Jason and Natan,
That amp seems to be be ultra quality but you two raise a good point. That`s a lot of cubic space to fill with 3 watts and 92-93 db efficiency speakers. In a smaller space it could workout well.

charles1dad November 29, 2011 01:10

Hi Mike,

Although I have never heard the 3 watts on your system I've heard it on mine, 92 db sens with powered subs below 80hz, 18'x37'x 10' h listening about 11' from speaks . Yes it's fun initially but not enough juice to hold my interest long term. In fact I was not satisfied with anything less than 20 watts. The best I lived with is the 300 b tubes from Border Patrol there Parallel single ended with 20 watts .Gary Dews was generous enough to give me lengthy home audition. 300b can be magical but even the bass on the border patrol which is very good was not satisfying for my taste which is more real world. I've lived with 807 and 845 tubes as well and liked them very much. But I would have to agree with Jason, that 211 tube has everything going for it with enough juice to drive 89-95 db sens spkrs in even large rooms at high volume. Audio Note makes some gorgeous equipment. But I opted for higher power design from Nat Audio. With the best Nos RCA or United 211's these have both the microdynamics with real world macrodynamics.

natan6355 November 28, 2011 22:21

Hi Mike
The 45 & 2A3 are wonderful valves and when a amplifier is designed around them properly & matched with speakers with high efficiency you can get beautiful sound.
In my opinion the 2A3 valve designed in a Single Ended Triode amplifier producing 3 watts does not have enough power for your speaker system even with a active bass system to get a full "physically engaging experience" as compared to your solid state amplifier with over 100 watts output power.

92 Db efficient speakers need a more powerful SET amplifier design to get the extra dynamics to compare in a large room like yours to your more powerful solid state amplifier, I would think you would need to go to a 211 SET designed amplifier to get the headroom you need.

I have used many SET amplifier over the years with Tannoy`s, Avantgarde, JBL & TAD speaker systems, in my experience you really need a minimum of 98 Db + efficient speakers for a 2A3 SET designed amplifiers to get a realistic head room in all types of music.
Even with 98 Db efficient speakers like TAD and more modern JBL 2226 15 inch bass drivers this does not always ring true and you still need a lot more power to control the bass woofer properly.

Your 2A3 amplifiers look very well designed and I am sure for some music (that is not to amplifier taxing) these amplifiers will sound wonderful in your system producing tone and delicate notes that your solid state amplifier will not capture, but on the other hand your solid state amplifier will be preferred for a fuller dynamic presentation for higher SPL music.

jasonparmenter November 28, 2011 18:33

Mike,

DO you recall the Tel wire power cord (HC or non HC) that you have used in the past and how it compares to your choice of Absolute Fidelity and Evolution acoustics power cords? seems like it could be a great value especially when one buys multiple power cords. I am looking at purchase of 10 -12 for every thing from tube monoblock amps, powered subs, Dartzeel 18ns and 108, reel to reel, digital, and tube phono preamp. Thankfully my TT is battery powered, but maybe not for long.

I think one needs to do a cable shoot out at least once to get it right because cables are highly system dependent and have become a major investment over the years. But I totally concur that its not high priority for my time as well.

I am planning to install a 15KVA Ultra 600 isolation transformer in front of my Isoclean Zero Ohm power distribution panel and then do a shoot out for both power cords and speaker cables.

I dont have the EA MM3 speakers so I may not benefit from the EA's product but I may still include it in my shoot out. I like the Absolute Fidelity story and value, so they may be involved. Then of course there is KUbala Sosna Elation and a newcomer, or at least one that has been brought to my attention recently, CH Acoustics. These may both be included since they do have courtesy trial policies.

Any further comments highly appreciated,
Harel

natan6355 November 28, 2011 14:30

Harel,

one point i forgot to make about power cables.

my viewpoint changed on what type power cord i needed before and after my Equi=tech 10WQ isolation transformer/distribution panel was installed. prior i used and liked the Jena Labs Fundamental One power cords which had an inline power conditioner. after the Equi=tech they became a liability.

one other point is that i have not done any kind of comprehensive power cord shootout recently; back in the day i did invest time to to that. i'm sure there are quite a few very good power cords out there.

doing cable shootouts is just not what i want to spend my time doing any more.

mikelavigne November 25, 2011 18:56

Harel,

great choice of gear! congrats!

agree on the Evolution BNC interconnect cables; they are amazing and when used with the dart 'zeel' interface are unsurpassed.

recently i did switch from my long-term speaker cable reference, the Transparent Opus MM2, to the Evolution Acoustics 'double-wire' speaker cables. the Evolutions were simply more synergistic in top to bottom balance in my particular system than the Opus MM2 (as one might expect). the Opus was slightly 'dark' sounding directly compared to the Evo's and the Opus had a slight degree of bass emphasis bordering on bloat compared to the more articulate Evo's. i still loved the way the Opus MM2 worked in my system and only slightly preferred the Evo's, but considering the amount i could sell the Opus MM2's for i made the change. i've since heard the 'triple wire' version of the Evolution Acoustics speaker cables and plan on switching to those at some point.

as far as power cords, i use -11- Absolute Fidelity power cords in my system and love them. they are built to be optimal in particular places. i use the specific ones, for motors (tape decks and tt's), amplifiers, and components.

i do use one 'triple wire' Evolution Acoustic power cord on my darTZeel amplifier. it's a big heavy mother but it was better than the Absolute Fidelity power cord in that application.

mikelavigne November 25, 2011 18:48

David,

thanks for the kind words.

the only gear i leave powered on 24/7 is my digital player/dac, the active amps in my Evolution Acoustics speakers, the darTZeel preamp, and (when i'm using) the darTZeel amplifier. the digital player is the Playback Designs MPS-5. once a month (more in the summer) i do shut off the MPS-5 just to allow it to cool off and re-boot.

the server for my dac is upstairs in my barn loft; and i do also allow that to stay powered up 24/7. my Equi=tech isolation transformer is hard wired into my power grid so it's always on.

when i travel i do turn everything off except the dart preamp.

when i anticipate using particular tape decks ahead of time i will typically give them 24 hours of warmup as it seems to help.

mikelavigne November 25, 2011 18:11

Mike and Charles,

no doubt these particular 2a3 amps are special, even for 2a3's. especially now that these amps have around 200 hours on them. and from a particular perspective they do now get the musical job done in my system. which is hard to believe if you've not heard it.

last night i did switch back to the dart stereo amp; and the system gets transformed into a much more physically engaging experience and room filling event. after an hour or so of warm up the dart reminds me of just how complete the music can be in every way. it's no wonder it took a 45 tube or 2a3 type tube amps to find a part of the music where the dart cannot do it all.

i'm learning.

mikelavigne November 25, 2011 18:02

Mike,
I have the Dartzeel 18ns and 108 amp for several months and loving every minute. I am just about ready to experiment with cables. What is your current/future power cord and speaker cable in use with these components. I know you are using the Evolution Acoustics BNC interconnect and currently I am using a 7 meter dartzeel BNC link which has outperformed every non-BNC cable I have tried.

Thanks,
Harel

natan6355 November 25, 2011 15:09

Mike, What a fantastic music system. I was wondering if you keep the equipment powered on 24/7?

davidmag November 24, 2011 14:59

I just don't think I have ever seen an amp that low before. I have seen 7, 10, 12 watts but not too many three. I did not mean to say that I thought it was low quality. I have no doubts it is a great amp. It just makes me smile that's all.

mikeduke November 24, 2011 02:54

I imagine this Found Music amplifier has the very highest quality transformers, chokes, parts and an over built power supply. These type low power SET amps will always surprise with their performance(with- in reasonable limits) as people tend to fixate on the "it`s only 3 watts". The classic quality vs quantiity scenario.

charles1dad November 23, 2011 22:03

I know the MM3's have self powered woofers but damn. The specs say the min is 5 watts so that amp is right there. Very interesting choice. Do you switch back and forth between te Dart and those?

mikeduke November 23, 2011 16:00

Mike,

thanks. i'm glad you like the pictures...they were long overdue.

and yes, three watts.

mikelavigne November 23, 2011 15:09

Ed,

my speakers are 93db efficent, with a 6 ohm load. my speakers have active bass amplification. the 2a3's are marginal for my system; but most people might think three watts has no chance. but these particular three watts are pretty amazing.

also; i had these amps set up with a 50ohm BNC input to work with my dart pre. with a typical RCA 75 ohm input you would have more gain than i get. between the higher efficiency and likely higher gain, and depending on your room size, i would expect these amps to work well in your setup.

i'd recommend contacting Scott Sheaffer at Found Music and asking him directly about it.

mikelavigne November 23, 2011 15:08

Ish,

thanks. i've always wanted to have a tube amp as a different view on the music; but until i heard the 45 tube amps last winter in my room nothing had really got me excited enough to pursue. these 2a3 's do things i really love.

mikelavigne November 23, 2011 15:00

Great new pics of the room. It looks fantastic. You certainly have some might fine gear to listen to. So those tube amps are three watts? did I read that right? Congrats and I am sure you enjoy your system very much.

mikeduke November 22, 2011 14:33

Mike: I predicted you would convert to tubes, remember? Good to see you changes and the pictures... they are awesome.

gallant_diva November 20, 2011 03:46

Peter,

thanks. honestly i'm going to try and take better ones. but this morning i just wanted to get it done to clear out all the outdated information.....and get the gear list updated.

i think since the Evolution Acoustics MM3 speakers are quite large (73" tall, 575 pounds), even the chair is large and tall, so the room does not look as large as it is. plus the drop ceiling masks the height. when i had the Kharma Exquisities and even the Von Schweikert VR9's, they were around 46 inches tall and so the room looked bigger.

i do enjoy the size, and the lively but diffusive surfaces, as it really does allow for the music to breathe.

mikelavigne November 20, 2011 02:26

hi Joe,

thanks.

mikelavigne November 20, 2011 02:16

Mike
I have been thinking of getting a 2a3,45 or 300b amp for my 96db 6ohm hybrid horns.I currently use 845's and think my speakers may need the additional wattage,so I have hesitated
I searched for the specs of your speakers and wasn't able to find anything but if the 2a3 can drive the MM3 then I just may give Found Music a call.
Do you know the input sensitivity of these amps ??
Beautiful pics of a beautiful room
Enjoy
ed

goldeneraguy November 20, 2011 02:10

Mike,
I like the new photos of the room. Thanks for sharing the dimensions. I had thought it looked more like 16' or 17' wide. That's really larger than I would have thought. Really nice.

peterayer November 20, 2011 01:53

Mike-

Thanks for the new photos. These shots really give a clear perspective on the whole of your room.

slipknot1 November 20, 2011 01:04

Ed,

thanks for the kind comments.

i've got about 150 hours now on the Found Music 2a3 monos. and i've been listening to them for the last 4-5 days exclusively. i love the amps. there is an open window to the music and the level of refinement and fine detail is astounding. they are still gaining more dynamics and continueing to open up at this point.....although the rate of change is now slight. so we are likely almost all the way there.

can these 3 watt wonders be a long term amp in my system? i know i love how they sound. but they do have limitations on a portion of the music. when i go back to the dart its a different ball game.

i have not yet compared the Stillpoint Ultra SS to the Wave Kinetics A10 U8's. the 2a3's sure have an amazing level of precison and those footers must be doing something right.

mikelavigne November 19, 2011 22:57

Peter,

the dimensions are; 29' x 21' x 11'.

the room is somewhat an oval.....with curves and angles and no 90 degree corners.

the length is from the door surface to the deepest point of the window wall.

the width is wall to wall at the widest point.

the ceiling has chambers and a drop ceiling so that measurement is to the highest point.

mikelavigne November 19, 2011 22:36