My friend DJ from Charlotte brought his EL84 - 12AX7 Miniwatt N3 to my house recently and I was blown away with how good it sounded. I can't imagine any amp competing with the N3 even at three times it's price point.

APPJ EL84+12AX7 mini tube amp ( Original miniwatt N3 ) | eBay

It's sad to see folks on audio forums drinking the kool aid hype of high end and shelling out mega bucks for "BLING" amps that can't touch the inner detail and dynamics of this pint sized wonder.

Paired with some easy to build open baffle full range speakers the N3 could easily be the centerpiece in a final destination system - it's that good!