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RE: Help me pick SET monoblocks

Well we disagree - I have heard the Ayon Crossfire, Einstein's preamps (with AN amps and others) The AN dealer in Hong Kong is also the Einstein importer and listening to an Einstein set-up Versus an AN system and its a total drubbing in favour of AN.

I have also heard the VAC 30/30, Kronzilla DX monoblocks, an Odeon speaker that was so well designed for $10,000 ($12,500 in today's money) that Stereophile gave it one of the worst ever reviewers in the history of that magazine. Indeed, according to Stereophile they had 7 dealers in North America and now have? Hmm I see zero dealers. So the new models didn't go over much better.

https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/951/index.html


Start with a good preamp. Fred Crowder on our staff replaced his top of the line Einstein preamp with a vastly better sounding Audio Note preamp (the M3 would have been good enough though). Power amps can't fix upstream or downstream failures.


Comparing different tube amps and designs preamps and power amps - is pointless as well - the OTO is an integrated not having the advantage of a $20,000 preamp. The preamp BY FAR has more influence on amplifier sound than a power amp especially in an integrated. The OTO's preamp is an M1 sharing a box with the P1SE. The OTO Sig has a C-Core and I don't know if there is yet a P1SE Sig but if so then that would be the power amp equivalent. The LM 219IA sounds otherworldy better when it is used just as a power amp. It's preamp stage is limited to a 12AX7 and very mediocre ALPs Blue Potentiometer. Bypass this and the LM 219IA notches up another whole league.

Then you're comparing a DHT 300B SET, to an EL84SEP and others.

Tube amplifiers of different tube types are designed to cater to an individual's tastes. I know you can't answer a direct question but do you understand that there are people who have tube output preferences? Since you won't answer the question I will just inform you that YES in fact people buy a 2A3 over a 300B because they like the sound of 2A3 over 300B - and vice versa - and EL84 over EL34 or KT88 or 45 or 211 and on it goes.

The Meishue Silver Signature is a 300B that does some things better than the Jinro 211. So you make your choice and your sacrifices. I auditioned the 2 watt 45 tube from Audio Note and it does some incredible things around voices that is not captured by either the 2a3 or their 300B but it also needs a much more sensitive speaker than what AN currently makes - and yet STILL people will choose the 45 because what it can do nothing else can do and if you listen to that music and don't require bass at level this is a phenomenal sounding amp. And quite inexpensive for AN.

Even within tube types with different brands they exhibit a certain sound characteristic - and there are bass strong 300B and gentler lighter sounding 300B amps.

This is why most tube amp makers make several tube amps for virtually the same price. Not because the more expensive one is necessarily better but because it physically requires a bigger more expensive part to make the amplifier. 211s can kill you they need to be made beefier and safer to not burn your house down. That costs a lot more money than making a 300B or an EL84.

At the AN Dealer in HK I have auditioned 300B and 2A3 back to back - both amps are basically the exact same price - same size - other than the tube you'd think it was the same product. And they are night and day different sounding and they each do some things better than the other - and you make your choice. More truth or more beauty and since AN has been selling both output tube types for a long time each person makes their choice as to which sounds better to them. I hate to break the news to you but neither is the absolute right one and neither is the absolute more accurate one to all people. I may think the 2A3 walks all over the 300B but the next person may think the absolute opposite.

You want to do amp comparisons - you compare an 8 watt AN 300B to a brand X 8 watt 300B (using the exact same tubes) with the exact same cables at the exact same volume level because AN and other 300B will have different gain characteristics. It's BS comparing EL84 and 300B and 211 and whatever else.

You don't compared an EL84 integrated at $6k to a $20k preamp and $8k($10k+ in today's dollars) 300b power amp and then say - gee the OTO isn't as good and can't beat $20k gear (although I have heard the OTO Sig and the The Tube Preamp and the Ayon so I would argue that as well).

And the evaluation is with a speaker the OP doesn't own? So where is the relevance? I say get gear specifically designed for his speaker and you present comparisons with a whole bunch of different mixed and matched stuff at all over the map prices. Audio Note designs their 300B to work specifically FOR Audio Note speakers. If they happen to suck or they happen to sound heavenly with some other brand of speaker or cable - then tough luck or that's nice but they probably don't care either way since they can't keep up with all the orders anyway.

I know you have an AN axe to grind but really?


Edits: 08/23/17
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