Amplifier for BD-Design speakers

Hi all
As for the Swing horn speaker that I heard at RMAF 2008
What is the lowest watt SET that should be connected to that speaker
Thanks

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Hallo!
I don´t own a swing system, but one very similar.
I run my System with SET-amps, rated at 25 Watt less than 1 % THD+ Noise.
The average power I use is below one Watt, but I prefer to have some headroom.
The amps from Bert are in a similar power range and I heard them at his system - also plenty of spare power.
Personally I´d suggest - take an amp with a minimum of 10 real Watts..
Best regards
Stephan

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Since January 1 (I was a good boy so Santa Klaus brought a nice present :cool: ), I'm running a 10Y/801A SET.

1.6w in A1, around 4w in A2 class.

Truth to be told: with 0.3V TwinDAC+ output through TVC into it, I've never managed to get it into A2 class in my 22m2 room no matter of what music was playing - it was already far too loud for my ears and too dangerous for my building.

Subjectively MUCH louder & dynamic than First Watt F3 it has replaced.

This amp was custom built to my spec and I doubt you will find plenty of these around. Maybe a few of similar ones, world-wide. Forget about any offerings from commercial vendors - you will end fixing the mistakes they made when designing or executing their amps.

It's 3 stage direct coupled, a la Loftin White circuit, Siemens E180F input via ECC88 (currently Siemens CCa) cathode follower/buffer into Sylvania 801A output valves (though circuit is optimized for 10Y, soundwise I prefer 801A) - 12k C core OPTs. No passive components on a signal path: input RCAs - silver wire - input tube - silver wire - CF - silver wire - output tube - silver wire - OPTs - speaker terminals.

PSU is 5V valve rectified (5U4/5R4 family, currently Brimar U52 and Chatham 5R4WGY on rotation), separate power trafos for HT and heating, a huge EI choke, 4 gas stabilizers (10C51 i think). all stages mosfet DC filament heating (zero hum).

Bloody best amp that ever played in my room.... transparent, fast, musical, extended, dynamic, linear, uncoloured, never standing in the way of music.

10Y is a very special tube and IMHO goes a step forward from the usual 300b or 2A3 offerings especially in terms of neutrality and a lack of negative valve artefacts.

The most frequently used word by visitors is just one:

brutal:eek:

Here they go:

[img]images/uploaded/20090126021530497d0eb21bc6d.jpg[/img]
[img]images/uploaded/20090126021603497d0ed3e10ba.jpg[/img]
[img]images/uploaded/20090126021634497d0ef2266c9.jpg[/img]

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Hello Anubis. Could you put a link to more information about your amps?

And, what amp you use for the bass section?

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Pls contact me in private if you want a further info on these amps as they are not a product of BD-Design and would be unfair to talk about them here as this forum is dedicated to BD-Design products.

I would also love to emphasize that I don't think there are universal solutions when it comes to the amps. I have personally had a feeling that my Swings would work particularly well with the SETs which was also later confirmed by Bert as they were originally voiced with 300b Lady Day amps. However, several issues such as a sound preference, stupid prices for good 300b tubes (in comparison with 10Y in my part of the world for example) lead me towards what I have chosen now. I'm glad that my feeling was right: the Swings are just wonderful speakers capable of showing every good (and bad :grin: ) virtue of any component upstream and they are absolutely worth of being fed with the best electronics one can afford and provide.

I have Oris Swing therefore the bass amps and BD-Design made, something along Crazy A as far as I know.

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Hi Air,

I am playing Oris 150 horns driven by AER MD3 drivers. I use a pair of 2A3 monoblock SET amps conservatively rated at 4 watts. They are quite powerful enough to play the horns very very loudly.

Don Reid

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Hi,

As for the Swing horn speaker that I heard at RMAF 2008
What is the lowest watt SET that should be connected to that speaker

This depends on the size of your room and the level you like to play but basically anything which is good and provides more than 1Watt is usually sufficient to play loud enough... :cool:

It is no problem to connect a 1.000W amplifier to them either though but needles to say that it would not be wise to play at full power... :scared1:

Bert

--
BD-Design - Only the Best!

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Amplifier for BD-Design speakers (Swing)