Alan Eaton amplifier

S

silverfoxvtx1800

New member
Joined
Jun 5, 2024
Messages
3
Location
Puyallup,Wa
Hello,
I have the Volti Audio Lucera speakers, has anyone used the Alan Eaton 45 or 2A3 amp with the Volti speakers and looking for your thoughts…
I have been using the First Watt Sit4 so was wondering if anyone compared the First Watt amps to,the Eaton amps..
Thanks,
 
I've used several of their amps and tried them with the Volti.

The AE 45's are the best sounding 45 amps I've heard at any price and their mono blocks are my reference 45 amps.

Just be sure you know what you are getting into with 45's: it's a more intimate sound but full of emotional shading and insight.

The 2A3 sounds much larger and more dynamic than the 45 tube as it's twice the power.

Still the 45 has a magic no one can touch (though a great 2A3 amp and tube comes close).

So if you can live within what a 45 tube does, there is no better sounding 45 amp on the market that I have heard.

As a reference I use it with my beloved tobian 12FH's which are 97dB.
 
Last edited:
Hello,
A long time ago I had the Primaluna EVO 400 tube amp and really didn’t work out to good so for a couple years I have been switching back and forth using the Pass Labs XA-25 amp and the First Watt Sit-4 that’s 10 watts, it sounds really good driving my Volti Lucera speakers. I have a couple friends who use the Eaton amps one has the Joseph Crowe 2087 speakers with the Eaton 2A3 monos, the other friend the same speakers I have the Volti Lucera that has a 15 inch woofer. Kevin with the 2A3 likes the 2A3 more and David likes the 45 he has the Lucera. So I am wondering which one for me. I bought my Volti Lucera from Kevin who has the Crowe speakers now and when I picked them up he had the Eaton 2A3 monos on them but didn’t get much time to really listen. The Sit-4 really brings in a sound that is dynamic is it a tube like sound I don’t know, a little softer around the edges would probably be better for me being retired and have all day to play music. Here are a few examples of the music I listen to, Monolink, Sohn, Bob Moses Rufus Du Sol, Bronze Whale,&Poles, selective electronic music ..
I recently down sized my system, it was getting out of control, many dacs hooked to my Pass Labs preamp so being I only stream I sold all those dacs, streamers, preamp and bought the Meitner MA3i dac/streamer with a volume control and hook it directly to the amp then to the speakers making a much more simple system less cables and crap everywhere and it sure sounds great, the Meitner is really something else. So going to experiment with a tube amp being I have the Sit-4 and trying a tube amp for fun. 2A3 or 45 that’s the question, one good thing the Eaton amps aren’t expensive, oh what transformer are you using on the Eaton, my friend Kevin says Tamura transformer or don’t get one…what Volti speakers did you listen to?
Thanks for the info,
Chuck
 
Well, look, with high-efficiency speakers, like your Alan Eaton 45/2A3, it's more likely to sound more organic and lively. Whereas the First Watt SIT-4 is cleaner and more controlled. So of course most people will hear a bigger difference with the Eaton if they want that classic tube realism.
 
carmelitawert said:
Well, look, with high-efficiency speakers, like your Alan Eaton 45/2A3, it's more likely to sound more organic and lively. Whereas the First Watt SIT-4 is cleaner and more controlled. So of course most people will hear a bigger difference with the Eaton if they want that classic tube realism.
Click to expand...

It's also a different sound (also what do you mean "cleaner?")

I have found all the Pass / First Watt's I've ever had here to sound a bit slow and lathargic. They lack the expressive realism that great tubes and greatly even great other gear can have.

The best Class A I've heard to date was the Luxman that was much more expressive and engaging than anything Pass has ever made - in my completely personal opinion.

Having said that I've still never been impressed enough with any Class A that I kept what I bought and have sold every single Class A piece I have ever bought and never missed them for one second. Again - completely personal opinion.
 
Thanks Michaels HiFi, we are lucky to have your opinion being you get to test so much different gear. You just shot off to the moon and never coming back which solid state and tube amp would you take for your high efficiency speakers?…
 
Mr Peabody said:
If you want clean and controlled Class A listen to the Esoteric. The digital seems to overshadow the amps but they are equally as good IMO.
Click to expand...
I've heard really good things about their Class A.

And I will also say their TEAC Class D is among the best Class D I've heard, and I am no fan of Class D.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top