In the previous post, I characterized my observations of the common sonic features of amplifiers in topologySingle Ended. Now it’s time for the much more popular Push Pull amplifiers.
If audiophile and technical issues are of little importance to you, I invite you to the paragraph at the endWhyPush-pull tube amplifier
Most Push Pull amplifiers are devices that use 2 or 4 channel lamps. HenceThey generate more power, but also more distortions. More power allows you to better control modern speakers and give the listener more the proverbial kick.
The most common devices are on KT88 lamps (recently more popular its KT120, KT150), EL34, 6500 variants. There are also many structures on triodes, e.g. 4x300B, or 4x 6C33C, 4x 211, but that’s a topic for later.
Push-pull tube amplifier sound.
The vast majority of the amplifiers I have had the opportunity to have or listen to:
- Much thicker line – instruments, vocals are bigger, thicker and less precisely located on the stage than in the case of Single Ended
- They perform better in a slightly stronger repertoire, many of them will do great in chamber and jazz music, but they are usually a step behind the singles in these aspects
- Thanks to more power, they feel better in large rooms and with louder listening
- They work better when the loudspeakers are farther from the listener
- They have better macro dynamics, more kick, more energy and juice in sound, but worse microdynamics and insight into the recording
Of course, this is a generalization again, because how a given device plays depends on many factors, but some sound features repeat themselves – I can say this on the example of listening to devices from the most recognized tube manufacturers, such as:
- British: EAR 890, Audio Note
- Japanese Luxman (Luxkit A3550), Leben 300F
- French Verdier 220,jadis da30or i88 signature
- Polish Fezz Audio Titan, Fezz Audio Lybra, Haiku Audio Selene (6B4G, 6550, KT120), Williamson, Amplifon WT40
- or AmericanCary CAD300B, Jolida JD1000A, Rouge Cronus,LAR IA-30MK2magnum
- … and many others that do not come to mind at the moment 🙂
Listing brands and models of subsequent devices is irrelevant because we have a cross-section of a dozen or so tube amplifiers from different parts of the world, which can be easily attributed to the above-mentioned features.
Who is the Push-Pull tube amplifier for:
- You like to listen to music at different volume levels, including loud
- You have played on transistors so far, and you would like to get better sound in a similar budget
- Listen to different repertoire
- You have columns (88-91dB) that need more electricity
- A good diameter counts for you
- You have a larger size: 30 square meters and more needs much more power to fill the room with appropriate sound pressure, the exception may be rooms in which we have loudspeakers placed close to the listener, or large tube transducers with high efficiency – then the direction is usually Single Ended.
Why Push Pull Amplifier?
- They offer good balance in both musicality / fidelity and price / quality
- Very good reproduction of both jazz, vocal and popular music
- They are not the most faithful, but they are usually very musical – you can be a music lover and an audiophile at the same time 🙂
- They usually play with more energy than single ended
- will drive most of the columns available on the market at a satisfactory level
- They usually offer a much better price-quality ratio than transistor amplifiers
- they are better at listening to louder listening and publicizing larger rooms
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