Like @larryi , there are very nice, if properly designed, push pull amps out there. I'm using decware, which you have to buy on the secondary market if you don't want an 18 month wait. I had an SE34I.5 which was excellent SET. I upgraded to their ZMA, a push pull amp that is hard to distinguish sonicly from an SET. Very happy with it. While it can provide more power, the magic still happens in the first watt. Stay away from the mass produced push pull amps.
Best SET power amp below $5,000
Curious to get the benefit of the knowledge in this forum.
I currently have a low power SET amp, paired with 94db loudspeakers. Sounds great, but tbh, I bought it 20 years ago, and even then, my process was not particularly thoughtful.
Not trying to start an argument about push-pull vs SET. Though I am not an electrician or sound engineer, my instinct is that a simpler circuit is better. At this point, I am just interested in what folks here think are the best options for SET amps—in the $5,000 price range. I am also open to the feedback that the price range is too limiting.
I am open to new or used and given the many years that vacuum tubes have been used for this purpose, curious if there is any technology advantage in newer products, holding their condition constant (ie comparing a 1950s era SET amp to a 2022 design, both in mint condition).