An experiment in amplification

[swampy]

Hi David,

Great to see you checking in mate! Long time no hear... Hope you've been keeping well?

Marco.

Still around. Had a rough time last year. Don't use my main hifi much these days. 99% use my 2nd system with a DAB tuner for Radio 6. Keep thinking of selling off the main system but I know most of it is ireplaceable. Spend more time playing with synths or just pc gaming.

[bumpy]

I come to this a bit late, but found it very interesting. I wonder if the diminished enjoyment in listening could be linked to the whole Covid thing. I have certainly found it more difficult to get into the right mindset that encouraged be to go for album after album. Normally a two album session is enough before I start to fidget.

Anyway, to the Hi Fi bit.

The overall consensus seems to be that valves excel at voices and transistors at the lower frequencies required to drive along rock and electronic music. Looking at the chart I have attached is this predominantly a frequency thing with a tipping point about 100Hz. All seems a bit too simplistic.

audio frequencies.jpg

[paulf-2007]

I come to this a bit late, but found it very interesting. I wonder if the diminished enjoyment in listening could be linked to the whole Covid thing. I have certainly found it more difficult to get into the right mindset that encouraged be to go for album after album. Normally a two album session is enough before I start to fidget.

Anyway, to the Hi Fi bit.

The overall consensus seems to be that valves excel at voices and transistors at the lower frequencies required to drive along rock and electronic music. Looking at the chart I have attached is this predominantly a frequency thing with a tipping point about 100Hz. All seems a bit too simplistic.

audio frequencies.jpg

spend “ more “ than enough on a quality solid state amp and it does all the good bits of a valve amp without the bad bits.

[Pharos]

I think that very competent SS amps are available at reasonable prices, and would look at second hand, all of mine have been and have been problem free.

[bumpy]

spend “ more “ than enough on a quality solid state amp and it does all the good bits of a valve amp without the bad bits.

So which transistor amp has the midrange magic of a 45, 2A3 or 300b SET amp? Pray tell.

[Macca]

Krell KSA50S and Longdog LDAP6100M - there's two for you. I'll guess there's more but I've not heard everything. A QUAD 303 with a passive pre isn't far off either, as is the Philips 380 'Black Tulip.'

[bumpy]

Krell KSA50S and Longdog LDAP6100M - there's two for you. I'll guess there's more but I've not heard everything. A QUAD 303 with a passive pre isn't far off either, as is the Philips 380 'Black Tulip.'

Great products and great sound. Close to the classic valve sound, but for me they don't hit the SET sweet spot. ( caveat - I have not heard the Longdog product). Nelson Pass got quite close, but there is big money for a manufacturer that gets it 100% right.

[paulf-2007]

So which transistor amp has the midrange magic of a 45, 2A3 or 300b SET amp? Pray tell.

Bakoon 11r, 12r and 13r. Also do bass properly

[Haselsh1]

Well it's been a while. The Usher is still in use with the same ancilliaries; Denon and Kef's and still sounds bloody amazing. It takes at least an hour to warm up even from standby but sounds at it's best when thoroughly warmed. The treble is definitely restrained with the midband also being quite flat. The bass definition is incredible. The opening track on the Eleanor McEvoy SACD 'Yola' has the most staggering double bass that the Usher/KEF combination produces with amazing power and grip. Brilliant stuff but I have heard a better treble/midband. In fact back around 1997 I had a World Audio Design 300B PP amplifier that has so far never been beaten in the mid/treble by any amp I have listened to including this one but the 300B had the usual bass issues.

Will the Usher stay ? Yes until it pisses me off enough to get rid.

[Macca]

doesn't sound like it's pissing you off