Tube amp to drive MBL 101's

There's only one tube amp on the planet that can drive the mbl 101's. CAT JL3's. Yes the JL1's can drive them too but I'm talking about current production amps. What everybody here is missing is the linear power delivery and current capability. No matter how many "watts" an amplifier has if its transfer function is non linear by nature the amplifier will crap out after the first few watts whether or not there are 500 more watts on hand. The CAT amplifier delivers clean, linear power that makes it effectively more powerful than amplifiers rated at five times its power. As far as current delivery is concerned, the other amps mentioned here including the giant Tube Research Labs amps fall far short of the mark set by CAT. So technically the CAT is the superior amplifier and what do you know, when you listen to it the damn thing sounds better than either the VTL or Tube Research or any other tube stuff that I ever heard that sounds veiled and bloated compared to the CAT.

That's kind of a bold statement, any specs. or way to back your statements? I am not a "fan" of VTL amps like Mejames is, but I do appreciate what they are capable of. The same goes for Tube Research labs and CAT(I had a very long listening session with a prototype JL-2 a few years ago and left VERY impressed). I am not trying to stir the pot but I find it VERY hard to believe that the Tube research labs and VTL's would be inferior to the CAT's- perhaps a different flavor but at this some what insane price range its all about synergy and personal preference.

"but at this some what insane price range its all about synergy and personal preference."

I couldn't disagree with this statement any more strongly. Price level has nothing to do with the issue which is, quite simply, the ability of a tube amplifier to drive a highly insensitive (read current and voltage hungry) load.
That's the issue. Synergy has nothing to do with it.

You can try and try and try to synergize the wrong amplifier to a speaker by changing flavors of cables and flavors of sources and flavors of tubes but synergists are doomed to play synergy games which are all about flavors and taste and nothing to do with the accurate replication of the input signal. If the amplifiers don't have the appropriate linear power (read current and voltage) delivery capability, all the synergy and personal preference in the world ain't gonna make the system sound good. If you start with an amplifier that can drive the load, and easily drive it, you won't be left with playing a synergy game you can't win.

Hey I like VTL amps too. I kind of like Tube Research amps too though I don't believe they offer a terrific performance/value ratio. But just try a VTL amp, any VTL amp, on the mbl speakers and you'll hear that what I'm saying isn't bold, it's accurate. The CAT, on the other hand, drives this speaker with ease and that is what the original poster asked about.

Do you personally have experience with the 101's and all of these amps or are you just assuming? I do not have experience with mating any of those amps to those speakers and I don't know anyone who has used tube amps with 101's(c, d or e's) I acknowledge that all amps mentioned are highly regarded and I have heard them in various systems over the years and have been impressed in one way or another by something they have done. I find it VERY hard to believe that the huge VTL's would fall short on an 83dB current hungry speaker- I have an 84dB current hungry speaker and if I was in the market for a tube amp they would be at the top of my list.

I agree that an amplifier of the proper power is needed to mate well with the speakers, however, saying synergy doesn't matter is plain foolish. I don't think ANYONE can do more then surmise as to the outcome of this situation. Unless of course you do have 101's and have heard them mated with all 3 amps listed. If you have then I stand corrected, but its really hard to grasp that an amp capable of delivering 1250 watts can't handle a 83db speaker even if its only delivering 10 amps of current- that being said I've been wrong in the past.

If you are interested in talking with comeone who has heard the MBLs paired with the CAT amps, call Ken Stevens. Based on my conversation with him earlier this week, I gather that he has heard this combination extensively. I would caution you against bringing up the topic of synergy, however, as the mere word is likely to set him off. (He does not believe in "synergy" per se.)