F1audio: I ran Druids with host of class-d amps, lost patience, and switch to peachtree nova (SS).
I also compare nova with HK3490 -- it is poor man Nova.
I do not know if it is Sabre Dac vs Burr Brown, or pre-amp stage, or MOSFET vs whatever op amp HK use, but Nova kick pants off HK. It is a good combination absolutely, and a great choice for money. For beginner/person with budget/veteran who is tired of nonsense i would recommend it.
I have tried low power tubes and do not like them on Druid. Highly overrated in my opinion. Also, I do not think push pull tube are that much better than A/B SS. So that leaves you with ~50WPC SET. At this point, I think good implementation of that difficult configuration is more important that tube vs SS.
I also compare nova with HK3490 -- it is poor man Nova.
I do not know if it is Sabre Dac vs Burr Brown, or pre-amp stage, or MOSFET vs whatever op amp HK use, but Nova kick pants off HK. It is a good combination absolutely, and a great choice for money. For beginner/person with budget/veteran who is tired of nonsense i would recommend it.
I have tried low power tubes and do not like them on Druid. Highly overrated in my opinion. Also, I do not think push pull tube are that much better than A/B SS. So that leaves you with ~50WPC SET. At this point, I think good implementation of that difficult configuration is more important that tube vs SS.