Aleph vs SET tubes

[labjr]

I've been reading the Aleph-X. I am tempted to try building a pair. I'm wondering how they really compare to good tube amps?

I've been using single ended triode 300B amps for years. Are the Aleph X amps going to impress me these SET amps do?

[Mark A. Gulbrandsen]

I guess I'd have to ask you what amps do you presently own and what characteristics impress you about them. Also what speakers are you using presently?

In short, I've owned many well known high end tube and solid state amps over the past 20 years and the Pass Labs designs always seem to nudge the tube stuff out. Tube amps seem to be good in certain spectrums of reproduction but never in the whole spectrum, They might be really good in the mids and high but not in the bottom end, or perhaps very nice on the high end but glaring in the mids and fair on the bottom end. One thing is for sure, you will add alot of impact and slam capability to your system over what a SE 300B can provide you. My experience has been that tube amps unless they are very high power are not really capable of supplying the high currents necessary for reproducing realistic high level crescendos over the full soectrum.

Weather you will actually like the sound of the Alephs is purely a matter of personal taste. If you enjoy SACD ond DVD audio playback then I've got to wonder if you are able to experience the full capabilities of what these disks can provide on the 8 watts or so your amps provide you.

Mark

[Fuling]

A couple of years ago a swedish Hifi magazine wrote that the only amps that really compares to a good SET is the Alephs.

[Nelson Pass]

They are not the same thing, however, and don't pretend to
be. It's largely a matter of taste.

[labjr]

With my Wavelength 300B amps the midrange seems to flow out into the room like liquid. The imaging is that good. The bass is pretty good too. For my speakers, I was using Reference 3A Royal Master Controls. Some have been using the Avant Garde horns with built in subs.

I would like to buy or build a simple pair of two-way speakers that will work well with tube and solid state amps. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

I am tempted to build that Aleph-X project. Maybe the circuit is pretty well refined by now? I have a feeling that the Alephs do most everything well.

[jrsun]

Mark,

Just a little bit extension to the original question.
How do you compare Aleph and Aleph-x amps?
It'll help me to decide which one to build in my next project, thanks ! BTW it is good to know Aleph is as good as any SET.

[labjr]

From what I've read the X is the one to build. Has some definite advantages over the Aleph. Sort of the next step in Nelson's learning curve.

[zygibajt]

If you like tube amps I think you better go for Aleph as it is closer to tube sound than Aleph X.

Recently we (I and my friend) were comparing three amps:
1.my Gain Clon (chip amp) 2.My Aleph 3 3.His 50 year old Braun CSV 60 tube amp (it's not a single ended but it is very good tube amp).


With Gain Clone sound was really good ,but kind of transistorized.Putting the Aleph in seemed like a tube amp is playing.Everything was liquid,clear and smooth.Much more finese.
Putting the tube amp in showed that Aleph seems to be lacking some of life.On the tube amp voices were more real and violines more woodlike.Aleph didn't sound transitorized.It sounded clear and smooth but without the life of tube amp.Unfortunatly the highs and bass on the tube amp were worse than on Aleph.
It seems that Aleph is just in the middle between good tube and good transistor amp.i must also say that I don't like Aleph 3 that much.I prefer either Aleph 4 or Aleph 2 I'm currently building.

Bartek

[Nelson Pass]

Yeah, me too.

[labjr]

Yeah, me too

Really, I thought the X would be your favorite.