Home High Efficiency Speaker Asylum

Need speakers that can rock with just one watt? You found da place.

RE: What makes a driver High Efficiency?

Oh but you can hear the difference easily. I was at a friend's yesterday and he has two amps, one SS (Plinius SA103, which is a Class A PP SS amp) and one SET (Ayon Helios, which has 2 x 6C33C tubes per channel in Parallel SET). We listened to both digital (Ayon Stratos) and Analog (Transrotor + Transfiguration Proteus and Chinook phono).

We started with the Plinius and the sound was, not too bad. Decent tone, ok dimensionality (both soundstage and imaging) and tight powerful bass. Two things stood out; 1) the bass sometimes seemed a bit dominant in the overall sound signature and 2) vocals were quite present but the rest of the instruments in the mix "sat back" a bit.


Then we switched to the Ayon Helios...the difference was not subtle. Much more accurate tone color of instruments, better dynamics, instruments that were there but not recognized popped out. Dimensionality in all directions and imaging 3d improved drastically. Finally, and importantly, the bass was now less prominent but seamlessly integrated into the whole, where before it stuck out and called attention to itself.

I have heard this effect in the past as well. I once took a KR Audio VA350i to a guy running a Gamut D200 amp. With the Gamut the speakers sounded like a collection of drivers, each kind of doing it's thing. With the KR it sounded like they were all working together for the whole sound.

So, in essence I think you are completely wrong to assume a Bryston or Powersoft will be difficult to tell from a good tube amp...nothing could be further from the truth...it is blindingly obvious.


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