[anubisgrau]

hi, i'm at the moment contemplating options for a low power amp for my new horns, 114db eff. I need an amp for 300hz-25khz coaxial compression driver in a tractrix horn duties. apart from what a manufacturer recommends (a dedicated gain clone), i would love to try a good 2A3/45 amp, but due to practical reasons, F3 looks like something one should try.

i can pretty much imagine what F3 can do, however what i'm the most curious about is its timbral qualities. can it really compete with good SETs in this aspect or not. i would be really surprised if yes because of the way how SS distorts. i also know that sraejan, despite being very enthusiastic about F3 in his revies against yam A-08, never actually replaced his 45 amp for F3.

thanks for your thoughts

[anubisgrau]

hard to believe, did i post the question at a wrong forum?

[JLM]

Try the single driver or The Horn circle.

[doug s.]

i would recommend an almarro a205a mkll.  killer amp, imo.  way over-performing, at its price point.  equal to the a-08 you mention?

from the 6moons audio rewiew of the a205a mkll  (and note: the rewiewer was talking about the earlier non-mkii iteration):

"...In my opinion, it could very nearly go toe-to-toe with some of the best direct-heated single-ended-triode (SET) amplifiers, like my own reference Fi 2A3 monoblocks and the 45 Yamamoto A08 I had in for review. That is high praise indeed. All three of those amplifiers sounded very good but they were also very different from each other. I think you could prefer any one of them over the other and it would largely depend on your taste, the other components in your system and the thickness of your wallet..."

further improvements were gained by replacing the stock tubes.  (replace two caps for even more improvements; the rewiewer did not replace caps...):

"...When combining the best inputs/drivers and best EL84s, the results were really quite impressive, elevating the performance of the MkII by more than the simple sum of the combination of valves would lead you to believe...."

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/almarro4/mk2.html

from the earlier rewiew of the a205a (w/o tube rolling or upgrade caps):

"...Rather than boring you with tedious blow-by-blow accounts of my impressions with each album, I'd rather just tell you that the Almarro A205A is a great amplifier in its own right and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any of the great SET amplifiers I've heard in my system, some costing as much as $15,000 - and the Almarro A205A costs a paltry $800...."


http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/almarro2/a205a.html

doug s.

hi, i'm at the moment contemplating options for a low power amp for my new horns, 114db eff. I need an amp for 300hz-25khz coaxial compression driver in a tractrix horn duties. apart from what a manufacturer recommends (a dedicated gain clone), i would love to try a good 2A3/45 amp, but due to practical reasons, F3 looks like something one should try.

i can pretty much imagine what F3 can do, however what i'm the most curious about is its timbral qualities. can it really compete with good SETs in this aspect or not. i would be really surprised if yes because of the way how SS distorts. i also know that sraejan, despite being very enthusiastic about F3 in his revies against yam A-08, never actually replaced his 45 amp for F3.

thanks for your thoughts

[MaxCast]

hard to believe, did i post the question at a wrong forum?

If you would like me to move this thread please PM me.