What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?

Charles,
You have been extremely helpful, thank you!
What do you think of the tube quality "issue" on the Audio Note kit?
Sounds like you are very curious about that Audio Nirvana amp, yes?

All legit concerns, Rebbi. In my experience, David does tend to be a bit hyperbolic as well, so take that for what it's worth. But what I heard sounded great, and given the topic at hand thought the AN was worth mentioning.

It sounds like this might come down to the question of pride of ownership and personal ethics, particularly if "Made in China" isn't an issue from a quality standpoint. I completely get that one. It's for that very reason I mostly stick with gear made by someone I can call on the phone, or with used gear (I figure the damage is already done there). I guess that's the byproduct of coming from a family comprised fairly equally of artisans and labor lawyers...I try my best to represent both camps in my personal choices whenever possible ;)

Mdemaio,
Bingo!
Look, this hobby (and industry) are full of colorful characters all over the place, and his confidence that there is simply nothing better out there - "the best speaker ever made, the best amp ever made" - well, take it for what it's worth.
Thanks for your understanding.

Rebbi,
The AN decision isn't unusual, just basic quality tubes for stock use (these "plain jane" tubes can sound pretty good). It saves money as the premium 300b tubes aren't cheap. Well I think the Audio Nirvana represents an excellent value if it sounds as Mdemaio described. Audion Audio SET like sound for 1550.00 would be a significant achievement. I'm an open advocate for quality SET amplifiers. If one comes along and delivers good sound for this cost, that's a good thing for music lovers.

Charles1dad,
Spoke with David at Common Sense Audio about modding the 300b amp. He opined that the whole modding thing is bullish*t. He said that they did many prototypes and listened to many different parts and simply chose the ones that sounded the best. He said, "yes, you can mod it, but it'll sound worse."
So there you go.