Quote:
Originally Posted by Jwhcfi
That red is stunning!! Can't wait for the first impressions. I've read what I could find about the KT-150 in general. Most say it has all the virtues of the KT-120 but with a "sweeter" tube sound.
I think I mentioned that Dennis said a good friend and Vandersteen dealer thought these amps would pair well with the Treos. Well, I called him and he was gracious enough to talk with me about it. He has NOT heard the pairing but is a Cary dealer and knows Dennis' designs quite well. He admitted that if you want to play really loud with Treos, these low power SET designs would run out of gas but at normal listening levels was sure it would sound great.
One thing Dennis mentioned is that the tube type matters with respect to controlling the drivers in a speaker. I'll quote Dennis here ... "I will say DO NOT go for a 300B, 2A3 type of amplifier for your Treo's. These amps do not have the capability to control the drivers in the Vandys. That is the beauty of the beam tetrod/pentode vacuum tube in class A service with feedback. I have been at this for over 55 years and I love music so I can enjoy many types of reproduction but in my home and for serious listening there is nothing like single-ended tubes."
Keep us posted,
Wes
|
That's my guess with the AR2ax'. Should sound great at moderate volumes. I don't expect to rock the house though, particularly since my room is ~20 x 26. Everything I've heard though is that SE designs allow for more satisfying listening at lower levels than PP. With my PP setup I try to keep it under 80db.
Dennis commented to me about these pentodes. Quoting him,
Quote:
|
I have been using the Northern Electric KT88's very successfully. Nice vacuum tubes that will probably last 10 to 15 years to... gosh the way I run them maybe longer. Anyway, Peter, the fellow who purchased the amplifier I sent you pictures of requested the new KT150's, I will have KT150's on Wednesday. I will be able to test first hand in my design and listen as well. I will advise you which tube I believe is the best choice. The technical specs on the KT150 certainly appear to be a perfect match. I really like the KT88's by Gold Lion and I love these Northern Electric KT88's. I am not a fan of the KT120 tube as it hard clips when over driven. So I will have a verdict in a few days. I have had a number of folks asking me about the KT150's so this will give me the opportunity to test em out.
|
The hard clipping of the KT120s would create harshness. Softer clipping of the KT150s would sound "sweeter" - both assuming they are driven to some clipping which is probably a safe assumption in a 12wpc design.