Tekton Double Impacts

@evolvist  After speaking to Eric briefly at Tekton I was left with the impression to not discount the need for power for playing loud. I also have a large 16x20x8 room to fill.

Your review of the Raven Blackhawk and comparison to the Benchmark ABH2 caught my attention. Like the rest of us, I don't want to sacrifice too much quickness and detail in the bass region for tube magic. 

Sorry if this horse has been beaten to death, but would a quality 50-100W ss amp - class A or A/B (Benchmark ABH2, Pass, Coda, ..?) with tube pre provide a better path to bass definition and midrange magic on the DI's? Did you use a tube preamp with the Benchmark for your comparison with the Blackhawk? Raven Audio is at the top of my DI amp short list again. I'm also skeptical that a sub would integrate well should I find the bass not detailed or fast enough with the Blackhawk. My guess is to just buy the Blackhawk. What little is lost in the bass, much is gained in midrange clarity and sparkle?

I need an amp to demo these Gallos and move to the DI's.

@brotw 

Brody, I encourage you to keep an open mind on possibly going solid state....there are many paths to getting to where you want to: tubed, solid state or hybrid. 

Right now I'm listening to Steve Coleman's 'Invisible Paths' on an all solid state system....and the results are absolutely fantastic. Especially wonderful since it's before the household is up (and all is quiet). 

I read your earlier posts and questions. I have heard Line Magnetic products while demoing speakers. I have not heard the LTA, Triode, or Decware products, etc. All are roundly praised. I'd add Melody to your list if you decide to go tubed and integrated.

My advice is not component specific. I'd say to go with the best integrated you can swing per your budget and move to separates when you are able to and have a much better feel for how to best create the synergy you are looking for, from the DIs at the end of your system chain. If you are playing a wider genre of music, the additional power you mention will come handy and deliver.

I'd put the savings (from one less component and PC and IC) towards a really good power cord and an effective platform and footers for your component. I believe what's done on the periphery of a system is as important as the component.

I'll (hopefully) soon have my Odyssey tube pre and SS power amp. I'm sure evolvist and maybe Vitop could review the tube to SS sound for everyone. I admittedly have not been exposed to the high quality level and quantity of amps/speakers etc that they have. I just know what sounds good to me. We did use Nick's power amp for a while when he was here. And it sounded really good. Certainly an upgrade over the Denon. But we were still using my Denon as the Pre feeding it, so I'm sure that hampered the results. I'm looking forward to a high quality pre-power on the front end.

Evolvist: I got the impression that Eric was talking about how the sound waves normally hits in nature was curved and so that is what he was going for. Electrostats by their nature are flat and Eric felt that they could never truly convey sound as we normally hear it in the world around us.

Bullitt: I'm open to anything but my nature is to try to get something where I really like it and leave it alone. I have so many things on my plate that I don't have the time (and honestly don't like) to tinker. Once I have it, there may be more to have, but why go after it if I already really like what I have. Having said that, what I may not have heard may be a quantum leap from what I feel is great so I always keep an open mind. That whole explanation is a prelude to why I have never liked tubes. By my nature, I like maintenance free. I used to be a big car collector. I would restore to the point the car was almost new and super reliable. I could have continued to tweak horsepower every weekend, but then I wouldn't be enjoying the fruits of my labor. Tubes have a finite lifespan. I don't want to have a tube go out in the middle of a movie (yes, I'm still HT centric) or be trying new tubes all the time. I like SS. You buy the right one, put it in and enjoy. I heard Daves Raven amp. I really liked it -- a lot. But I have also heard SS amps that I really like a lot. I really do not think one is inherently better than the other. Only ones that appeal to individuals more than others. If I hear a tube amp that I really think takes things to the next level, I'll rethink it, but then I have 11 channels to deal with and I'm still not clear on how to do a stereo bypass and even less clear on if I want to.