Have you heard the Aria amps by Mike Elliott?

Like PhilD, I got my SA-100s totally rebuilt (Premium Gold) with Silver Audio internal wiring and 15-amp IEC receptacle. They are very close to Aria by the information posted on Alta Vista Audio web site. The sound is very netural and not too tuby. It is very similar to Atma Shpere OTL sound but faster. The tube selection is critical, I have tried VT-231 (Sylvania, Ken-Rad and RCA), 5692 (RCA, Sylvania, Tung-Sol and Raytheon), 6SN7-GTY (Mullard and Brimar), 6SN7-GT, 6SN7-GTA, 6SN7-GTB, 6SN7-WGTA, 6SN7-WGT and 6SN7-W. The only thing I havn't tried is the ECC32/CV181 as fas as I know. You have to experiment to see which tube is the better fit for your personal taste. The only thing I am still trying is to enhence its bass authority. Not they don't provide enough bass, I just want to a little bit more.

The associated equipment is listed below for your reference:

Source - BAT VK-D5 (with Amperex 7308)
Line Stage - Counterpoint SA-11 (with Tung-SOl 6SN7-GTB)
Power Amplifier - Counterpoint NP-100 monoblocks (with RCA smoked envelope VT-231)
Speaker - Theil CS 3.6 / Silverline Auido Sonata MK I
Speaker Cable - Ensemble Megaflux / Silver Audio Symphony 48
Interconnect - Silver Audio Appassionatta
Power Condictioner - Chang LightSpeed 9600 MK II
MUSIC - Classical

As you can see, I havn't decided whcih speaker to use yet.

PhilD,
If you really enjoy Counterpoint SA-5000, you might consider to try the SA-11. Just a suggestion.

Happy Listening!

Otto

Hi Otto,

Thanks for the tip on the SA-11...I've heard they're amazing. I thought about that originally, but they're not easy to find and I thought all of the tubes would be kinda expensive (and a headache). I had Mike do all of his modifications on my SA-5000 line stage, phono stage, and power supply. I really liked the stock SA-5000, but the modified version is better in every way. It's not a cheap upgrade (though there are different levels), but I do feel that the performance increase justified the cost.

As far as the bass on my NP100 is concerned, it's never been an issue with me. I've been very impressed by the amount of deep, controlled bass in my system. It all comes down to personal preference, I guess. The amp works very well with my Merlins (but they're relatively efficient and they don't go below 35-40hz). I've never heard Thiels or Silverline...I have no idea what they're capable of or what they sound like. And man...you have really tried a number of tubes! I'll have to give RCAs a try someday. THe 40s Sylvania 6SN7GTs were the first I tried and I loved them right away. I haven't felt an urge to try anything other than Sylvania, but I'm sure I'll get around to it someday. :-) Enjoy...

Phil

Mike did a pre and power amp for me last summer,basic upgrades,not the premium ones.Mike has got to be one of the best in the business.That being said I have not heard the Aria's,but certainly they would be progressively better than the last design,yes?Good luck and let us know your findings,Bob