2. amps-preamps
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Tube magic in solid state?

I spent this weekend being absolutely mesmerized by tube magic while listening to a BAT VK-60 on my Quad 989 speakers. Could it be possible that Charles Hansen has achieved the same thing with his zero feedback SS designs, or is this "magic" a soley and inescapably tube thing?

It was impossible to get bored with music this weekend. When I went back to my truly fine Pass Aleph 60 single-ended Class A mono amps, my mind started wandering, not once but several times--until I finally quit listening. These are great amps, but the BAT just changed things, you know what I mean? I don't have any idea how this VK-60 stacks up against other tube amps, but in my system, the gates of heaven opened with tubes on my electrostats. But life would be so much easier if we could find this in a SS amp. Is it possible...?
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xjeffreyfranz
f1a
198 posts
 
Former Postive Feedback reviewer cum tube-amp designer Lynn Olsen reviewed the RE Designs LNPA-150 75wpc monoblocks and compared them favourably to the Audionote Ongaku and Riechert 300Bs, the former costing MEGA dollars. The LNPAs apparently present a similar harmonic spectrum to good tube gear - predominantly benign 2nd order distortion with extremely low levels of higher orders.

Anyone hear take advantage of their 30-day inhome trial?
tlh28
90 posts
 
I like Sugden as well, but the only SS amp I've heard that almost fooled me into thinking I was listening to tubes is the Sonneteer integrated (another British integrated; not very well known in the US but I would highly recommend). I've heard it with Quads and it worked very well with them.

TLH
tomryan
796 posts
 
Gregadd - STOP SHOUTING!
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