What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?

Saki, I believe you stated you own the Primaluna Prologue integrated, which I know intimately. I also own the Primaluna One with excellent upgraded tubes from the stock tubes. I also know this integrated intimately. Both my wife and I like the Coincident better with the various Tekton speakers we own, especially the M-Lore. Granted it is a close call, but the Coincident is the winner in our view. The Primaluna is a really good amp, versatile, great tube rolling possibilities; but for some reason both my wife and I think the Coincident is more organic, the music flows better. The tone, timbre, bass and dynamics are better on the Dynamo as now constituted. I admit that I haven't experienced every option on the Primaluna Dialogue. Tim Smith said that the Primaluna is twice as good with KT120s over the EL34s. I don't know? Since the Coincident has only 2 power tubes as opposed to 4 in the Primaluna it's much less expensive to operate with premium tubes.

Bill,
I can't address the technical differences,only the subjective listening. Mikirob actually summed it up superbly! The 300b is simply more natural sounding and thus more realistic. Tone,timbre,harmonic nuance and musical fluidity are superior IMHO. Can a good el34 amp sound very good? Absolutely yes, and better than a mediocore 300b amp. If implemented to a high level I'll choose the 300b option. It inherently is more authentic,richer yet more open with better resolution and transparency. This is what the higher cost tube gets you. These are just my listening impressions over the years.

I know Mikirob compared el34 vs el34 as push pull vs SET but the subjective distinctions are nearly the same.

This thread gets better and better! Thank you Charles, and everybody for the ongoing discussion of the sonic distinctions between the EL-34 and directly heated triodes.
It's interesting that the Decware site kind of addresses this in its advertising for the amp I've been considering. His EL-34 amps feature what he calls the "Hazen grid mod." My shallow understanding is that this involves placing a capacitor at a certain value between two particular pins on the EL-34 tube. This is supposed to push the sonic performance of that tube to a much higher level. The ad copy says:
"Taking advantage of the unique qualities of the EL34 this amp comes standard with the Hazen Grid Mod. As a result, the transparency and musicality it has sets a new benchmark for EL34 that exceeds directly heated triode amplifiers at twice the price."
I can't comment on the truthfulness of this claim, but it's interesting that he is addressing the perceived performance gap between the EL-34 and directly heated triodes.

Rebbi,
It is not surprising Decware would use DHTs as their reference target. Do they equal or surpass DHTs? That's up to the listener to determine.

Rebbi, to me that is ad copy hype. Mark me down as from Missouri, the show me state. I'd have to hear it to believe it! Not likely to happen. I' m all in on Charles' remarks. The DHT 300B is the "Cat's Meow." The EL34 can have a excellent midrange, but not to the extent of a DHT 300B. It's been written here and other places over and over.

I have owned both amp types amongst other types. I truly regret selling my Golden Tube 300B. When that company went out of business I was worried about ongoing support. Now, knowing what I know, with the advent of Shuguang Black Treasure 300B, I should have implemented Arthur Salvatore's (someone to listen too) mods to the Golden Tube 300B for true world class sound at that time. Now, he and his associates believe Charles' and Brownsfan Coincident 300B amp to be the finest sounding overall.

Common Sense Audio offers a 300B-based integrated under the name Audio Nirvana for $1.5K that, to my ear at least, was not far behind a similarly-spec'd Audion amp that costed four times as much. Could be worth looking into. See here for details:

http://www.commonsenseaudio.com/nirvanaamps.html

(To be clear: I am not in any way affiliated with Common Sense Audio...just liked what I heard)...

"I truly regret selling my Golden Tube 300B."

Funny you mention THAT amp Mikirob. After all the discussion on this thread I started looking around for a 300B DHT amp just to see how it might fare with the Decapos. There was a Golden tube 300b amp for sale recently on Agon. When I decided to buy it, it was gone, one day, snooze and lose! I had the same thing in mind, upgrading some of the parts to see what could be gotten. For 1K no risk and probably a lot of fun as well.

A lot of DIY'er's have performed the Hazen Grid mod on their non Decware amps and this usually skeptical crowd seems to appreciate it as a viable mod as many seem to claim that it does in fact make an improvement. If you do some Google searches on the subject, you'll see lots of discussions.

Now that said, even if it does improve the EL34 triode sound, I would still go after a well built 300B if it was in my budget.

Rebbi, not to late to just go back to some good SS amplification before taking a deeper dive into tube amp land. :^)

I bet TAD hibachis would sound really good with those Decapos for well under $1000 and no tubes worth mentioning. They even each have a volume control so all that you would need is your current gear and something like that inexpensive Decware switch box, or may be a decent passive pre-amp at worst.

Just saying....

Thanks guys the best answers that I have received to date ,
much appreciated !
If you want to get a chuckle , check out this thread that I started asking the same question .

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=set&m=76456

Some of the comments will make you go HMMMM !

Happy Tunes

Hi Tubegroover,
Sorry you lost out. If I saw it (Golden Tube 300B) I'd try to buy. I believe stock it would be fantastic with th DeCapo. It has great iron. Now, if you were to spend about $1,000-1,500 to upgrade capacitors, resistors, etc., plus get the Black Treasure 300Bs, some good 6L7s, you'd really be on to something. You'd be breathing rarified air, within striking distance of Coincident, Wytec Opal, territory. You'd fall a little short, but maybe not by much.

Mapman,
That SS amp could bevery good. If someone wants to truly experience what a good DHT amp is about you have to hear the real thing. SS won't mimic DHT. Now which one is preferred is simply choice. Rebbi expressed an interest in DHT and SET/SEP.

Saki70,
Those comments were LOL. Likely, most of those folks are in an Asylum. Straight-jacket Extreme Tubegoobers (SET Asylum).

The SET asylum site is the classic hit and miss example. There are smart and very experience people there without question. They can provide deep technical information. But you also get the DIY know it all aspect sometimes. There are some who believe their amps always trump commercial brands. This could very well be true in some cases but not across the board as they suggest. Overall I do find it a worthwhile site with a few warts.

Charles,

Yes, I mention those purely for the potential sound and performance with Ref3a DeCapos specifically for very modest cost, not the underlying technology used.

I have a pair I have used with all my speakers, Dynaudio, Triangle, OHM. Results are top notch in every way and most lovely with them all. Their only limitation I have found is with my larger OHMs in my larger room where they can run out of gas somewhat before reaching concert levels in comparison to the BEl CAnto ref1000m monoblocks I normally use with those, which never even break a sweat much less run out of gas.

Saki,
Golly that thread is a hoot! Some of those folks need to get out of the house more often.

Map:
Sorry, tubes it is. One of the biggest upgrades I ever made to my system was moving from a Bel Canto class D amp to tubes. Never looked back. No offense to your big amps.

Rebbi,
That's what I thought regarding your direction. You are right, you won't look back.

Charles,
Yes. I was being tongue-in-cheeky. Excellent site most often times; but you must admit some of those responses were hilarious. Had my head spinning. More like the Straw Man talking to the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. Does the hypotenuse cross behind the silver moon while the Wizard is bloviating behind the curtain...well, maybe my poor attempt at humor.

In the meantime the Black Treasure 6CA7-Z's are breaking in nicely on the Dynamo. I must reiterate that I can't believe I am listening to a $1,300 amp with no need for preamp. Pavarotti just completed a piece, I'm stunned really; Brownsfan is so right about the bassoon, french horn, and do forth...I'm having so much fun listening to this unit. After the Black Treasure burn in some more I think I will change out the Sylvania 6SL7s for RCA Red Base, then later on change out the Mullard 60s rectfier to the new Gold Lion Brownsfan recommended.

Charles, how is the 378 doing?

I really do love tube rolling and hearing for myself what happens; so much fun. I think this current combo of tubes is going to be hard to beat.

Mikirob,
So, as obviously thrilled as you are with the Dynamo, would you still contend that a directly heated triode like the 300 B would still make a better sounding amplifier?
I'm not being snarky or contentious here – I really am curious.
Because, if 300B really is the way to go, I would even consider building the Bottlehead Paramount mono blocks along with maybe their 300 B based preamp, the Bee Pre.

Rebbi,
I don't take your question as snarky. I would take the 300 DHT every time in a well designed and implemented amp such as the Coincident Franks. I don't know anything about the Bottlehead, except what I have read.

Charles has really outlined what it takes to be a great 300B. The Transformer being paramount along with good design and implementation of the design. I' m not a reviewer or designer/builder. Charles is a better go-to person on this topic.
I commented earlier on the Golden Tube 300B which was a excellent design with very good transformers. It sounded good, but here's the rub, it was poorly executed because of cheap parts, poor parts, poor build internally. Like most SE40, or 300B, they failed and support was basically non-existent. Yet, if you made the parts changes Arthur Salvatore suggested, you ended up with a world class amp, sounding better than most anything out there. Same went for the Golden Tube SE40, which I
also owned. If I were a builder/designer and a design thief with $$$$ I
would build the Lau Brothers Golden Tube amps with appropriate changes ala Arthur Salvatore and some others who upgrade the GT SE40. So, here is an example of good sounding amps gone wrong.

I trust my ears, that is why I keep mentioning the Dynamo. Israel Blume, to
me, has created a beautiful sounding musical amp at an affordable price (you just have to match appropriate efficient speakers of your choice), but it answers your question about "bargain" SET. I'm happy, doesn't mean this is what you want. I just wish the best for you in your choice and that you will be as happy as I am with my choice. I throw out what is going on with the Dynamo to help. Rebbi, sooner or later you'll find what you are looking for. You asked, we answer.

Mikirob
The Mullard 378 rectifier is a superb match in the Frankenstein. This is Noteworthy because the sound is excellent with the stock 5U4G tube. The 378 provides across the board improvement without trade offs .

Mikirob,
Your reply to Rebbi is on the mark IMO. It comes to what you want at what cost point. My choice is the same as yours , spend more money to get a 300b amp with quality built and parts. Once this is done match it to the proper speakers and you will have long term joy with no regrets I believe.

Charles1Dad,
Agreed. For giggles down the road, as a wild experiment, since I really will purchase the Franks, perhaps I'll get the Mullard 378 and plop it in the Dynamo to hear what it does in the Dynamo prior to installing it in the Franks...it would be interesting, what an expensive rectifier does, or does not do in the Dynamo? Right now, as currently constituted, I bought this amp for $800, bought NOS RFT Siemens for $200, Shuguang Black Treasure 6CA7-Z for $150. I already had on hand the Sylvania 6SL7 WGT and RCA Red Base, as well as Gold Lion KT 77 and a NOS Phillips rectifier. So, $1,150 for audio nirvana. Now, that is a bargain SET set-up.

Oh, forgot the NOS Mullard 60s rectifier, $90.

Interesting topic for me. I love the set amps. I currently have the Lamm ML2.2 monoblocks and Coincident, Frankenstein, 300b set's. I have the Coincident Statement preamp and the Lamm LL2.1 pre. It is absolutely stunning to listen to the creations of these 2 very talented designers. It has been a long hard listen to determine which pairing I should keep because I can't afford to keep them both.

Well, for a variety of reasons the Antique Sound Labs AQ 1005 DT is off the table, as I have reason to believe it may be only a so-so amp, plus it's not clear to me who'd service the thing if it needed warranty service.
I think that if I go with a prebuilt, commercial product, it'll be the Dynamo. (I haven't totally turned away from the Decware but I'm moving in that direction.)
Otherwise, I'll either build the Audio Note 300b kit or the Bottlehead Paramount kit with a Bee Pre preamp, which is also 300b based.
That's all for now...

Rebbi,
Bottle head compared to AN Kit which one has better parts and power supply?

Charles1dad,
Good question.
The Bottlehead's trannies are made in the USA by Magnequest, apparently. Magnequest also sells upgraded transformers (several levels of them running $400 to $650) for the Paramount kit. Paul Joppa, the designer, says that they do make a subtle difference but not as much of a difference as tube rolling or, say, upgrading caps. I should add that the Paramount (like Bottlehead's other kits) used solid state rectification. Anyway, Bottlehead is a class act, in my experience, and although some people love to tinker and upgrade the original parts, I feel confident there's no junk in that kit. Paul Joppa is an electrical engineer and respected designer, so I trust that kit.
Now, at least from the photos on the AN web site, that kit seems to have some serious "iron" in it. There are four big transformers in that integrated. Now, it seems that you have an option at the time of ordering our kit to deduct $75 from the price and then order upgraded components from an outfit called Parts Collective in the UK. It's not clear to me from the web site what parts they leave out when you take that route, and I've written to ANKits to try and find out.
Got one other question for you, Charles:
So, that Art Audio PX-25 is still apparently unsold. Let's assume the PX 25 tubes need to be replaced to straighten out that bum tube that the seller says is humming somewhat. Would you still try to cut a deal for that amp? And just how weird-a** is that PX-25 tube, anyway? Lots of online dealers don't even seem to stock it.

The AN kit weighs about 40 pounds, for whatever that's worth. :-)

Rebbi,
I have respect for Paul Joppa and his bottle head products. AN Kits have really eared a strong reputation for their design,part quality options and built. Both of these are to a degree built to fit a price point. This is why upgrade options are offered.

Art audio begins at a higher price point, their stock parts are the other two amp's higher upgrade level. I would lean toward the Art Audio and replace the bad tube. This is a very highly regarded SET amplifier. The PX 25 is less common than the 300b but they are certainly available.
Any of these 3 choices are good at their price point. A used Art Audio in good condition is very tempting.

Again, I don't like to rain on anyone's parade, but fwiw:

The PX-25 is rated at either 5 or 6 watts, depending on what specs are looked at. The Art Audio Jota, another SET amp, is rated at 20 watts or more, depending on tube choice. Here is a comment that was posted elsewhere a few years ago by one of our particularly knowledgeable and experienced members, Jazdoc, who uses Daedalus Ulysses speakers (which I also happen to have), which are MUCH more efficient than the de Capos:

I tried my Ulysses with the high current Art Audio Jota. It was great at low volume but audibly ran out of gas a mid-high listening volumes.

I have nothing but the greatest respect for the credibility and opinions of both Charles and Jazdoc. I have no experience with Art Audio products, and I have no idea how to reconcile these seemingly conflicting inputs. But I thought I should point this out.

Best regards,
-- Al

Al,
I appreciate your learned input. I am really not terribly worried about running out of gas with an SET amp. I could be proven wrong, of course. But my listening room is closed in and not terribly large – around 11' x 16' with an 8 foot ceiling. I listen about 8 feet away from the front of the speakers – not exactly nearfield, but not very far away, either.
I'm also not terribly into listening very loud. That's subjective, of course, but I tend to like to "listen into" the music rather than being battered by it. :-)
Finally, the owners manual for the De Capo’s says that excellent results can be achieved with "purist amps" of only a few watts. The owners manual also points out that while 92 dB is not considered incredibly efficient in the world of loudspeakers, because the speaker has no real crossover and the main driver is run directly connected to the amplifier, there isn't a complicated circuit inside sucking up amplifier power.
To do some more due diligence on this, I'm going to pick up the phone today and call GalenCarol Audio in San Antonio. They carry both Reference 3 A and Art Audio products. Let me see what they say about pairing the De Capo with this kind of amplifier. I will report back.

Mdemaio,
Wow, that Audio Nirvana amp looks really interesting! $1550 for a beefy 300b SET? Hmmmmm...

Al,
I hear what you're saying and as always it is rational. Brownsfan reports that the Dynamo works wonderfully with his DeCapos. So it is the expected varied experiences. Tim Smith said the amp was fine with 87db Harbeths. Much depends on listening levels,genre and room size.

Hi Rebbi,
I delt with Galen Carol on a number of occasions, he has always been very helpful. In fact, my last purchase from him was a Jolida FX10 for a desk-top system paired with 93db 8ohm Tekton 4.5 monitors. Very good sound. The FX10 put out about 10 Watts.

Also second that Audio Nirvana, looks promising, wonder how it sounds? Seems as though it has hefty transformers, wonder how well made they are? I'm also impressed that they are using Black Treasure 300B, a real plus. Great "bargain" price as well.

Markus,
That is quite a compliment for the Frankenstein considering you have the esteemed Lamm SET as well.

Al, as Charles stated, I evaluated my deCapos in a 14 X 19 x 8 room with the dynamo and 3 other amps. I would suggest if rebbi is willing to limit peaks to about 90 to 92 dB he is probably going to be OK with the dynamo. I did not like my 500 wpc ss Cary amps with the deCapos at all. On the other hand, the inspire kt66 amp clearly ran out of steam. In terms of overall performance, wpc is one of many criteria as you know.

What troubles me is that rebbi needs to make a decision without benefit of an audition. I can't predict his assessment of the dynamo vs his Manley.

If the De Capo is easy to drive, that is actually more important than the efficiency rating. I have heard low wattage tube amps driving the very easy load 15 ohm Rogers LS3/5a speaker that is extremely inefficient (low 80's for efficiency) and the combination worked well even in a big room. On the other hand, the Wilson WP7 has a mid 90's efficiency, but even 40-50 watt tube amps would find that speaker to be a beast because of its very challenging load characteristics.

To me, the choice of the particular output tube being used is at least as important as the choice between single ended and pushpull. In either topology, the sound of the particular tube will come through and may be the difference between liking and disliking the result. In other words, if you happen to like a 300b SET amp, but, it turns out to not have quite enough power/control of the bass, consider a 300b pushpull amp in addition to looking for a SET alternative.

I haven't heard the alternatives you have been considering, except for the Art Audio PX-25. I like that amp. I actually prefer it to Jota (more delicate and beautiful sounding, though not as punchy), although the output power is quite low. I heard the PX-25 with very efficient Avantguarde speakers, and with much less efficient Spendor speakers and it is surprisingly capable for having a low output rating.

Good performance from a technical perspective and good sound are two different but related things.

Just keep in mind that any speaker will work with most any amp. Its just a matter of how well and how it sounds.

Rebbi's done his homework and pretty much knows the SWOT analysis at this point I would say.

I think there is a decent chance any of the prime candidates could work out for Reb given his goals. Is it a technical match made in heaven? I'd say no, but the end results might still hit the bulls eye, at least in this case.

Building the kit sounds like a fun project in particular.

"What troubles me is that rebbi needs to make a decision without benefit of an audition."

That's the problem.

He could always buy used initially to get a feel, then sell and buy new if needed/desired. That would be the risk mitigation strategy I would recommend from a financial perspective.

...or buy new with vendor provided support including a return policy for reasonable cost to the buyer.

Kit would be fun, but I would not know what to expect the resale value to be if it did not work out for some reason.

Tube gear in particular can be risky IMHO. I'd probably go with the product I like from a vendor with good support and reasonable return policy, if it were me.

11-25-14: Larryi
If the De Capo is easy to drive, that is actually more important than the efficiency rating. I have heard low wattage tube amps driving the very easy load 15 ohm Rogers LS3/5a speaker that is extremely inefficient (low 80's for efficiency) and the combination worked well even in a big room. On the other hand, the Wilson WP7 has a mid 90's efficiency, but even 40-50 watt tube amps would find that speaker to be a beast because of its very challenging load characteristics.

Excellent comments as always, Larry, as are the responses from the others. The impedance characteristics of the de Capo (magnitude and phase) are shown in the graphs near the bottom of this page, which I had linked to earlier in the thread. They strike me as being indicative of an easy load, the worst case probably being the combination of a 7 ohm impedance and a phase angle of around -32 degrees which occurs just in the immediate vicinity of 100 Hz.

My Ulysses, btw, have extremely benign impedance characteristics, although their nominal impedance is 6 ohms. That may have been a little less true, though, in the version of the Ulysses which existed at the time Jazdoc left the comment I quoted.

Best regards,
-- Al

Alamrg, I think this Positive Feedback review excerpt could help explain why Jazdoc's PX-25 "ran out of gas at mid-high listening levels" with his Daedalus Ulysses:

Although I know that Lou did not design this speaker specifically for low-powered tubes, the Ulysses can certainly deliver when driven by them. Is your passion the gorgeous sound of low power tubes? If so this speaker can accommodate you, though within limits. I felt at the 12-watt push-pull Audio Space amp was probably at the lower limit of power you could use and still get realistic dynamics. The 28-watt 845 Consonance SET performed very nicely.

How about mid- to high-power solid-state or tube designs? The Ulysses was built for high power. When I used 15 watts of class D power I loved the unlimited realistic dynamics that made the music seem so natural. My only regret was I didn't have a chance to try this speaker with some high-power tube amps.

Which type of amplification/source did I prefer with the Ulysses? Usually, whatever I was listening to at the time. Pressed for a decision on one, I have to give the nod to the Consonance Cyber 845, and my analog rig (VPI Scoutmaster, Shelter 501, and Aqvox Phono 2Ci, Gingko Cloud 9) which together gave me some of the most extraordinarily cohesive sound my room has ever been graced with. If you read Lou Hinkley's quote "coupling high efficiency with high power handling makes for effortless reproduction of music" it is obvious that he prefers a high-power amp for these speakers. I look at the Ulysses low-power affability as a big plus. This chameleon-like transducer is friendly to many different types of amps, and it truly lets you enjoy the characteristics of each and every amp. Rare indeed and a dream for audiophiles who enjoy the sound of more than one type of gain device.

More so then tonal imbalances that would be associated with a "difficult load". if there is a problem, I think it will be related more to a flea powered SET "running out of gas" sooner due to the DeCapo combo of low end extension and moderate efficiency and resulting in (soft) clipping that has to impact dynamics. It exponentially takes more power to produce lower frequencies with smaller speakers/drivers, , so even modest bass extension can have significant impact.

Dark,

Good to hear from you. IT's been awhile.

I do not think any good speaker designed for high power amps can perform equally well with low power. It might transform in a still musically desirable way in some case, but there will be an inevitable loss of "accuracy".

But no speaker vendor will willingly tell you this. They will say their speakers work well with most anything within certain parameters at best because, well, they need to sell speakers and its a pot shot to predict whether a customer will be happy or not before the fact.

11-25-14: Darkmoebius
Almarg, I think this Positive Feedback review excerpt could help explain why Jazdoc's PX-25 "ran out of gas at mid-high listening levels" with his Daedalus Ulysses....

Thanks very much for the reference, Darkmoebius. Note, though, that it was not the PX-25 which Jazdoc tried with his Ulysses. It was the "high current" version of the Jota, which is rated at 24 watts.

Best regards,
-- Al

Okay, Folks,

Here's where this starts to get really interesting. :-)

I spoke to Brian Smith over at Audio Note Kits. Very nice, very energetic guy. He was adamant that the Audio Note Kit 1 in its standard configuration would have no trouble at all driving the De Capo's in a medium-sized room. "You will be able to play those speakers louder than you would want to listen with no trouble," he opined, or words to that effect. He said that the Audio Note Kit 1 is a "ballsy" amplifier in part because of the design (including the transformers) and also in part because of the full preamplifier stage built-in. As for out of the gate upgrades, he suggested upgrading the capacitors. He kindly offered to give me that upgrade at dealer cost and throw in free shipping, which would bring me in under my $2500 budget. So, there is one option. By the way, it would be possible to upgrade that kit, bit by bit, as I wish. He suggested leaving a little extra wire in a particular place during the build in order to accommodate the fancier transformers down the road.

Allow me to just add here that the prospect of building a kit does sound rather fun… I haven't done that since I built my Seduction phono preamp.

I also spoke with Galen Carol, who knows both Reference 3A and Art Audio as an authorized dealer. He didn't really have much experience with the PX-25 amplifier – he told me that he had maybe sold one of them over the years. Since the departure of Joe Fratus, the former US distributor, he isn't really recommending Art Audio gear much to his customers. Seems that Joe's departure from Art Audio wasn't entirely amicable and he seems to feel that the service and support situation in the US at this point is somewhat nebulous. I, myself, sent an email to the current Art Audio distributor and haven't yet received a reply after several days.

In some ways, the most interesting conversation was with David Dicks, who is the proprietor of Commonsense Audio, which sells the Audio Nirvana line of speakers and amplifiers. He is a very fun, opinionated (but not in an obnoxious way at all) and interesting guy to talk to. He is first and foremost a speaker builder and designer. He has created an enormous line of what he claims to be the best, full range drivers around. And if you look at the website, he has a staggering array of components for sale. For quite a long time, they made finished speakers, but as the business grew he didn't want to have to hire more people so he has gotten out of the cabinet business but has a number of cabinet building partners who will make finished cabinets for his designs. Anyway, if you go to the customer feedback page, it is full of ecstatic comments from happy customers. He claims that even though all his products have a money back guarantee, he has only had half a dozen returns of his speaker products in all the years he's been selling them. And the prices are extremely reasonable.

As for the 300 B SET amplifier…
This is a new product for them, to go along with their push-pull tube amp and a class D amp that they also sell. It is their best amplifier. He did not design the amp. It was designed by a friend of his, an engineer who worked for Boeing in the past and also for an amplifier company. Interestingly, David told me that he never liked 300 B amps in the past because most of the ones he heard only had "the magical midrange" because they sounded rolled off at the extremes. His engineer friend thought he could design a first-rate 300 B-based amp and set about doing so over the course of three years. David loved the results and took steps to bring it to production.

The amplifier is built at an offshore-owned factory in China. The transformers are enormous and heavy – the amp weighs the better part of 60 pounds. (He agreed that transformer quality was the make or break element in a great 300 B amp.) Internals are kept simple by using a simple attenuator for volume control rather than a full-blown preamp stage. If you take a look at the photo of the innards of the amp, it looks extremely clean and well done.

I questioned the extraordinarily reasonable price of this amplifier, given his contention that it's the best 300 B amplifier he could build. He explained that his philosophy is to sell his products at a fair and reasonable profit, not to make as much money as he possibly can, even though he could easily charge at least twice the current asking price for that amplifier.

He repeatedly emphasized that his speakers would smoke my De Capo's. And, truth be told, for what I got for my Manley gear I could buy his 300 B amp and a pair of his speakers. :-)

Finally: I have it on good authority that Bottlehead has a sale coming up in the next couple of days which would bring the cost of the Paramount power amp and Be Pre-preamp down substantially.

So, lots of choices! As always, interested in your thoughts.

By the way, I think I have eliminated Decware from the pack. It turns out that the 30 day money back guarantee does not apply to orders that have been customized, such as adding extra inputs or other upgrades. At this point, I think I have sufficient options to put that one to bed.