[schw06]

I am in the market for a high quality 845 amp like Audion, DeHavilland etc.... If you are thinking of selling yours, PM me. Thanks!

[toobluvr]

You might wanna add Mastersound, Viva, and Art Audio to your list.  Never heard them but I hear they are excellent.

I once owned ASL 845 SET class A monos.  I know it's not up to the level of these other ones, but it gave me a taste of the 845 flavor.  I really like it.  It has that smooth, liquid and burnished inner lit quality, yet with cajones not typically heard from SET.    Very musical and involving.  I would buy an 845 amp again...with the right speakers.

Good luck.

[PaulFolbrecht]

I have a Viva Solista on sale on Audiogon.  I have owned a number of 845, 805, and 211 amps and it is the best.  Of course, I am biased.   But you can read the reviews and comments in the audiogon forums.

I cannot have bare DHTs anymore with crawling baby.  Too big, too hot, too accessible.

[morganc]

Having just purchased an amp from Paul (just got it set up last night), I would just like to throw it out there, that he has very good taste, takes great care of his shipments, and is very helpful.
Thanks Paul

[schw06]

still ampless and looking

[JP78]

Those Bel Canto SET monoblocks on Audiogon are ridiculous. I own the SETi40 version of this amplifier, and it will never leave my home.  If you have the room, I would say to snag em. If I could afford the rack space as well as the additional costs of a dedicated preamplifier I would absolutely buy them myself. Having owned Audion, DeHavilland, and the Bel Canto 845's, I am very firm on the Bel Cantos being my preference. Good luck!

[toobluvr]

If I had the funds I'd be all over that Bel Canto amp!   

I love the 845 sound! 

PS:  since they have more than one power tube per side, they can't be true SET.  But I bet you get almost all of it, plus some additional wallop.

[Mike B.]

I have a pair of Sophia Electric 845 mono amps. I switched from KT88 based Quicksilver amps. Big move up IMO.

[toobluvr]

I'm not surprised.

Even my el cheapo ASL 845 SET monos have provided some of my most memorable listening sessions.   And I'm sure they don't run with the names in this thread, so I can only imagine how good these are on the right spkr.     

[PaulFolbrecht]

Guys, I might be biased with an 845 for sale, but I know I have read that the Bel Canto amps are not actually SET - I think it's a balanced differential design.  Akin to push-pull.  Check the stereophile review.

[toobluvr]

Guys, I might be biased with an 845 for sale, but I know I have read that the Bel Canto amps are not actually SET - I think it's a balanced differential design.  Akin to push-pull.  Check the stereophile review.

By definition, SET amps have only one power tube per side.  If the amp has more than that it ain't  "true SET".

[PaulFolbrecht]

By definition, SET amps have only one power tube per side.  If the amp has more than that it ain't  "true SET".

No, that is not true (although a common misconception).  The single-ended topology has nothing at all to do with the number of output devices.  There are a fair number of parallel SETs around - Audio Note and others - and a fair number of single-ended transistor amps (usually with several transistors per channel).

A single-ended amplifier using triode output devices is a SET no matter if there are one or more output devices.

(As I said, I think the BC is *not* single-ended, but I'm not positive.)

[JP78]

Hey Paul,

Thanks for the updated info. I was always under the assumption the design was parallel SET for the monoblocks and 'standard' single output stage SET for the stereo amp and integrated...but any information you can provide is always good for my knowledge. Can you let me know the Stereophile info so I can read up some more?

Oh, and to add some more fuel to the fire, FWIW I believe the SET80's were a Stereophile Class A at some point.

[PaulFolbrecht]

FYI, I could not find the aforementioned reference with a quick search - but note that it is quite impossible for a pair of 845s to produce 80W in single-ended mode.

If the prospective buyer is interested a quick query to Bel Canto could probably answer the question.

[JP78]

FYI, I could not find the aforementioned reference with a quick search - but note that it is quite impossible for a pair of 845s to produce 80W in single-ended mode.

Can you explain more about this? I don't know much about amplifier design, but I thought if a single 845 can produce 40W then it made sense for a pair to produce 80?

[PaulFolbrecht]

Can you explain more about this? I don't know much about amplifier design, but I thought if a single 845 can produce 40W then it made sense for a pair to produce 80?

Can you name a single 845 SET amp (non-parallel) that produces 40W?  I sure can't.  I can think of about eight of them and most claim about 20W - a few, optimistically, closer to 30.  I have never seen 40.  I don't think it's possible, even driving into A2.

[toobluvr]

A single 845 tube typically produces about 22 wpc.

[Mike B.]

One of the big advantages of these large tubes like the 845 and 211 is you get the SET sound, and enough power to drive a wider range of speakers

[schw06]

found an amp...thanks!

[JP78]

Can you name a single 845 SET amp (non-parallel) that produces 40W?  I sure can't.  I can think of about eight of them and most claim about 20W - a few, optimistically, closer to 30.  I have never seen 40.  I don't think it's possible, even driving into A2.

The Bel Canto SET40/SETi40 produces 40wpc:
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/rise36.htm

Stereophile measured the SET80 (MK1) and found the output to be 70W-135W depending out speaker impedance load:
http://www.stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/598bel/

found an amp...thanks!

Congrats! What did you end up with? Pics?