Integrated S.E.T Amp and Bookshelf Speakers Recommendations

Wow! Thanks for the helpful responses. There is quite A LOT to "digest." Yogiboy and br3098, you are right about the Harbeths.

dekay-the room is 12" x 10.5", with 8.5" ceilings. It has a row of windows on 10.5" wall, with an entry door galley closets leading to a bathroom on the other wall. Because of room design the speakers will be placed on a 12" wall. Figuring with speakers away from the wall listening will be a nearfield experience.

dxbwineguy and auroravengeance-I appreciate your recommendations. Somewhere I read someone describing low powered amps and they used the phrase "liquid chocolate sound" which really resonated. Sometime in the past I read about the EL-84 Quicksilver integrated.

soix-we have discussed preamps and DAC’s in the past. I am going to add the De Capos to my list.

Audio Note speakers are ideally located near the corners of the room; if not in the corners, at least close to the back wall.  In a room of this size, and the kind of music you favor, you may actually have options to use speakers that are not quite as efficient, which greatly increases your options, particularly if you don’t insist on a SET.  That said, a SET amp may still be a good option if you are willing to accept that they will not be at their best at head banging levels.  To me, the great attributes of such amps are best heard with relatively high efficiency speakers and I don’t know of many that I like that are not somewhat pricey.  Do you have any idea of how much you are willing to spend and will you consider used speakers?

I don’t agree that Harbeths are out if you go with modest powered tube amps that are not SETs.  I particularly like  the Harbeth 30.2 with tube amps of at least 20 watts.  You can find reasonably priced EL84 amps that sound very good that are  reasonably priced.

Your room is approx. the size of our spare bedroom (11 x 14 x 8).

I have been able to successfully use flea and fly watt amps in that room, due to the volume, with a variety of speakers (some not associated with 3-8 watt amps).

If your interest is SET then keep things simple with a directly heated single ended triode design (DH/SET) most likely using 45, 2A3 or 300B tubes (approx. 2/3.5/8 watts).

There are other tube designs that also sound really good, but there is something special about DH/SET done decently that you have to hear to believe.

I would start with something like the Elekit and a pair of Audio Note AX2 stand mount speakers (now back in production I think) to start with if you can give up bass for awhile (add a sub, like one of the little Gallo's, later if you feel the need).

However, it’s not been clear to me if the Elekit amps are available with USA voltage power transformers (most I see are 100V).

I use good old production tubes in my inexpensive Bottlehead 2A3 amps (the tubes easily sell for more that the amps originally did), but I can still pick up a full set of NOS 2A3/12AT7’s for <$500 (I paid $60 for a similar set 20+ years ago;-).

As far as 300B’s go there seem to be quite a few well reviewed versions currently available and you do not have to pop for expensive WE’s or EL’s unless you want to.

WE’s 70’s production 300B’s were my 3rd favorite in my old Audion Silver Night amp as I much preferred Svetlana and then an inexpensive Chinese 300B to them (just a warning as to "What’s the Best" thinking).

I’ve grown accustomed to 2A3, but 300B is more power and a lot of Technicolor fun.

DeKay

@auroravengeance thanks. I have been looking at HiFi brands from France for some time. There are a few others Kelinac, Jewel Sound, ASA, Davis Acoustics, Atohm, Apertura Audio, Melin Audio, Micromega, Audiofolia, Ocellia, Livehorn (very unusual speakers), Esprit Audio and Laboiteconcept. Before you wonder, yes I do spend time researching and cataloguing HiFi companies from different countries- Denmark, Poland. France etc 😀

I generally agree with Dekay's suggestions above.  I really like the Elekit amps I've heard, but again, I think that they are not integrated amps.  With tube amps, the additional gain from a separate line stage is often not needed, so, if you have just one source, you can probably just plug it into the back of the Elekit and treat it as if it were an integrated amp. A separate switching box might be all you need to treat the Elekit amp as an integrated amp. You should contact Victor Kung and VKmusic (the North American distributor located in Vancouver Canada); he is very helpful and honest about whether the amp will or will not work in particular setups.