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Single Ended Valve amp scratch ...

I would advise the OP to listen to what biglebowski is saying there...

An SET is such a dodgy proposition anyway that it needs all the help it can get in the form of REALLY GOOD transformers and good circuit design if it is to stand any chance of being acceptable... that usually means expensive!
 
thebiglebowski said:
It was British but Gary moved to the US years ago. That BP amp will be IMHO better than anything decware make.

I'm getting fed up with this now, you ask for advice and then say you are not confident in what is given.

I'm giving up on this pointless thread, bye (and hope you enjoy the decware you will inevitably end up buying)
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OK bye - nevertheless thanks for the input you have given - certainly if I'm frustrating you move on - I'm only in search of a UK based 'competent' SE amp at Decware-ish prices - Decware was simply my reference to go on for price / and hopefully performance.
 
kjb said:
If you're near the south of England/ midlands a trip to Deco in Aylesbury will give you some good insights.

I think valves are in some ways the return of flat earth but Peter is a passionate advocate and has a good range of kit in the store including many mentioned above - Audion, PureSound, AudioNote + Croft. He's good on speaker matching, too.

Kevin
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Now that might be useful - I will have a look at their website and see if anything is affordable (if not used) is in the SE category. Croft is excellent and I own Croft - so far this can't be beaten in the context of my system but SE's are something I haven't tried and may (I say may) end up sounding better than my Croft. Nothing else does that I've listened to so I have to up the ante - and my own conclusion is try SE (I want to try SE anyway), see how that fares. I feel I have useful experience having lived with Croft gear - therefore if SE beats Croft then, technically inferior or not, - what it sounds like is what is sounds like!

OK I've got some ideas now - you've all been very useful in helping me determine a possible route.
 
To the OP, buying a valve amp unheard and based on recommendation only is I am afraid a fools errand, especially as it is across the pond so the chances of return because it isn’t liked are slim.

Icon Audio have been mentioned by someone and I can vouch for them having owned three of various sorts. They have a UK showriom and can demonstrate. David Shaw is a good guy to deal with and is very knowledgable. They also sometimes have some ex dem sale models.

Regarding Border Patrol are two Border Patrol 300B Amps on eBay the last time I looked. I’m not sure where the OP is based but I’m very happy to demonstrate mine to him (or to anyone else). I’m just north of Leicester.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
I would advise the OP to listen to what biglebowski is saying there...

An SET is such a dodgy proposition anyway that it needs all the help it can get in the form of REALLY GOOD transformers and good circuit design if it is to stand any chance of being acceptable... that usually means expensive!
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+1
A pair of Custom High quality transformers will cost the best part of a £1000. That’s why high quality SETs are expensive. The BPs mentioned are also very good. But the new price of a BP is in the same sort of ballpark as the TRON
 
The Japanese made Elekit amps sound good.They are kit amplifiers but even if you have to pay somebody to assemble them they are good value.They have a 300B SET model which I have not heard but a friend owns a previous 300B model and it sounds excellent.Not your typical soggy and bloated sounding 300B.
 
Fourlegs said:
To the OP, buying a valve amp unheard and based on recommendation only is I am afraid a fools errand, especially as it is across the pond so the chances of return because it isn’t liked are slim.

Icon Audio have been mentioned by someone and I can vouch for them having owned three of various sorts. They have a UK showriom and can demonstrate. David Shaw is a good guy to deal with and is very knowledgable. They also sometimes have some ex dem sale models.

Regarding Border Patrol are two Border Patrol 300B Amps on eBay the last time I looked. I’m not sure where the OP is based but I’m very happy to demonstrate mine to him (or to anyone else). I’m just north of Leicester.
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You are right - it's a fools errand to buy amps without an audition. Fourlegs - what speakers do you use your BP with? Does 'eight' Watts give you the headroom you desire?
 
beammeup said:
You are right - it's a fools errand to buy amps without an audition. Fourlegs - what speakers do you use your BP with? Does 'eight' Watts give you the headroom you desire?
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I use Spendor SP200 speakers (renamed Classic 200 now) with the BP 300B. The BP has real grunt and head room which was a complete surprise to me. It has a lovely open feel to the sound. I have had valves for the last 40 years ranging from Icon Audio 845 monos to Audio Innovations 2A3 Second Audios but lately had been using Pass Labs ss amps. The BP came up in a house effects auction and I bought it as a project to fettle it and I have been overjoyed with the sound. It came with a nice pair of WE300B valves which was half the attraction.
 
The Spendor SP200s dip to a minimum of 6.2 ohms and are pretty efficient.They must use either 4 ohm woofers wired in series or 16 ohm wired in parallel which is pretty unusual.So are more likely to work well with a SET amp than most speakers.The typical modern speaker is more likely to dip to around 3 ohms and also use drivers with high Qms which are not high output impedance/current drive friendly.
 
beammeup said:
OK bye - nevertheless thanks for the input you have given - certainly if I'm frustrating you move on - I'm only in search of a UK based 'competent' SE amp at Decware-ish prices - Decware was simply my reference to go on for price / and hopefully performance.
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So you expect the forum members to go online to Decware, work out the median pricing of all their kit, add in VAT, customs and shipping and then arrive at the figure one can guess you are willing to spend ?

Why don't you just provide a budget ??

Jeez, never seen such a recalcitrant poster and amazed you have as many replies on here as you do
 
Cato said:
So you expect the forum members to go online to Decware, work out the median pricing of all their kit, add in VAT, customs and shipping and then arrive at the figure one can guess you are willing to spend ?

Why don't you just provide a budget ??

Jeez, never seen such a recalcitrant poster and amazed you have as many replies on here as you do
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Fair enough... no more than £2k ideally. Another possible option 'budget' wise is yet again over the pond in the guise of a 'Coincident Technology Dynamo 34SE'
 
There’s a fully serviced EL84 Audio Note OTO on AOS @ £1750. I have the power amp variant - knockout! Might be above your price range but I always think that if you like any piece of kit and take the ‘long view’, ends up being good value for money imho.
 
marktr said:
There’s a fully serviced EL84 Audio Note OTO on AOS @ £1750. I have the power amp variant - knockout! Might be above your price range but I always think that if you like any piece of kit and take the ‘long view’, ends up being good value for money imho.
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I see it thanks ... now that is a good option! 10 Watts in SE mode too... Better than those SE amps from over the pond don't you think ;)
 
Don’t know where you are beammeup. All I can say is that you are most welcome to have a listen here. I’ve used AN 10w EL84 SE amps with both ‘inefficient’ 87dB speakers and efficient 93dB speakers, both with great results!
 
Y’up, SE Pentode. As long as it sounds good (and hopefully reliable) any amp can be whatever it wants in my book.
 
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marktr said:
Y’up, SE Pentode. As long as it sounds good (and hopefully reliable) any amp can be whatever it wants in my book.
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What generally speaking is the advantage of a Triode over a Pentode when implemented in an SE amp?

Interestingly - how does 10 Watts of SE work with a 87dB pair of speakers (mine are 90dB I believe)? Can you still get room filling volume in a lounge for example?
 
I know screw all about electronics etc, so no idea as to advantage of pentode or triode. ‘How does a 10w AN SE amp work with 87dB speakers’? In my old 4x8m room, it worked for me ok. 93dB is better!

As to ‘holding open a door, decorating a book shelf’. Don’t know how doors of bookshelves are vaguely relevant here but being open minded, I’m more than happy to be educated!
 
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