selmerdave wrote on 03/09/07 at 22:31:31:No, it just says the Taboo has lower gain than the SE34i. With the right amount of gain both amps will put out the same amount of power, the only difference is that the SE34i gets you there sooner if you want to think of it that way, you need less gain before the amp. Power supply differences could affect the "oomph" factor I suppose, but both should have beefy PS's so I don't think there would be much difference. I would think the sonic difference between the EL34 and EL84 output tubes would be a far more significant factor in considering these two than any difference in output.
Dave
While both designs share a common difference from the earlier SE84C/S by virtue of the choke filtering, the integrated has dual mono power supplies vs the Taboo's common supply. Also significant would be the Taboo's pentode configuration and feedback topology vs the SE34i's triode, and any flavoring of the mix by rolling types or brands of input and power tubes.
Steve or other owners of both could comment on ultimate non-clipping "headroom" vs dynamics, but an initial intuition would be that while the Taboo could well be
nimbler , even sub first watt where neither power supply should be overtaxed, the integrated would attain a greater sense of weight and image density.