Hello, tricky question you presented. After listening to tubes on your Tannoy’s, you might find SS to be a bit edgy and not as smooth and refined. Well, if that the direction you want to go in, SS will be faster and have better dynamics and more control over the music but I definitely do not feel you will stay happy over the long haul with SS when your speakers work well with tube amps. I’ve been in this hobby for 30yrs and and a lot of amps. Tube and SS. I see some good recommendations suggested here by some audiophiles. Put my suggestions also on your list. Threshold older SA series and T series SS. Good luck.
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
I recently sold my Cary S120MKll Amp in 2 days. It was 60wpc triode.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.
I have sampled so far in order of preference:
-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-
-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?
What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.
I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.
I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.
Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.
Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.
I have sampled so far in order of preference:
-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-
-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?
What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.
I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.
I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.
Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.
Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn
Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.
Showing 4 responses by lowtubes
Chorus, I used to like my SS amps a lot but when I moved up to very revealing cables, my SS amps do not sound like music as much as my tube amps which are 300b, EL34 and KT66 based. The Threshold SA line and “T” series are truly wonderful sounding SS amplifiers and awesome in every way. The long history of online comments on these amps speak for themselves. But ultimately, it’s which amp sounds best in your system. BTW, I’m sorta bias in that I’ve experience quite a bit of components that were very expensive and did not live up to a high standard. I like to stick with what has been proven and tested by many many to be top performers. |
Chorus, I gave you 2 excellent choices to go with. Threshold SA series or T series. I happen to not like Solid State as much as tube amps because tubes sound more like music compared to SS. The 2 amps I’m recommending are tube-like sound and extremely good. When I say good, I mean outstanding. Just so you get an idea of where I’m coming from. Your mid level cables should be fine-to-perfect. I like some other amps mentioned but what I like to see in a solid state amp is simplicity and built solid. I know of other amps that sound fantastic too but are built very complex with a ton of internal parts. I feel that the simple, well made SS are my favorites and most reliable. Also, I’m bias that I highly prefer class A amps. If I were you I would not discount older class A amps, 20+ yrs. Some of these are beast and will out live you and me and the next generation. Some just require new power caps and they are good for another 30yrs. The 1st thing I listen for in a SS amp, is it musical and transparent. Next, does it have detail. Is it refined and does the music flow. Resolution, imaging, soundstaging, etc. I go down the line. If it passes all the things that matter to me, then I feel it’s a killer piece and it’s for me. You happen to be fortunate that your speaker do not need a lot of power. Try a Threshold T-100, or T-50. I |
Chorus, there is a Fortè Model 4a on eBay now for $650. Class A amp, 50 watts per channel. https://www.ebay.com/itm/114175241726 Exact design as the Threshold “T” series. A killer amp and kicks ass in sound. Highly musical, highly detailed! It is a high recommendation for your system. If you want to spend more money on another amp, I would bet the Fortè would walk all over whatever amp you put it against upward to $4000 and higher. Lowtubes@gmail.com |