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Best amps for everything EXCEPT bass

Vandersteen Treo CT speakers. Swarm subwoofer system with two amps. All frequencies are covered and sound outstanding with my Quicksilver V4 tube amps and the Swarm.

So, do I change out the Quicksilver for an Ayre VX5-20? Most of the comments on the Ayre upgrade focus on bass - my set up will benefit from improved bass, but that’s not the focus since the Treo’s aren’t my primary source of bass.

Thoughts, comments and recommendations are welcomed. 
cajunbaseball
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

My recommendation for the best mids and highs was for a Class-A amp solid state, of whatever wattage the OP needs.
Not really for him to purchase the ML-2’s, it’s just a bucket list Class-A amp for me, which will drive ANY speaker to a GIVEN level with ease and magic sound for mids and highs, but definitely not a party amp.

Cheers George
dcbingaman
93 posts
 
I would look at a Pass First Watt F7 or J2.  Purest Class A amps out there.  If you cross your Treo's over to the Swarm at 80 Hz, you really don't need much power - 25 to 50 watts will do pretty well.

The Quicksilvers are already pretty good, but if you want to stick with tubes the BAT and ARC amps work really well with Vandersteen's.  For that matter so do the BAT solid state amps.
audioconnection
1,271 posts
 
How about Try a real Preamp in there.
 It is even more important than the amps.
 I predict you will find its a whole new system.
 Trying random amps without a decent preamp will be chasing your tail.
  JohnnyR
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Advice from JohnnyR is absolutely wise and rational.  Unless it's hyperbole,  cajunbaseball has stated the Quicksilver V4 sounds "outstanding". If this is true, why replace it? I believe that the addition of a top tier preamplifier could result in substantial improvement. Again this is under the assumption that the V4 and speaker pairing is truly outstanding. The Ayre amplifier may certainly sound different but not necessarily better than the current V4. 
Charles 
cajunbaseball's avatar
cajunbaseball OP
15 posts
 
As usual, brother John is correct; I need to upgrade my pre. He is the one who told me to get a pre and not use the DAC as a pre. Adding even the cheap Schiit Freya improved the sound dramatically.

Why change? I use my amps for music, TV and movies. A tube change costs between $600 and $1,000. Why decrease the lifespan of tubes on HT? Sooooo, 

I see three options:  1) keep the Q4s, get a new pre, change tubes annually or so and shut up; 2) get a relatively cheap SS amp and use it for movies and sports only and keep the Q4s for music only; 3) get an Ayre or other SS amp that can serve both purposes and upgrade the pre. 

More comments are welcomed. 
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