Tubelike SS Power amp

I highly recommend the B&K ST-202 amplifier. Sound is warm, very tube like and the power is 140wpc (DIN) into 8 ohms both channels.

I was lucky enough to pick up one of the old black with gold anodized handles versions from the early 1980s. The thing is a beast with the big external heatsinks in the back and it sounds very detailed and musical. Best part? You can find one used for around $400.

Read the reviews:
http://www.epinions.com/content_261998349956
http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/b-and-k-components/amplifiers/st-202/PRD_124825_1583crx.aspx

"The sound of the music when initially played to make a recording, is not the sound that you hear when played back"

It's probably not the sound those present for the recording hear either. For all that we know, the microphone might be a much more efficient transducer than our ears. Our eyes look at a symphony orchestra, and then a speaker, and our brain quite sensibly tells us that there's no way that those small circles in a box can reproduce the sonics coming from on stage. Well, maybe the box doesn't have to; what makes us think that, even at a live performance, we're hearing the sound that's emanating from those performers? And don't talk about measurements; measurements are designed to be relevant to our hearing capacity. If we're flawed, our measurements will be likewise. I guess what I'm saying in a nutshell, is that if current music reproduction technology is twenty percent efficient while our hearing is ten percent efficient, then real music reproduction might be possible.

TAD 125 monos. Read the reviews...

There is no such animal. Buy a tube amp and enjoy.

I think the more SS amps try to sound like tube amps the less they do. Yes, designers can get a soft sound but then it's neither fish nor fowl. There are a handful of classic amps that can close, but they are far and few. 1st rule is you have to have true class A to approach tubes- no exceptions.

My best finds are (all on my top five all time amp list): Threshold SA-1s (rare and expensive $3500 to 5000), Luxman M-05 (rare $1100 to 2500) and Krell KMA 160s (pricy as well $2800 to $3800).

Peter