It all comes down to taste, taste, and errr taste. Different tubes have different strengths and weaknesses. Ditto for topologies. THERE IS NO BEST! Except that which excites each of us, and of course someone else will have their "best."

Painting with broad strokes here. SE and PP each have different characteristics. SE will give you a midrange, vocals, that are to die for. Getting the frequency extremes right requires more attention to detail. 2nd harmonics dominate and this is very pleasing to the ear.

With PP the 3rd harmonic dominates, and the human ear tends to not like it, so care must be taken to minimize distortion. It is easier to control the sound at frequency extremes, especially the bottom end.

But let me say that each can be very satisfying to the builder if done right, and both can be disappointing if done improperly.

Then there is the character of the tubes to consider. Triodes will sound different from pentodes and beam power tubes. Directly heated and indirectly heated will infulence this difference further. Pick your poison.

So a good place to start is with your current system. Do you have a set of speakers, or another component that you will not part with for any reason? Design your system around that. Its about sysergy. The same piece of equipement will sound sublety, but noticably differnt in different systems and rooms. If you are starting from scratch, then you are free to go which ever direction you fancy. If you have say a quality set of speakers that are low in efficiency, the a low and mid power amp ain't going to cut it. If they are higher in efficiency, mid 90's and higher, a lower wattage amp can be very satisfying.

So, my advice (opinion really), is to ask questions. Visit various web sites and see what people there have done. Participate in group discussions like we have going here. Look at where you're at and where you think you might like to go, and take the plunge. Mistakes will happen. that's part of the frustrationm and fun. But you'll never know for sure until you make a choice.

Joe