On Jan 22, 5:03 pm, "David Looser"
wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message

...

Andre Jute wrote:
Small is also beautiful. The small is the genesis of the large.

Don't know about that. Schumpeter argued (in an analysis of western
capitalism) that economics measures well-being by the standard of living
(variously, average incomes and consumption). This is best achieved by
maximising production and consumption. Buddhism (his 'foil' and the basis
of the small thesis) does not measure well being as such, but consider
that it is maximised when consumption is minimised. Basically this means
that well being is not dependent on consumption - the 'given ends' (a
difficult concept, granted, but take it as live in comfort perhaps) with
the minimum means. An example might be hifi - why do we need all this
stuff?! Large is a sort of antithesis, not genesis.

Indeed, though I'm not sure that can be seen as a reason for using SET
amplifiers. Their output power may be small, but as they are so inefficient
their power consumption isn't. And the permanent dissatisfaction with what
one already has (which is the basis of the audiophile philosophy) is the
antithesis of the Schumpeter ideal. My Quad 405 may be "large", in the sense
that it has an output power significantly greater than I really need, but it
probably draws less energy from the mains than a SET amplifier does.
Furthermore it has powered my main audio system for over 25 years without
needing any replacement parts, so in terms of the energy used in manufacture
and transport it has had a fairly low impact on the planet.

David.

Mmm. I too have a 405 which has given sterling service. If it is so
efficient, I wonder why Peter Walker, not notably a waster, included
that large, expensive heatsink at the back.

I have a PSE 300B amp that cost about 1600 Euro to build, about the
price of a modern equivalent of the Quad 405 MkII. It's lasted fifteen
years. It consumes about 120W for stereo. That's *less* draw at full
power than the Quad 405 MkII. A smaller SE 300B amp consumes about 50W
for stereo and just idles along with horns but the 405 must draw down
more than the SE amp to drive ESL-63 to the same SPL as the 300B
drives the horns.

But the amazing thing here isn't your carelessness with the numbers
but the hubris of telling me how your flavour of an obscenely
expensive hobby is saving he planet! The only reason I'm not sarcastic
about it is that your flavour, the Quad 405, is also one of my
flavours.

Andre Jute
Catholic tastes