There are artisan American SET amplifiers that are very affordable as well. Having spent, like you, much of my life listening to megabuck solid state and tube amplifiers that cater to the whims of mass market audio rags like Stereophile and TAS, I’m now in my early 60s blissfully exploring the “underworld“ of American SET amplifiers. My favorite is the Oliver Sayes 421a amplifier, based on the Western Electric 421a tube that powers both channels with a single tube at around 3 watts. Half the power of a 300B, but you only need one for both channels. Thankfully, NOS WE 421a tubes are still relatively affordable. To my ears, it’s much superior to the much vaunted WE 300B, of which I own the Cary 300B SET that runs on one WE 300B tube per channel. On my Klipsch La Scala horns, my first foray into horn loudspeakers after 35 years of owning just about every other type of loudspeaker technology, I find the 421a far superior. I got mine used on AudioMart for around $1500, I think.
So, there are fabulous bargains in the American SET underworld, if you are willing to ignore the mass market audio rags that live by advertising. Look at the many wonderful amplifiers reviewed in glow-in-the-dark-audio website. Most will never ever be reviewed by the mass market rags. Yet here is where you’ll find true American greatness, most made by audio artisans in their homes or garages.
Here‘s my Oliver Sayes 421a SET. A true classic.
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