What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?

Brownsfan,
I am in no position to buy the Triumph Extreme II speakers now, but knowing how good the Total Eclipse are, and having a room too small for them, I would love to have them hooked up to my Kit One. I would buy them without hearing them, because Israel designs great speakers. You are making me drool.
Rebbi,
Like everyone else, I am really happy that you are loving the music your Kit One is making. If you have just a little money to spend, I have a recommendation. As you know, I switched out the stock 300btubes to the Black Treasures, and it was a really nice improvement for my tastes, although I also liked the stock tubes. However, as I mentioned last week on Charles' system thread, I replaced my rectifier tube and my 6sn7. I believe it is the 6sn7 that is responsible for the amazing difference in the fidelity of the amp now. It's not shades of difference, it is right there. The tube was chosen on the advice of Andy from Vintage Tube Services, and it is an RCA from the forties, I paid $46.00.
If you can spring for one, DO IT! Where before I thought that plucked strings on an acoustic guitar sounded great, I realize now that they were not nearly as focused and natural as they are now, and they reveal much more about variations in touch and volume. It's the same way with everything though. It is so much easier to hear how recordings were mixed, and just hear more true to life sound in recordings where it exists.
It is hard to believe that this could make such a difference, but it did. Once again, Andy didn't steer me wrong. He said that the difference would be night and day, and it is. I have found over the years that even though I can perceive what is missing in the way music is being reproduced by my system, it is really hard to imagine what an "improvement" to the sound would consist of until I actually hear it. That said, when it happens, especially to this degree, it's a real treat. I have a new found respect for the amp as well as my speakers. You are halfway there, as I know that you already have an upgraded rectifier tube in your amp.

Roxy,
Thanks a lot for the tip! I can probably rustle up $46 for that tube and if you like it that much it seems worth a try. Thank you.
As for the 274 B, mine is a Chinese Psvane. When Brian sent it to me (some of the tubes for my kit had originally been backordered) he said it was "a nice little upgrade." It is certainly a sharp LOOKING tube and looks great between the choke transformer and the mains transformer. :-) I haven't done a lot of comparing of the sound of that tube to the 6SN7 that I have, but I can tell you that it is a much quieter tube then the Russian 6SN7 that shipped with my unit when Pete returned it from Florida. So that's a plus right there.

Rebbi, I have following this thread and want to add my congratulations. I would have not believed how good 8 watts can sound for all types of music and I know you are experiencing that kind of musicality that connects at a very basic emotional level. I am still taken aback at how involving rock music can be on a SET amp. Are you a Pink Floyd fan? Please listen to a David Gilmour guitar solo on your SET amp and be transported to the spirituality of that kind of musicianship. Regards-Jet

I have found, generally speaking, that changing the small signal tubes in an amp have a bigger impact on the sound than changing output tubes. This is good news because most of these tubes are cheaper than the output tubes. Although my Audionote Kageki came with some quite expensive RCA 6sn7s, I actually preferred alternatives such as Tungsol and Neotron roundplates. That amp is currently on loan to a friend who is now running CV181s (not exactly drop in replacements for 6sn7s, but close enough) and likes that tube a lot. I don't know what brand of CV181s these are, but, they are old (not Chinese) and are, I believe, cryogenically treated tubes from Pearl.

Larryi,
I agree. They certainly make a big difference. I would like to explore the alternatives you mention in the future.
Rebbi,
Sorry, but I had things mixed up. I thought that it was a different 5u4 rectifier that Brian had given you, not a different 6sn7. No wonder that you like it so much. Andy told me that the one that came with the amp was basically bottom of the barrel.