Best EL-34 Amps?

>> 09-17-08: Kgturner
>> aes sixpacs are amazing at $2500 for the pair. they are
>> the tube amps that go me into tube amps as it were. i'm
>> moved on to 45 SET's, but those little sixpacs are just
>> fabulous for the money.

Indeed! I 2nd the excellent choice of AES Sixpac. I own an upgraded pair (that are up for sale if Stickman451 or anyone else is interested) & I can say that running the EL34 pentodes in triode mode as in the Sixpac creates some very good music.
I've moved onto a more powerful amp because I'm using an Apogee Scintilla speaker that needs an amp that is stable down to 1 Ohms.
Like Kgturner wrote - for the money these are very beautiful sounding amps & for their diminutive size they pump out a sizeable amount of bass.

Mint604- Not sure you can generalize from a sample of 2 (one of which is many years old). Have you heard any modern designs. Hard to imagine anyone calling the ARS Sonum EL-34 amp dull or lifeless, for example.

has anyone owned the quicksilver mid monos or consonance m 400 monos ?

if so, how would you describe these amps ?

I have listened to the Quickie mid mono's extensively including last week at Audioconection in NJ and my characterization would be that they are open and transparent with excellent pace and timing.

I have not listened to any new EL-34 amps and have no desire to, BUT I am certain that Sol Marantz and the Altec engineers had a far greater understanding on how to design tube circuits and still they could not get the harshness out of the EL-34's. Indeed all that tube is good for is in public address and guitar amps.