Which one to choose between two 80K$ tube amps?

Western Electric is one of the famous US company dating back to 1869.

But it is harder to find WE vintage horn in good condition insiide US now.

Most good ones are located in Asia or Europe.

Thus I will look for one in Korea with the advice of my friend.

One of my friend is the owner of Silbatone who display his vintage horn in Munich high end show.

@shkong78
I've heard that system in Munich in two different years. I liked it a lot. But having also heard the Classic Audio Loudspeakers, I would go with the latter in a heartbeat. Your friend's system was inordinately complex, somewhat diffuse for centerfill, and lacking the frequency extremes (in spite of the Altec-based subwoofer). Despite that it was one of the more interesting systems I saw at the show and I took a lot of photos. If you want it for the shear size and impressiveness of how a system that old that can sound that good, I can see that.


But if you simply want something that sounds the best it can for the money then I would look elsewhere.

Dear Ralph

It is hard to optimize the sound at open space in public in short time.

Thus you may had been less impressed with his Western vintage systems at Munich.

I had listened to the system in his listening room and modest size jazz caffe where he had spent more than 6 months to optimize the sound.

Audio depends on personal taste. Thus there is no best thing for everyone.


But to me his system is the ultimate pinnacle with natural timber and utmost details.

Jazz vocal sounds so spooky that it seems as if they are in front of you.


I had been happy with Lansche 4.1 since 2007 due to excellent vocal out of plasma tweeter.

Also I had got Scaena 3.2 at whim last December.

I may try your OTL amp with Scaena next year.

I will use those two decent speakers until I can afford genuine vintage Western horn system.

No other modern speakers are within my consideration

Thomas

I have to admit I find this puzzling. Western Electric used to be the standard fare in movie theatres and the like, but their gear was supersceded by Altec, who had much greater performance and obviously better sound.

Its a simple fact that the distortion a horn may or may not have depends directly on how well the horn is formed along the ideal curves for it. There are now horns that have been built with these curves computer optimized, so they sound for more realistic.


I am very aware of how tricky it can be to set up a room as I have showed at many shows (we were 4 doors down from your friend's room). But I should point out he's had that room for several years and should know at this point how to set it up.


I get the part about jazz vocals sounding 'spooky' because they sound like they are right in front of you.  But that is the goal of stereo in general, and many speakers can convey that quality of 'spooky' insofar as images floating in space is concerned! I'd be a bit chagrined if I could not evoke that quality from my system!

Hello Ralph

It is not easy to get the "spooky" sound out of system.

Although Lansche 4.1 is not the same league as vintage western horn, it gives almost (maybe 85%) spooky sound driven by SET amp with plasma tweeter.

I used to drive it with Silbatone 300b SET but after moving to larger listening space, I had been using Line Magnetic 508 SET.

I had spent above my annual budget since last December with purchase of used Scaena 3.2 and hundreds of 6sn7 tubes for shootout.

Next year I may try your OTL amp on Lansche 4.1