell if an output tube was going bad it would not hold Bias. The joule OTL are the best sounding of any I have owned or demoed .
Atma-Sphere M-60 3.3 with the upgrades Ralph offers.
Plus I use dual Zero’s with my 8 ohm 90+db Hi-Eff speakers. I can play the music as loud as I once did with my Pass Labs X350-5.
And... the music is so smooth and perfect... No turning back
I am also using Russian output tubes and Sophia input tubes.
ozzy