Affordable SS amp that has tube characteristics


I have been listening to tubes for a few years now but I do run 2 systems and I want one to be a higher powered SS system. I have a bad habit of turning the stereo on and leaveing it on all day and sometimes leaveing the house and not commeing home for hours and leaving the system on.
I listen to a wide array of music from soft female vocals to hard chargeing Rock and Roll. I do more of the mellow stuff though maybe 80% of the time.
My room is not that big,17X19 and my speakers are a little large for the room,Aerial 10T's. They are not going anywhere I love the way they sound and they are one of the few speakers that I have heard that sound just as good at very low volume as they do at higher volumes.
My current set up is an ARC VT 100 MKIII,ARC LS15 ARC CD3 and I use a Sonos for computer audio and PS Audio DLIII.
I also Have an ARC LS25MKII but I think the LS15 sounds better in this set up.
I have been wanting to use a SS amp here just because the time this system is on and in the summer the heat build up is so bad.
I hear class A mosfets is the way to go to get the tube sound but trying to find something affordable that is large enough to drive the Aerials is where the challenge lies. Yes I would love to have a large Pass Labs amp but they are not in the budget and neither is a Krell amp. I have been thinkng about a Belles amp but most are class AB and then I have to wonder if the Belles Ref 150 would be big enough to drive the Aerials or if I would need sometrhing like the ref 350.
Any have any suggestions on an amp that might fit the bill.
coman61
I had the Aerial 10-t's for approximately 4 years and used them with the Ayre V-1x amp. They don't show up that often but when they do they are in/close to your price range and delivered enjoyable, musical sound across all genres of music.
Rbrowne,

Now you've got my curiosity piqued somewhat as I have Tonian TL-D1s as well.

I love the sound I get from my Burson integrated but am always on the lookout for something purer, more revealing, but still maintain the dynamics, extension and tonal qualities I get from my Burson.

Do you find the Gaincard to be on the polite side of the equation (like a tripath) or is the opamp dynamic and full bodied, like a good tube amp?

All the best,
Nonoise
Mosfets are indeed the way to go in order to achieve that sound stage depth characteristic of tubes. Along with that you get serious speed and extension. My experience is with Perreaux and Acoustat. Both very realistic sounding amps.
Nonoise,

I find the Gaincard to be relatively neutral in sonic character and very revealing of differences in recordings, upstream gear and wire with the TL-D1's. It all depends on what you feed it. With my Audio Note AN-Vx silver interconnects from my DAC it tends to be more analytical, but with simple DIY copper interconnects it is bolder and more robust sounding. Coherence, rhythmic flow and dynamics are very good.

After using an Audio Note tube amp for 16 years I'd say the Gaincard falls just a bit short in the areas of dimensionality and that inner glow that tubes do so well.

There have been many gainclone designs, mostly DIY, but I have yet to hear of one sounding the same as the original Gaincard, which was the goal of the 25i designer. If the Clones Audio 25i can emulate the character and the positive qualities of the Gaincard it would be a true bargain. I'd love to try one out.
Rbrowne,

Thanks for the informative response. Looks like I'll be waiting to "hear" what Srajan says about the 25i. If it's anything like the Gaincard, it'll take a while to get one as the line will be long.

All the best,
Nonoise