What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?


Hi, Gang,
I response to my recent review of the Reference 3A De Capo BE speaker, someone wrote that if you really want to hear them sing, you should try them with a SET amp, or words to that effect.
That got me thinking. The De Capo's are 92 db efficient, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems kind of borderline for low-power SET amps.
In any event, right now I'm running mine with a pair of Manley Mahi mono-blocks. They are switchable from triode (20 watts) to "ultra linear" (40 watts). I run them in triode all the time, and in my room, the volume knob almost never goes past 9 o'clock; more would just be too loud.
All that said, what do you guys think of running the De Capo's with a SET amp? And if I did, what's the best bargain in SET's these days?
Thanks!
rebbi
On 6 Moons there's a new review of the Coincident Dynamo by Tim Smith. This is a fairly long review but comprehensive with several amplifier comparisons and the use of several speakers. He has very good taste in his music selections and he has good writing skills as well. The perfectionist Israel Blume was clearly pleased with the reviewer's verdict. High praise.
Charles,
Charles1Dad,
Thank you for the heads up. I just finished reading the excellently written review by Tim Smith and must wholeheartedly agree with his comments. The Coincident Dynamo 34se is every bit as good as he says it is.

I am going out to dinner with some friends now, but will later add some remarks about various other tubes and ancillary equipment that supplement the 6 Moons review.
Mikirob,
I look forward to reading about your experiences. I can relate in particularly to Tim's comments on the reproduction of jazz guitar. When I got my Frankenstein 5 years ago I was actually astonished listening to that instrument. I had never heard the beautiful and "complete" expression of chord harmonics and overtones in my system before. It was the closest I have heard to a live jazz guitarist sound by far! Full, juicy, complex and rich, just as they are in an intimate jazz club. I was instantly hooked, by comparison my previous amplifiers were merely good. Their presentation was drier, flatten and couldn't capture the innate harmonic interactions, sustain or note decay. The 1300.00 Dynamo being able to get this elusive quality so well (per reviewer) is impressive.
Charles.
Not SET but the greatest bargain I've come across in amplification is the Clones 25i integrated. Best amp I've ever had.
Sorry for the delay, but my dinner turned in to a spontaneous trip to Hawk Cay in the Florida Keys with my dinner mates. Hawk Cay is beautiful and dynamic just like the Coincident Dynamo 34se.

The Dynamo is located in my 14x16 home office, so all my top-notch gear is located in the living room and bedroom. As such, beside the Dynamo I've gathered together a bunch of my older cables, interconnects, DAC, transport, and so forth. I mentioned them earlier in this thread. My speakers here are the same Tekton M-Lore Tim Smith used in his outstanding 6 Moons review. Please read Tim's review. It says everything about this amp better than I ever could, it mirrors my experience almost exactly after I changed some tubes. Remember, I bought this model used for eight hundred bucks and I decided I'd spend the $500 dollar difference of its retail price on tube or other upgrades. My used unit came with Gold Lion KT77s with about 200 hours on them and a highly recommended NOS Phillips 5R4GYS which should be compatible with this amp but not recommended by Israel Blume, plus the standard Shuguang Electron EL34 as well as a pair of Shuguang 6SL7.

How did it sound? I thought it sounded very good but knew I could improve it. My wife thought there was something off, she didn't like the bass. I told her not to worry I was calling Brent Jesse and ordering a Mullard 5AR4 rectifier plus installing a matched pair of Sylvania 6SL7WGT 229 that I had in my tube stash. For now the Shuguang EL34s were staying in the unit as I wanted to get a feel for them with the new rectifier and 6SL7s. Once installed in the amp these tubes elevated everything, there was a huge transformation for the better. To borrow from Tim Smith, "purity of tone, the sense if space, PRaT, the inner detail, the fatique-free musicality, the druggingly delicious sweetness that single-ended tube amps provide, life-like vocals, a realistic guitar pluck, the long decay of a single piano key, a realistic double bass arco or banjo hammer-on in our listening room." Yes, the Dynamo does all those things and more. It is stunning, truly amazing.

I am going to purchase NOS RFT Siemens EL34s as well as Black Treasure 6CA7s, the NOS RCA Red Base 5691s for sure, perhaps later different cables, etc. This amp is worth it, it deserves the best; or, leave it stock. It is killer good. A no brainier. It is the best bargain I ever heard. Israel Blume deserves high praise. I could live with this amp forever. It does so much right. Read Tim's review. The best bargain SET to these ears, for once my wife agrees. Perhaps the best bargain in all of audio.