Retirement integrated amp for a “fiscal conservative”


I’ve taken the plunge and am now enjoying the 2nd week of retirement after 44 years of work, including 42 years with the company I just retired from.  
 

One of the retirement goals I’m really looking forward to is spending much more time enjoying music with my main system!

I’ve pretty much gone digital (but do have a Linn Sondek LP12 to enjoy LPs purchased in the 60’s - 80’s). 

My system consists of a Rose 150B streamer/DAC and a Primaluna CD player for digital playback. I use a Roon Nucleus for Roon/Tidal new music research and listening. Speakers are original Joseph Audio Perspectives. 
 

I enjoy all types of music, but mostly listen to jazz (preferably smooth but am exploring all of the various forms of jazz). 
 

I’m currently using a Primaluna Dialogue HP Premium integrated amp which I’ve enjoyed for many years. Here’s where the “fiscal conservative” part comes in; this amp has 8 power tubes. Even with Primaluna’s great low tube stress design concept, I’m not looking forward to replacing power tubes every couple years with my retirement bonus listening time. Also, I’d like to get additional damping factor bass control than my current amp provides. I love the tube midrange and treble range sound, but would like an upright bass to sound more like a wood instrument (hard to describe in words) and hear more natural note attack and decay
 

I’d like to get ideas/advice from A’gon music enjoyment experts on a replacement integrated that still provides the acoustic sound of tubes, but doesn’t require new tubes every couple years/2,000 hours and is a great match to enjoy jazz on the rest of my system which I plan to keep. I’m open to used or new with a cap of say $8,000. 
 

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and suggestions. 
 

Eric

ezstreams

If you want to buy one time and really find your end game amp give Mike a call at 11 stereo….otherwise it’s all guess work…I too am loving retirement and at our age with time going by so fast we don’t have time for mistakes….no one here can give you the best advice.. he won’t sell you something you don’t need…his customers like me belong to his tribe, he takes a personal interest in our systems and has never sold me anything that didn’t match my system and make it sing..

 

 

Aesthetix Mimas should be on your list. Retired myself in Feb 2024, bought Mimas on June 2024! Very nice sounding Integrated. I added the built in DAC which is also very nice sounding. 

Look no further! Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty. Zero feedback fully balanced is the solid state which sounds the most like tubes. I own full R Series and QX-5 Twenty for dac after selling my dCS Bartok Apex.

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Rolling 7581A in place of the EL34 will fix the bass.

I’d like to get additional damping factor bass control than my current amp provides