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"Warm Sounding" Solid State Amplifiers

As a Canadian I am naturally a huge fan of Bryston products but not long ago I switched things up for a NAD C355BEE integrated amp and instantly realized what I had been missing in terms of warmth, sweetness and overall pleasant sound.

I'm interested in moving up from there into some Class A or A/B amps but I don't know of any other warm sounding Solid State amps other than Pass Labs which are out of my price range at the moment.

Tubes are obviously "where it's at" as they would say but the maintenance factor is somewhat of a deterrent for me. Should I just go for an M series NAD amp or is there another intermediate product between that and Pass Labs??
pontifex
rleff
1,065 posts
 
I always liked B&K,McCormack DNA series and Belles for sounding tube like to me.
If you get a chance give them a listen if you can; what speakers are you driving?
gslone
274 posts
 
Conrad Johnson makes warm sounding solid state amplifiers.
soniqmike
140 posts
 
Hi, also from Canada.

Well, although my recommendation may not be a solid state amp, it is one...almost!

Pathos Logos. It has 100 watts / channel solid state power section with a pair of 6922 tubes in the preamp section.

Call it the beauty and the beast! Wonderfull, sweet sound with no maintenance needed.

I may unfortunately have to sell it soon due to system change and lack of use.
maplegrovemusic's avatar
maplegrovemusic
1,113 posts
 
ZD , What do you like about your Ayre amps ? What speakers are you driving ? What preamp do you use ? What Ayre model do you have ?
phd
1,314 posts
 
I second the recommendation for Conrad Johnson solid state amps leaning towards a warmer sound, not to mention they sound superb especially when paired with a good tube preamp. One reviewer questioned as to why buy a Conrad Johnson tube amp when their solid state sounds every bit as good but with more power.
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