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

"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.

THe Shindo Cortese was my first foray in SET land and like Charles1dad the SET sound fits my listening preference. I'd like to eventually upgrade to a higher efficiency speaker to really let them shine but even with my 90db efficient DeVore Nines in a not so great room environment i can get sucked in for hours, more than i can say for any other tube or SS gear I've used in my setup.

"I can get sucked in for hours"
Jcote,This won`t change over time and if anything your appreciation will actually grow deeper. It will be difficult to return to other types of amplifiers once you`ve found the right SET system(as you apparently have).They seem to get to the pure and innate beauty and emotion of music like nothing I`ve experience yet.I have a 100 watt push-pull amplifier that`s really very good(even excellent) but just pales in comparison with my SET amp. It just can`t pull off the same degree of realism and sheer presence factor.

Your hunch to obtain a higher efficiency speaker is correct,things will improve further and bring out the best in your Shindo SET amplifier. The higher the ohm load the more these amps like it(not just increasrd sensitivity).
You are right, long listening sessions become the norm.
Regards,