SET amp recommendation

12-12-11: Erfranke
I guess what I am looking for is SET configuration that is not overly colored or muddy. The Carys were nice, but just say I am glad I didnt pay full price for them.

I had a similar Cary experience with the Cary SEI 300B. Lush, intimate, involving, but too much of each for my taste.

As Zmanastronomy suggested above, the Almarro A318-B is a terrific choice. You get almost every last bit of the SET "magic" without the coloration. And it is 18wpc. That extra ~3dB in output makes a difference sometimes.

The assumption that 300b SET are all lush and colored is as inaccurate as stating all solid state or all push-pull tube amps sound the same.
There`s such a wide assortment of character among the many 300b amps available, slow.fat and syrupy to fast,tight and lean.
What circuit/Parts quality?Level of transformer and power supply?Cary,Wavelength,Yamamoto,Coincident,Tron or Art audio, they`re all different.
Which 300b tube? Generic chinese,JJ,Sophia,EML or W.E.?
What driver tube? Capacitor,interstage transformer,choke or direct coupled signal path?
Far too many choices in amp design/implementation to stereotype the resulting sound quality.

I am hearing some good comments regarding Asian made/assembled 300b/318 SET amps. Have not considered them before; believed they were built with profit in mind, substandard components and transformers. Should i be thinking different if it is going to be a throw-down amp anyway playing second fiddle to my OTLs? Or, wait for a good used domestic?

Mixing apples and oranges, I am curious about the sound profiles of other non-SET amp configurations, such as McIntosh, PrimaLuna, Integrated amps using EL34,EL84, 6550s, the list is endless. Has anyone had a good experience with any of these they want to share?

I think you are all over the map and don't know what you want. You might as well put solid state amps in the mix and class D as well.

You may not know this but Ralph has built for his own use a 45 SET amp. He has mentioned it before in some threads here. You might want to chat with him about the sonic attributes of SET vs. OTL.

We have a 45 amp that we sell too, in addition to a 300B. I also own Music Reference EM-7 12v SET amps. After significant listening with all three, I have to say my S-30 has easily heard advantages in overall dynamics, as well as, lower end frequency extension, while not giving an inch in the midrange and upper frequencies.

If you are just looking for a different flavor to have on hand you could do a lot worse than the Almarro 318 that a couple people recommended here. especially given your price point.