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
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
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)...
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.