Which solid state amp for Von Schweikert VR-4.5?

Compared to good ribbons the Von Schweikerts are brutal. Dumped a pair of 4.5se's in a week. Overly bright and Von Schweikert asked me to dump a ton of money into special cables from him. The Thiel CS5i's(none ribbon tweeter) are massively better and have better bottom end and way better imaging and timing if you have proper amplification. The Clements RT7 reference will also put them to shame!

I respectfully disagree. ;) I love these speakers for their highs and their lows. Different strokes for different folks!

actually tried musical fidelity a308cr, arragon palladiums, and bi amping with 211 tube mono blocks up top. Ran this with a conrad johnson ct6 tube preamp. always found these speakers harsh when driven compared to thiel 3.6's or ribbon speakers. good bass but the highs really suck. for the money they are not worth it!!

Tube540,
Getting back on topic here.
An excellent choice! Honestly, given you list I don't think you would have lost with any of them.
I own a pair of 4.5's as well and power them with Simaudio W5.
I used to own a DNA-1 Deluxe in a different system and it was really a terrific amp - certainly NOT too smooth. You may not even feel the need to do the SMc mods especially given the expense. I sold it in an upgraditis mode (and wanting balanced outputs) but wish I still had that amp.

I am going to try biamping with a tube amp for the highs and keep the W5 for the lows. You may want to consider that for the price of the amp upgrade.
Check out the Von Schweikert Audio forum on AudioCircle where Albert himself makes this very suggestion. No active crossover required!!!

Anybody notice they killed the 'Audiogon fees' thread in miscellaneous audio section?

As a follow up, I ended up with the McCormack DNA-1 amp. Lots of power, finesse, and great soundstage. Am considering having SMC do the upgrade mod. I think this amp, even stock, is a fine match for these speakers.

I am using Bel Canto Class D amps with my VR-4s and a Modwright tubed pre-amp. I like this combination. Bel Canto will let you use them on trial if you want to try them out in your system.

Bryston 4BST, Odyssey Stratos and the Pass.

Personally I think the VR4 and 4.5 shine with tubes, but since you have already expressed a need for SS, that is a moot point. However, if it must be SS then a DNA-1 would be my first choice in your price range. It is not an ultra detailed amp, but it is not euphoric either. It is neutral but with a slight midrange bloom that gives the music richness and life w/o sounding slow and sluggish. But just to educate you a bit on that subject, a good tube amp can do this very thing too.