Brian
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Hello Kedros!
Here are some statements from Steve I have collected.
The original SE34I had the option of running 2 or 4 output tubes and a variety of switches that gave the user control over the signature of the amp. When using all 4 output tubes in it's paralleled configuration the amp gave a healthy six watts per channel into 8 ohms. However, in it's series configuration using all 4 tubes the power was reduced to around 2.5 watts per channel, but with tons of headroom. The overwhelmingly popular configuration for this amp was the series output configuration running all 4 tubes because it usually sounded better than the parallel configuration. Many owners also enjoyed running the amp with only 2 output tubes (1 per channel). This single tube mode had exactly the same 2.5 watts per channel of output, but offered a degree of clarity only found in single tube designs.
The original SE34I design was inspired by my experiences with the old Macs. In a word, they were forgiving. In fact they often made music sound better than it really was - given the limitations of the source components and recordings. I've always thought this to be an outstanding "real-world" accomplishment. I have seen heavy trends in audiophiles to spend most of the money on speakers, amps and cables and have to make compromises on the source components. The source component is the most important component to get right. It would be better to hear a $7500.00 CD player on a $750.00 amp than it would be to hear a 750.00 CD player on a $7500.00 amp any day. Being a realist (and understanding what really happens in the majority of listening rooms) I wanted to offer an amplifier with that magic ability to make what comes out of it sound better than what went into it. Without getting into how difficult that is, I was successful in achieving a very forgiving nature, yet with enough resolution to captivate the serious audiophile. - Steve Deckert
I will dig through my files and see if I can find more.
Welcome to the forum.
Brian
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