cmdc
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As others have noted, this will probably come down to personal preference, but I can share the results of two natural experiments—one longstanding and the other new and ongoing.
1. In my dedicated listening room, which is geared overwhelmingly toward vinyl, I have a ZMA and a UFO25 side by side in the same system. I’ve had the ZMA since ~2019, and have loved it with a succession of speakers of varied sensitivities (Von Schweikert VR4jriii; Caintuck Lii F15 OBs; then Zu Druid Mk V). When I first listened to to the ZMA in my room, it was more realistic, more engaging than anything I’d ever heard. And every tweak to the room that followed just made it better. In late 2022 (I think), I finally got my UFO25 after a nearly 2 year wait, and put on the shelf next to the ZMA to try it out. In the ~2 years since, the UFO25 has been my default amp. When I do use the ZMA for one reason or another, I still love it, but as between the two of them, I always return to the UFO25. That said, both the Lii F15s and the Zu Druids are quite sensitive. When I tried putting the Von Schweikert’s back in (~89 dB), they sounded lifeless with the UFO25; but by this point, I preferred the other speakers with the ZMA as well.
2. More recently, I just received my new Decware HR2s after an 11 month wait. (There aren’t many of these in the wild yet, so I’ll write more about them in a separate thread.). The HR2s are replacing another, highly modified pair of Lii F15s, in a much larger space (20x27x17H, with the long wall open to another equal size space). Because it’s a family room, it’s untreated. I use an SE84UFO in this room. It worked beautifully with the high efficiency Lii F15s, but I was concerned that SE84 would struggle with less efficient 92 dB speakers in the big space. After a weekend trying the 2 watt SET with the new speakers and being really pleasantly surprised at how terrific the sound was, I substituted in my Torii Mk V, which is a 20 WPC push pull amp.
All afternoon, I’ve been listening to the Torii Mk V in place of the SE84UFO, exact same setup and drawing on the same playlist I’ve been using to test the HR2s. The list ranges from orchestral music and classical guitar, jazz bass (Jaco Pastorius), to female vocalists (Shirley Bassey, Billie Eilish), to Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, and Guns N Roses, among others.
Frankly, I could be really happy with either amp in this setup. Based on the short comparison thus far, the Torii Mk V is producing a denser sound field and more concrete images, which is unsurprising given its greater power. By contrast, the SE84UFO seems faster, with a soundstage that is both wider and much deeper. And I want to emphasize that the bass from the little SET is terrific (the SE84 easily delivers 80+dB and a visceral thump to a listening position 20 feet from the speakers); the Torii just has more weight.
My initial sense is that I prefer the SE84UFO, even though I expected it to be inadequate with these speakers in this space. If anything, it confirms my instinct that I want to get another SE84 and bridge them into mono, which will give me a little more power without losing the transparency and immediacy of an SET.
In light of all this, you might want to take into account your bass/ low end preferences. If you really like to feel the music thump, or you want a really visceral listening experience, particularly in a larger room, a Push Pull might be the way to go. If you like really good (but maybe less intense) bass, coupled with greater speed and transparency, opt for the SET.
And since you’re still in queue for a bit, you might want to explore whether a pair of UFO25s might be a worthwhile alternative to the ZMA, since the cost differential is minimal. (Though I’m not certain you can add amps to your order.)
And if you stick with the ZMA, rest assured you will love it.
—Carroll
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SET vs PP (Read 557 times)
