"Warm Sounding" Solid State Amplifiers

Pontifex,I like your speakers,from what I remember going up to the Golds you will have more detail and treble will be extended,so an amp with a bit of warmth may be just what the doctor ordered . At your budget,you have some great choices,that should keep you happy for a long time.As I said ,i am still kicking myself for selling my Conrad Johnson SS amp,it did the 3-D ,depth,room filling soundstage,and warmth like no other amp i have had.It is like you can reach out and touch the notes as they float in the air around you.Only time I've had that silly happy grin. I may get one of the newer SS amps they came out with,when budget allows.Whatever you decide ,I hope it makes listening a joy.

A lot of musical instruments produce music in the 100-300 hz range or so typically identified as the general range for "warmth" so it is not a surprise to hear that in live music or in a good hifi reproduction. The devil is all in the details. Some music may have little or no warmth at all and that is perfectly natural.

LSR&D is the company logo comprising the initials of 4 partners headed up by the late Dr. Marshall Leach at Georgia Tech University in the 80's. Bickering and in-fighting led to the company's early demise so few examples exist. Dr. Leach did offer the amp in kit form and there is a substantial following on DIY Audio. Lots of info on the net, re: The Leach Amp/ The Leach Superamp/ LSR&D.

Tubes are less distorted when you listen to them. That's my consensus.

Pontifex,
I'm pretty stupid so I don't understand what you mean by "warmth, sweetness and overall pleasant sound."??
I've tracked this thread over the several days it's been active & I see a lot of chatter & recommendations. it's great to see that so many members want to help but you'll always get a recommendation of a particular amp from a person who has that amp - it's inevitable. The problem is that you don't know this person (despite the fact that he is really trying to help for which I can see you are rightly appreciative) & you don't know his music tastes & you don't have his ears & neither do you have his music listening room. So, there are too many variables for you to blindly accept the recommendation.

It would be great for us to know what you mean by "warmth, sweetness and overall pleasant sound." as it will help all of us provide better direction.

From his vast experience, Ralph @ Atmasphere, as usual, has given you some wise words to reflect on. As Ralph has already pointed out - "warm" & "bright" are 2 different forms of distortion; one preferred & the other not. But make no mistake, they are forms of distortion. I don't think you want to spend money on an amp that distorts - long-term this is the wrong way to go about your goal.
I dont agree fully with Ralph that *all* SS amps are high on distortion - there are many that are not but it is true that these few amps are not cheap. There are some less expensive SS amps that are very linear sounding but, yes, they're few & far between. In terms of linearity, tubes does win more often than not since our human ears prefer even order harmonics over odd order harmonics. So, it's not a totally losing game indulging in SS amps. Of course, my opinion & my experience.

You've already provided a list of your equipment & also your budget. Do let us know what you mean by "warmth, sweetness and overall pleasant sound." as it means different things to different people. Thanks.