Really! Well......it is one option of course.
Whilst the STA's are quite lovely sounding amplification I have a preference for the additional texture and gravitas derived from the Partridge C core OPT as sported on the Audiomaster 11A.
Other very high quality EL34 based contenders...Beam Echo DL7-35, Lowther LL26 and the Armstrong A10 MKII with its almost EL34/EL84 Hybrid presentation.
TL12.1s are legendary, considered by a fair few in the know as the finest tube amp period. Very, very hard to find a really good close pair though, and that puts me off. I really like my soundstage so buying a random pair is a real risk as the transformers were changed as few times as I understand it. A really tidy identical pair with close serial numbers would make many multiples of that!
Well....Opinions and Arseholes Mr Arkless....Opinions and Arseholes.
I don't recall basing my illustrative list of amplifiers on output valve type alone!
On papar specification perhaps the BPS can be regarded as an evolution of the older Radford model sans BPS, personally I prefer the overall musicality and tone of the earlier MK without this technical 'improvment'
And whilst pondering upon that last point I enjoy listening via PYE PF91 or say Rogers Williamson over 'Any' model of Radford that I have owned.
I want uncoloured, undistorted, neutrality from my High Fidelity system
...but given no one has achieved that yet we may as well buy something that sounds damn good!
Curious....Playimg Devils advocate and To quote the Engineering mantra, should the veritable Old 12.1 be operating under the accepted level of audible distortion Viz 0.1, what more does the Radford/Bailey Phase Splitter offer other than an increased level of feedback employed within the circuit.
Is there any information about the BBC's use of BTH amplifiers in those years?Never heard a pair but they seem well regarded and the BBC did use them. As I understand it they were a competitor to the Leak TL-12.1 and they certainly look decent with hefty transformers etc. I suspect if they are a nice pair they’d eBay for good money so probably not a lot of risk.