Requesting opinions about 4 specific amplifiers

@jpipes if you are looking for a touch of magic trying a tube pre with a SS amp, class A sounds like it could be the recipe you are looking for.

Pass, Coda, Newer Krell XD all could be a good fit.  The Coda CSiB integrated can be biased to different levels of overall watts while putting out the first watts in class A.  I had the CSiB in my system, really hard to beat.  Krell 300i Integrated was also amazing, Class A first 90 Watts.  Also had a Prima Luna Evo 400 Integrated, that’s all Tubes, was good but preferred the CSiB or Krell.  I ended up with a Tube Pre and SS Class A amp combo and it’s the sweet spot for me but will be a bit more $$ than an integrated.  There are also some great Class D designs out now that have captured some of that tube like magic that are worth a look.

Good Luck! 

@mgw-This is helpful, thank you. Is your Simaudio 700i the V1 or V2 version? 

@audiotroy ​​​​@mm1tt77-Thank you this good info about Coda. I think I am going to separates but the CSiB seems impressive.

@lalitk-Great to learn about Accuphase, thank you. I was unaware they would sound warmer than Luxman. They appear very similar in appearance and in specs. I think a preowned Accuphase may be within my budget. Good to know-thanks.

@yyzsantabarbara-Great intel-thank you! The Coda No. 16 looks like a beast! Beyond my budget, but wow what an amazing looking amp. Happy listening!

The PS Audio M1200s would be killer- they come up periodically ~ @ $3500-4K, or LSA Voyager GaN 350 (dual mono single chassis) ~ $1500

Both have excellent reviews

I owned the CODA CSib integrated amp and the KRELL K-300i integrated. Both are really good as others have stated. However, separates are better. I tried a lot of preamps (including the CODA 07x) with the KRELL Duo 175XD, CODA #8, CODA #16, and Benchmark AHB2 amps.

I found that the best combo for me was the Holo Audio Serene and Benchmark LA4/HPA4 preamps with any of the 4 amps listed above. An added bonus was that they were cheaper than most of the other choices I was considering. My choice was based on the preamp adding very little to the sound since the amps were so good.

Only caveat, I may not use either preamp with the SimAudio 860 V2. Not sure if that would work unless the speakers were a bit warm.

@jpipes mine is the V1. The differences between the 600 and 700 series V1 and V2 seem to be as much about minor changes to components driven by supply as anything else. The major difference between the 700i and 700i V2 seems to be that the transformers are encased in the latter.

Either way, both sound fabulous. 

By the way "I currently have the 700i and did not notice a huge difference between that and the 8-series pre and the 860A when I demoed than back to back." In my original post in case you did not get that from the context.