Serious Stereo 2A3 SET amps Anyone using these??

bebop86

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2013
79
1
83
Anyone have an opinion on these amps - The write ups from shows are very good but hear very little about them- thanks for your thoughts-
 

Blue58

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2013
887
668
1,155
London, UK
A must listen

Anyone have an opinion on these amps - The write ups from shows are very good but hear very little about them- thanks for your thoughts-
Hi bebop86,
Not sure I can help as I haven't heard the amps from Dennis Fraker however I built my own, nicknamed Supanova45, based on the serious stereo philosophy and with tremendous help from Jeff Medwin.
They are a very simple circuit with driver and output tube direct coupled and 'banks' of caps in all the usual places, bias and power supply, but total capacitance kept low. Also, ps chokes have low dcr.

This style of amp building goes against many EE rules but produces a dynamic, vivid, real-life presentation to the music. Plenty of bass, perhaps a little rolled off above 16K but not noticeable and just plain fast. I love them.

This type of power supply is not often used but I believe Audiopax use a similar low storage supply.

The Serious Stereo amp is definitely worth listening to in your system though power output is quite low from the 2A3. Classic Audio normally show with Atmosphere? Must be a reason for that. Have you heard the OTLs on your speakers?

Blue58
 

jazdoc

Member Sponsor
Aug 7, 2010
3,319
730
1,200
Bellevue
I have heard them in a couple of systems and in the appropriate system, they are excellent.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,376
13,414
2,710
London
Hi bebop86,
Not sure I can help as I haven't heard the amps from Dennis Fraker however I built my own, nicknamed Supanova45, based on the serious stereo philosophy and with tremendous help from Jeff Medwin.
They are a very simple circuit with driver and output tube direct coupled and 'banks' of caps in all the usual places, bias and power supply, but total capacitance kept low. Also, ps chokes have low dcr.

This style of amp building goes against many EE rules but produces a dynamic, vivid, real-life presentation to the music. Plenty of bass, perhaps a little rolled off above 16K but not noticeable and just plain fast. I love them.

This type of power supply is not often used but I believe Audiopax use a similar low storage supply.

The Serious Stereo amp is definitely worth listening to in your system though power output is quite low from the 2A3. Classic Audio normally show with Atmosphere? Must be a reason for that. Have you heard the OTLs on your speakers?

Blue58

Hi why is this against EE rules?
 

Fidach Lad

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2015
82
8
113
Fidach
Dennis Fracker (sp?) is quite a character and gets a lot of heat on Audio Asylum for his "pronouncements". The same is true for Jeff Medwin. My reaction to what I have heard from listening to these amps at a couple of RMAFs is the same as Blue 58s. I have a pair of Fi 2A3 monos, the same basic DC coupled design, but without all "extras" that Dennis and Jeff talk about. Don Garver was always a pretty laid back commentator on his own designs, but he was, like Dennis and Jeff, an experimenter who worked mainly by experimenting with his ears.
 

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