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Silicon Under 60, Slim Pickings?

I bought a tube amplifier because lower wattage SS amps are hard pickings. I'm driving FAL Flat Supreme S Speakers. 95db, 8W min tubes, 50W SS, max 60W

As daily driver a custom 8W Triode Lab EL84 amplifier, the sole valve amp I've liked(more assertive than the mean) ; however I'm thinking of returning to the silicon camp. My speakers are craving power and me a more tactile sound. I'm not a fan of the romanticism of tubes nor sand hardware voiced the same for that matter. Timbre top priority, sound-staging last.

The recent developments in Class-D have caught my attention but I feel left out; were I to mate a pair of 400W monos with my speakers there would be fireworks, no? What options do I have without exceeding 60w? My system is in a state of upheavel so I'm looking at anything between power amps to fully integrated DAC/Integrated. Perhaps a full Exogal Comet/Ion system but I'm concerned about the wattage again. That should give an idea of my absolute max budget wise. 3.5-4K Less is more.
redfuneral
11 responses Add your response
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"What options do I have without exceeding 60w?"

A volume control. It really doesn't matter how powerful the amp is.
jrinkerptdnet
430 posts
 
the First Watt amps are pretty plentiful and all are low power SS designs

the 47 Labs GainCard (and the clones) are much less plentiful than in years past but another good option

Also the AudioSector amps (again hard to find used)

Some of my favorite vintage SS:

Rowland Model 1
Levinson 29
Krell KSA50s
Plinius SA50 mkIV

Also there is a AirTight (Acoustic Masterpiece) M-101 TUBE amp of 8W on AudiogoN now that IMHO is NOT a classically "tube sounding" amp (I own one but am not the seller of this one)
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,783 posts
 
Pass Labs - INT-30A.

Thirty watts/ch of class A silicon.

P.S. My first receiver (Kenwood, circa 1969) had 25 watts/ch and I think it was damn musical!
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
My favorite low powered SS amp is the Cairn 4808A; 30 watts with the first ten in class A. These amps are older and hard to find and mine died just a few weeks ago :(

If I can't get it repaired, and it's not looking likely, I'd like to try one of the Pass Labs amps.
redfuneral OP
36 posts
 
Thanks for the recs so far, I'll dig in and do some reading.

I do have some vintage receivers on hand already; Sherwoods from 69' and 71' respectively. I'm not looking for something that needs restoration, I think I'll stay within the 21st century for this one.

I've grown up in the digital era; I'm used to newer tech making previous gen obsolete. How does the last gen of low power SS(gaincards mainly) compare to the newer stuff? I guess I just have a hangup on buying Pentium era tech.
jrinkerptdnet
430 posts
 
well it seems people that HAVE the Gaincard or clones are currently hanging onto them so probably a good sign! Also when they do pop up they sell fast and for relatively high (over 50% of retail) prices

class D amps seem to change the tech pretty quickly and do not hold value as well ... this could be more about perception then actual sound quality though as some INSIST on having the latest and "greatest"
tgrisham
1,291 posts
 
I know that most will scoff at this suggestion. The Tripath amplifiers are very transparent. I have a TP-60 from Topping driving Dynaudios in a small loft. Heavy toroidal iron, nice binding posts, Alps volume pot if you need it. Plenty of power for your speakers. Built in overload and high temp protection. I don't think they have a sound of their own but do remind me of tube amps. They are never too accentuated on top as some transistor amps can be. Solid throughout the entire frequencies. Money back if you don't like it. Now, it doesn't have the cachet of the big boys mentioned.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
I owned a the Bel Canto eVo integrated tri-path amp years ago and liked it quite a bit. I sold it to move to the newer class d amp with the ICE modules. None of them had what I hear as "tube" sound. And the newer ICE amps are even further from my idea of tube sound.
If you want clean sound to the point of sterility, get one of the newer versions by either Bel Canto or Wyred 4 Sound. I owned Wyred's new mAMP for a while. The sound was just not meaty enough for my taste so I sold it. The amp presented everything in proper order, but came across as soulless.
redfuneral OP
36 posts
 
I have a tendency to fall into the 'latest and greatest' trap, I suppose that's part of what I'm struggling with here. Could I have some more opinions on exceeding my speaker's max power rating? I'd like to play it cautious with my speakers so if its risky I'll just stick to sub 60W. I could try one of the Audio Zone amplifiers; they were well received a decade ago. My concerns of sterility are simply limited to avoiding a 'thin' sound. My tube amp is far from sterile but cannot keep up with heavier genres of music resulting it sounding warm & thin.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
You're not going hurt your speakers with a more powerful amp. If your speakers are under strain from too much power/volume, its very easy to hear, and all you need to do is lower the volume. Its much easier to do damage if you under power them. Not only that, no 2 companies measure power the same way. One brands 50 watts may be another
's 100 watts, or even 20 watts. It all depends on how they measure.

An integrated amp you may want to consider is an Ayre CX-7. It's sound is difficult to describe because it doesn't really sound like anything else, tube or SS. If you find one to demo, I think it would be well worth your time.

Other posters recommended Pass. That's also a good choice. The only thing I would add, is to not overlook the Aleph series. Even though they're older, they still sound great. A 3, 5, or a 0s would be a good match.

A BAT 300ix and a VAC Avatar would be worth looking at, as well.
jperry
2,448 posts
 
You should consider a Sugden. A great sounding integrated amp in the power range you want. They also make power amps
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