[-Richard-]

I hope I am placing this question in the appropriate section.

I recently purchased a pair of Omega 8R speakers (they
use the Fostex 207E paper cone, single driver...no cross-
over...95db sensitive) and for fun I switched out the tri-path
"digital" amp I purchased for it and switched in a rather
inexpensive Single Ended Pentoid integrated amp...
perhaps 6 watts of available power...

The synergy astounded me...a fully fleshed out musical
picture was presented to me in the most "fleshy" and
tactile tonal textures imaginable...

Now I am thinking about purchasing a 2A3 SET amp for
the Omega's and I was wondering if any one out there has
had experience with this type of SET amp and which ones
particularly impressed you.

I would deeply appreciate any feedback along these lines...

Yes...of course...the idea of budget comes into the picture here...
as always...my budget is modest...say less than $2000.00...
hopefully a lot less...I would certainly consider used here
unless someone out there feels that used for these kinds
of amps is a bit perilous (for whatever reason)...

I have heard of Don Garber's Fi 2A3's and I am looking into
it...and the Japanese Sun 2A3's which I am also looking into...

I am entirely new to SET amps...and I realize that this is a very
subtle, complex, and demanding field of inquiry in order to
get at the heart of what would work with the greatest
synergy with my Omega's...

Also if anyone has any thoughts about other types of SET's
that they feel might be better than the 2A3's for any reason I
would be most grateful for your insights (for example I have
read that all transformers on the 2A3's hum a bit)...

Thanks for your kind attention...any help would be
most appreciated.

Warm regards -Richard-

[Val]

If SETs rock your boat, http://www.wright-sound.com/specs/15">this is one of the very best. Wright preamps are great too.

[-Richard-]

Hi Val,

This is all rather new for me...so I cannot say
that SET's do "rock my boat" quite yet...only
that I am very intrigued to see what they can
do combined with the 95db sensitive Omega 8R's
to make musical magic...

I am deeply appreciative for your help and
advice...I looked at the Wright sight and it
presents its products very nicely...I will call
George next week to chat...

Thanks so much for your thoughtful recommendation.

Warm regards -Richard-

[lonewolfny42]

Hello Richard,

Thought you might find this interesting....

http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/sophia_baby_e.html [/list:u]

And... easy on the ears and the wallet....check Audiogon for a used deal. [/list:u]

[F-100]

You might want to look into the Antique Sound Labs Orchid 2A3. I've used this amp with the Omega TSR2 (an older model) speakers in the past and got a great result but had to sell them because I've small children in the house and was afraid those little curious fingers will find a way to touch those hot tubes soon or later.

[-Richard-]

Hi Lonewolf (god I love that name),

Thanks so much for pointing me to this review of the
Sophia Electric, S.E.T. Music Baby amp...a relatively
inexpensive and nicely balanced amp according to
Richard George's insights...

I think I am looking for that "liquid thing" in the mid
range however...something George's review helped
me to understand better...

I like the way Richard George writes...sober, clean,
deliberate, and sensitive...I trust his observations because
he explains quite well where he is coming from...what he
is listening for...and he frames his observations in a context
that inspires confidence...his prose does not have to be excessively
long or overly flourished because he gets to the heart of things quickly...
nice...

I was especially interested to read his experience with Don
Garber's Fi X 2A3...so far the best insights into that legendary
amp I have read to date...a rather seductive choice...especially
with 45 tubes...which I believe (Richard George does not say)
reduces the small 3 watt rating of the Fi X to even less...

High efficiency speakers are mandatory here...and my Omega
8 R's with their 95db sensitive Fostex drivers are good candidates...

I had not encountered TNT Audio's review site before and it is a
very welcome resource indeed...

Again thanks, Lonewolf for sharing that information with me...
I deeply appreciate it.

Warmest regards -Richard-

[Scott F.]

Hello Richard,

Thought you might find this interesting....

http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/sophia_baby_e.html [/list:u]

And... easy on the ears and the wallet....check Audiogon for a used deal. [/list:u]

Hiya Guys,

If you decide to go with the Baby, you may want to think about upgrading the coupling caps and adding bypass caps to the power supply caps. One of our previous get togethers in the GAS Circle, Blackmore brought his over. G and I swapped the coupling caps (they were Wimas as I remember) for the AudioCap Thetas (.22's) and added some cheap Nichicon films as bypass caps to bypass the power supply caps.

It made a drastic difference in the sound. Blackmore was thinking about getting rid of it but now uses it almost full time with his Abby's instead of his 2a3 (that may be a power thing though). He said it went from being really hard sounding (especially in the treble) to being smooth and silky. Best part, the Thetas are cheap ($6 ea +/-) and take all of about 30 minutes to install.

Oh, we did the same thing to an older Jolida at the same time (Mike D's).

[-Richard-]

Hi F-100,

Perhaps in the future we will all have names like
that...and it will take on the same character of "humanity"
and familiarity as we have come to believe our present naming
systems sound like...I like the sound of it...it suggests an inner life
that somehow combines numbers and letters in an almost
mathematical order of events...

Question: did you ever have a chance to hear other 2a3 amps
before you purchased your Antique Sound Labs Orchid 2a3 amp?

If so how did they compare to your ASL Orchid?

Also: I can find only one review of the Orchid...have you read reviews
you thought were particulary helpful in determining the character of
the amp...it would be great if you could share them with me
(assuming you could remember were you saw them)...

Thanks for the suggestion...I deeply appreciate it.

Warm regards -Richard-