[tdogzthmn]

Be got myself a new pair of Blumenstein Triton speakers which I'm still breaking in with my Stereomour 2a3 amp.  The speakers are rated at 92db at 8 ohms.  Even though the speakers need more time to break in I find that the 3.5 watts of my amp leave the sound lacking at higher volumes.  At lower listening levels there is no problem and I'm happy with the resolution the of the amp and speakers.  The lack of power is most noticeable when watching tv and movies.  This has lead me to seek out more powerful tube amps which I've grown fond of.  Transcended Sound offers and amp called the Son of Beast which is an OTL that puts out 15watts.  I've found a few kind words about this amp and the power rating and price look to be sufficent.  My hope is that anyone who's built one of their products can comment on its performance and ease of assembly.

[FullRangeMan]

If you are not an experiencied tube builder find an such person to built the amp for you, the site give us the wrong idea that anyone can built its tube amps.
Initial adjustments and bug tracking are not easy in a OTL.

I would favor the Evermore OTL w/EL34 to 10W.
Do you live in a cold area?

[tdogzthmn]

I've built a few Bottlehead kits so I'm familiar with the process of stuffing and soldering.

The Evermore was attractive for its ability to take a variety of tubes but the mono blocks will take up more room.  Ideally it would be an integrated amp like my Stereomour but with more output.

I'm also interested in trying out an OTL design. Both of my Bottlehead amps are SET and sound great all around, but I'm curious to new amp types.

I also forgot to mention that I'm looking at an Elekit 8200DX which also has good reviews and offers the ability to tube roll in a neat and compact body.

[ebag4]

Tdog, I was in a similar situation with my Stereomour, with the 97dB speakers I was running, the Stereomour was plenty, however with the 94dB speakers I am running now the sound was a bit strained at higher levels with some recordings.  I decided to build the new BH 300B Kaiju,  although I have only put a couple hundred hours on it the initial impression is that it has filled that void.  I had never heard a 300B prior to this so I was a little surprised how similar the sound of the Kaiju and the Stereomour are, however I am running the JJ 2a3 in the Stereomour which some say is very similar to a 300B. 

I love them both FWiW, YMMV, etc..

Best,
Ed

[jaywills]

I have built the T-16 OTL amp and the Grounded Grid preamp.  Not difficult if you work carefully.  I'm not an EE and my only wiring/soldering experience has come from building kits since adolescence. The owner is very accessible and is very willing to help out if problems arise.  The amp is not a kit for a newby, though.

Sound was to die for.  Only problem is the T-16's relatively low output and my having relatively inefficient speakers (in addition to my Quads).  When paired with my Quad 63's, I got really nice music.  Perhaps one day I'll look at his "The Beast."  You'll likely miss the OTL sound, once you've heard it.

Of course, YMMV and I have no affiliation with the manufacturer other than being a satisfied customer. Good luck,

[tdogzthmn]

Thanks for your opinions,

I'm also running the JJ-2a3 40 in my stereomour with a Telefunken as the driver tube. I'm sure the Kaiju sounds awesome. I've been able to listen to paramount mono blocks at a meetup and do agree the 300B is an awesome tube.  I still worry that 8 watts might limiting down the road.  I'm a big fan of full range Speakers and magnepans so an amp that could handle both would be nice.

I would probably buy the Grounded Gri pre if I go with the Transcendent Sound amps since it too has good reviews.

[FullRangeMan]

The Evermore was attractive for its ability to take a variety of tubes but the mono blocks will take up more room.  Ideally it would be an integrated amp like my Stereomour but with more output.

The Evermore use the EL34 a great sound tube, mainly w/poor recorded music, the 509 sound quality are unknow at least to me.