What's the best EL84 amp?

+2 Decware SE84UFO2 amp!

Mike

I had Oliver Sayes build me a custom unit based on the RH84 circuit. It's an amazing single ended pentode amp. It nicely showcases what the EL84 can do; it's hard not to like a well-designed, well-built EL84 amp.  It's holographic, and I find it a tad punchier, and bass probably a little tighter, than single-ended triode amps I own and have used in the past.  Overall, I'd say it has the air and liquidity that one usually wants in a single-ended amp, but maybe a little faster and a touch less bloomy than the typical SET.  

Music Reference RM-10 Mk 1 acquired!

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I'll circle back after trying out the RM10 for awhile. It'll be interesting to hear it vs my 9W 300B SET.

I’d be interested to know why a person would prefer the original RM-9 to the Mk.2 version. Dick Olsher (a favorite audio critic of mine) reviewed both, greatly preferring the Mk.2. Both reviews are available for reading in the Stereophile archives, I believe (I have a complete collection of the digest-size issues, my first subscription issue being that of Autumn 1971. It was J. Gordon Holt who changed my hi-fi life, not Harry Pearson ;-) .

In his Mk.2 versions of the RM-9, RM-10, and RM-200, Roger Modjeski successfully endeavored to lower the distortion and increase the linearity of the circuits of all three amps, resulting in improved sound quality. I know some listeners actually like the sound of high-distortion tube amps (Herb Reichert? ;-) , hence the popularity of single-ended designs in some circles.

Congratulations @dhcod! You are in a select group of lucky music lovers who have the pleasure of owning a Music Reference amplifier.

I actually had both version of the RM-9 (and got a chance to spend a day with Roger while he fixed one of them) and I think it's really about what you are pairing it with and what your ears like. Pretty sure with my current vintage bass reflex studio monitors, the Mk 1 would be better because these speakers are almost too clean sounding at time.

Still remember very well how hot those RM9s got. Toasty! But wonderful.