2. amps-preamps
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SET v. Pushpull

I did a search and didn't find any threads on this topic.  I am a newbie to tubes - I have a Tavish Adagio phono stage, and I am looking to add an integrated tube amp into the analog chain in my system - I have never owned one, so my knowledge level is low.  Right now I am running KEF LS50 speakers, but they are a little small for my listening area so possibly looking at larger speakers - I was very impressed by the Joseph Audio Pulsars I recently heard, as one example.

Anyway, most of the integrated tube amps in my price range are seem to be push pull, although the Line Magnetic is SET.  At a high level, I understand the push pull design gives higher output power than SET, but also higher potential for distortion.  

Any practical experience with the pros and cons of each?  And how important is this in the overall scheme, in real world applications?  Say, compared to the choice of output tube?

Thanks,


Tom 
tgr
wolf_garcia
6,606 posts
 
Low powered amps need efficient speakers, but beyond that I found that my little 12 watt per side SE tube amp (Dennis Had Firebottle HO) simply sounds astonishingly better than any other amp I've heard, tube or SS. But then I don't get out much...
geek101
284 posts
 
@atmasphere  +1 If people want to make 85 dB @ 4 Ohm or lower speakers they need to cough up and make active versions or just make them more efficient. People listen to speakers at show rooms with amps that are not practical at home. They get the speaker and then the sticker shock of the amp required hits them. 

In the lower to mid end of consumer/audiophile (a term!) gear speakers should be 92 dB @ 8 Ohm stable or higher. Else they need to come with a warning to help ordinary folks like me. New people like me are totally stunned at shows / show rooms when we see amps that cost twice the amount of speakers or more sometimes. The speakers sound great at the dealer but once they are home it is a different matter.

I understand that we need things at every price point however.
geek101
284 posts
 
@wolf_garcia Which SS amp did you try comparing with your SET amp?.
wolf_garcia
6,606 posts
 
I’ve owned many amps...from an Electron Kinetics Eagle to an Acurus A250...Forte Model 55, etc...all great sounding. Just before the Had amp I was using a factory modded tube Jolida 502p which also sounded great. Just all fun all the time...I became curious about Dennis Had’s retirement projects and one popped up on Ebay and I grabbed it...it was built only a few months before I bought it so I figured it might work...it does, it’s amazing sounding for reasons hard to describe other than it sounds like music to my ears, and initially made me sit up and go "WOW." I used it with supposed 91db Silverline Prelude speakers initially but switched to a pair of 99db Klipsch Heresy IIIs and a tube preamp and that combo is brilliant (with 2 SS A/B REL subs...so there's that). It’s said no SS amp is free of odd harmonics (maybe a new Nelson Pass "SIT" is, but I haven’t heard one of those), and single ended class A has no "switching" distortion, but meh...so what...I did enjoy many SS amps anyway, still use ’em in live sound stuff and keep one (a clean and punchy Adcom "mosfet") in the rack for outdoor deck speakers. I use push-pull tube guitar amps as well as a class A single ended Burriss Royal Bluesman...all work swell, the Burriss is simply amazing sounding though. There ya go!
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