Spectron vs any good tube amp.

There's certainly no doubt about the Joule-Electra LA-300. That will be my next Pre, but I'll have to try the 300B before I consider any thing else in regard to amp.

My present speakers are 92DB, 8 ohm; it seems that 300B's like 16 ohm, I don't understand that?

More information on speakers for 300B would be helpful.

Orpheus,
A good 300b SET amp can handle an 8 ohm load(even 4 ohm if it stays relatively flat).There`re so many 300b amps available and the quality-performance spectrum is very wide.The key is selecting one with top quality transformers and also a 'stout power supply'. There`re plenty of upper quality built SET amps to choose from.
My speakers are 94 db efficient and the amp just seems to coast with them. My room is 25x14x8 and opens(no wall) into a 26x18 room. I listen to jazz(a whole lot!) big band and increasingly more classical music. Generally my listening levels are 75-83 db and 10 feet from the speakers. At those levels the amp is using perhaps 1/10 of a watt. so there`s much headroom available.
Best Regards,

"My present speakers are 92DB, 8 ohm "

You don;t need ss power amplifier, IMO, if you like tube. Its very benign load.

I don;t know well 300b SET tubes but regarding the power needed for reproduction of the musical peak - your speakers will need much, much more then 1/10 of the watt or even 10 watts. Read small article on the subject written by Simon Thacher of Spectron (He is also tube man and work with Jud Barber of Joule-Electra on OTL tube amps)

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0708/index.html

All The Best,
Mike

Mike ,
Hello, It always come down to individual preference and listening levels. Not everyone wants or seeks very loud levels or peaks of 100db or more to enjoy their music. Cubic volume of the room is a factor(that`s why I listed my room size). With reasonably normal hearing and a good resolving system I believe low 70s-low 80s db is plenty loud,comfortable and 'safe' long term for your ears. These levels still allow headroom for louder musical peaks in maintaining music`s ebb and flow.

For jazz and classical you don`t have to blast the music to enjoy it. If your interest is pop,rock,electronic,hip-hop etc. at very loud levels then of course you`ll want(and require) more power. Really high volume levels/peaks IMO are too risky to one`s ears, but that`s obviously a personal decision.

My point to Orpheus is that under reasonable conditions he should be fine with a high quality 300b SET amp that usally provide 8-10 watts of power. If he wants 105-110 db peaks he`ll want a different amp.I have on a few occasions listen at 95-100 db and the sound was unsressed and very clear but I would`nt do this on a regular basis. Of course I don`t know what Orpheus`s preferences are.
Regards,

Charles1dad, just a FWIW: one of the reasons that you are less likely to listen to an SET at higher volume levels has to do with the way SETs make distortion as power increases.

As power levels drop towards zero the distortion becomes unmeasurable. As power increases, the lower-ordered harmonics (which are euphonic and so contribute to a 'lush' character in the amp) appear; somewhere at about 1/4 full power the higher-ordered harmonics come into play.

Now music has a lot of transients in it, so if the speaker is well matched to the amp these power levels will only be seen at the higher levels. The ear uses the 5th, 7th and 9th harmonics to figure out how loud a sound is, so when these distortions appear (and only on the transients) the result is that the ear perceives the sounds as louder than they really are and so there is no desire to turn it up any louder. This is why SETs have a reputation for being a lot more dynamic than their power capabilities would suggest.