Your favorite SET amp? Wavac EC-300B...

Mapman, A good SET amp is at least as reliable as a push-pull tube amp, and in many cases a SET is about as reliable and trouble-free amp there is. For instance, my SE amps use a 46 output tube and a Western Electric 403b driver tube. Neither tube has any adjustments and each tube should last for many, many years with zero maintenance. The only control is a power switch. How easy and trouble-free is that?

A SET amp is possibly more "variable" due to speaker compatability but I can't think of any other reason why someone would say this. It is certainly not due to "how a particular design distorts."

SET amps vary all across the map in terms of circuit complexity and parts quality and this results in a wide variance in price. This is also true, however, for push-pull tube amps and solid-state amps.

The real reason for choosing a SET amp should be its sound quality, and with the right speaker the sound quality of a single-ended amp can be very special.

Salectric,
What an accurate answer, I agree with your response. It`s funny, people point out the 2nd order harmonics(which vary significantly from one SET to another). A good designed/built SET sounds more realistic and natural with music reproduction then 'any' other type of amplifier I`ve heard in the all my time in high end audio(that`s what won me over to this genre). Maybe I`m just sensitive to the odd order distortion(artificial/canned) of some SS and other non SET amplifiers in comparison(we all have different perceptions of how sound affects us).After 3 years of SET amp ownership I`m still amazed by it`s pure and honest tone and dynamics with acoustic instruments and human voices, spooky good.It comes to what`s most convincing for us individually. SET does it best for me YMMV.
Regards,

"A good designed/built SET sounds more realistic and natural with music reproduction then 'any' other type of amplifier I`ve heard in the all my time in high end audio(that`s what won me over to this genre)."

So what are the good ones that accomplish this rather than vary off in some other direction? How much of an investment is required to avoid a "flavor of the day" type SET?

IS the Wavac a good example? If so what less expensive SETs can compete and why?

I heard Wavac at many, many CES shows and to be honest did not impress at any show. I would take Charles 1 dad suggestion and either try to audition the Wavelength or the Coincident. They may not cost 50,000, but they may just be the best.

Mapman,
Good questions, I`m just a consumer and certainly have`nt heard every competent SET available. I can say that the SET amps mentioned in the above posts are very good. Personally I can speak from experience with the Coincident Frankenstein MK II(retail 6,000.00 USD).It`s truely a superb 300b amplifier and improves further with the best brand output tubes(for example Takatsuki or Sophia Royal Princess). But there are others as well. There are top quality 845 amps(I`m less familliar with these). I`d say 5-12,000 USD retail(obviously less if used prices) would buy a top level SET with high quality transformers, parts and power supply.

I don`t doubt the performance of the Wavac EC 300b at 30K, but I don`t feel the other suggested amps would be embarrassed at all head to head IMO.