Upgrade Time Again.... please help


OK it’s upgrade time once again. Sometime this year I will be upgrading my amps so the hunt begins. I have compiled a “short” list of amps and would like constructive feedback on what else I should consider or not consider. First my system: Front End CAL Delta (next upgrade after amps), dCS Purcell/Delius combo and two Golden Tube monoblocks (re-tubed with 6L6GC and NOS driver tubes) and B&W Nautilus 802 Speakers. I listen to mostly to Jazz, a little Rock and some Classical music. What I like about the Golden Tubes – great midrange, deep and wide soundstage with instruments precisely placed. What I don’t like – flabby bass and highs are not as airy and delicate as I would like. What I am looking for in the amp – great midrange (not syrupy or overly warm, but not dry either), extended deep very well controlled bass, and delicate extended highs that are not in the least bit bright or harsh. The amp needs to throw a wide and deep soundstage without giving up accuracy in instrument placement (no fuzz around the instruments). JA had this to say about the impedance of the Nautilus 801 in Stereophile - “(The impedance for the 801) drops to 3 ohms through the midrange and to 4 ohms in the high treble. In addition, a punishingly high capacitive phase angle in the midbass, coupled with a low magnitude, will demand a good, current-worthy amplifier.” My absolute max budget is 10K and I prefer to buy used but if need be I will by new. Here’s the list: Bryston 7BST Monoblocks, Plinius SA-250 Mk IV, (2) Plinius SA-100 Mk III, Jeff Rowland 8TIHC, Jeff Rowland 10TI, Jeff Rowland Model 12, Ayre V-1x, Mark Levinson 336, 335, 334, Lamm 2.1 Monoblocks, Lamm 1.1 Monoblocks, AR VT-200, (2) AR VT-100, and Wolcott Presence 220 Mono Blocks. I am looking for informed feedback from owners of these amps or people with a similar system. If I had to make a choice today I think I would go with Levinson, Lamm, or Rowland. Cheers – Dan.
dan2112
The Accuphase A50v lists for $15K and the Boulder 1060 lists for $18K acourding to the Audioreview Web page which is ussually close on the more recent stuff. Cheers - Dan.
I cannot see how you are going to be happy with solid state after having had tubes Dan - once the thrill of the bass is over. Wolcott sounds ideal and a good match for your speakers. I have heard a good number of the solid state power amps you have listed and could not get past the mechanical nature of the midrange. Sure some are warm and even syrupy, but it sounds like artificial sweetener to me.
Redkiwi, I agree with your views on nearly all your posts, but not this one. It's tubes that impart an "unnatural" sound. That's why they sound "tubey." Solid state amps are much more apt to give you a neutral signature, which you call "mechanical." That's why some folks, you included, don't like SS. They prefer the "sweet distortion" that valves provide. I don't mean to start a quarrel here. To each his own. After lots of reading and little participation, however, I have to believe that the tubes virsus SS debate is a lot like choosing between Roman Catholicsm and the Anglican Church. Perhaps we will need to call in Henry VIII again to settle the score.
I don't want to start a quarrel here either, but my vote goes with Redkiwi. Obviously I am a tube guy and I think that rather than having Henry Vlll settle the score, (besides, he chops off women's heads) it would be better for each Audiogon member to listen to both types of amps on their own speakers and decide for themselves. If you really believe that tubes are distorted, then you probably have not heard a system that had everything working right. Tubes were around for decades before transistors arrived, and although both types of equipment have evolved greatly, tubes continue hold a major position in the high end audio market. The reason is not because they are inexpensive or low maintenance, its the music.
Neutral, Mechanical, Sweet distortion, and tubey are not the sounds of music. I do not know what tube amps Rosebud has listened to but the "unnatural" sound he mentions is what I hear in SS. Why do so many think that tube amps can't reproduce base as well as SS. Just like SS amps, tubes can be warm and rich or lean and mean. I always hear a less livley sound with SS. A soundfield with flat images and a dullness that seem to always creep in after a short time of listening. Tubes give me the life and energy along with a much better 3D effect than the best SS. I agree with Red kiwi, once you listen to a good tube amp, I do not see how you could go back to the colorations of ss.