"Warm Sounding" Solid State Amplifiers

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.

04-22-15: Geoffkait
Tubes are less distorted when you listen to them. That's my consensus.

I disagree Geoffkait. Tubes have more pleasing distortion than SS. Both SS & tube s can be made linear.
And a "consensus" is a collective opinion. So, are you saying that 3 of you & yourself & your alter-ego collectively endorse tubes?? ;-) ;-)

bad news: its all distorted.

Starts in the recording process and only gets worse from there.

Its a wonder any of us can enjoy any music at all. Go figure!