MA9000 VS MA8900

@beyondarkness thanks for the detailed response. I also did notice, during the audition that the MA8900 did not quite have the slam I am used to, but on all other counts it was quite good.
But then, with the Key Reference 1s, in my small room,  bass is not something I am worried about. I had to move my speakers around quite a bit to tame it down.

@stereo5 thanks for the comment, both the MA8900 & MA9000 come with output transformers.

Just for fun, I compared the MA8900 and the Prima Luna DiaLogue One (running EL-34's) just now.

I've had the Prima Luna for almost 8 years by now (bullet-proof), so I am very familiar with its sound, but had not listened to it in about 2 weeks (since I've had the Mc in its place).

One is a 200 wpc solid state behemoth with the well regarded Mc autoformers, and a ton of functionality and flexibility.  

The other a 36 wpc tube integrated running in push-pull. 

In other words: both could not be more different... on paper. 

But in practice, it's a different story.

Long story short: it is *not* night an day between the two. The Mc is definitely on the warmer side of solid state, and the Prima Luna packs a true punch. In fact, during some passages the Prima Luna sounded more purposeful and with more impact, even slightly more extended on the top, although brighter and not as smooth as the Mc, which sounds a little more relaxed.  

The Mc is perfect if you care about music first. It will allow you to actually *listen* for hours and hours without worrying about any of our daily audiophile nonsense (hey, I am also guilty as charged!). I find this truly refreshing and a decisive factor. The rest are flashy gimmicks that win you over at first, and tire your ears pretty fast afterwards. 

The Prima Luna is truly an amazing product, and offers genuine value. But the Mc is more refined. Still, it is not a big difference by any means. 

I know nobody asked me to compare these two units, but hopefully the above helps you to get a better idea of what to expect from the MA8900. It truly does not have any of the weaknesses one normally associates with solid state. 

I have a MA-7000 driving a pair of GET Triton Ones with a VPI Prime and I LOVE LOVE the Mac! I sold audio back in the 80's and 90's and was always taught how to sell against Mac but after my Classes audio CAP-150 was put to bed I tried a few different amps settling with the MA-7000 plenty of slam plenty of amazing mico dynamics and still smooth and enjoyable for long listening sessions. The build quality is amazing and Mac will ALWAYS hold it's value. Huge fan I love the amps and you will as well just make sure it has the autoformers as it seems to really  help with detail and warmth .. used to say I disliked Mac now I am completely sold on the look the sound and the build quality 

A couple of potential options if you don't mind hearing of something outside of McIntosh. You're mentioning initially about some fantastic integrated amps including the T+A 3100HV. I used to the have the T+A integrated just below it in my system, the PA 2500 R. A great piece for sure. How close is it to the 3100HV, I'm not sure as I never got a chance to play with that one, but the PA 2500 R is highly regarded. However, I'm now using the Bel Canto Black EX integrated, and to me it is in another league versus the T+A PA 2500 R. The Bel Canto Black EX sounds very close to the much more expensive Bel Canto ACI 600. Now, while the Bel Canto Black EX is more money than the T+A PA 2500 R, it is considerably less than the 3100HV and also comes with a world-class DAC including full MQA decoding which works great with TIDAL streaming. I had used the T+A PA 2500 R with the T+A DAC 8 DSD with a reference calibre XLR cable between and the Bel Canto Black EX integrated, in my opinion, exceeds this combo by quite a bit. Customers that have heard both setups have also agreed and are quite astounded by the quality of the Bel Canto. The Bel Canto Black series is in an entirely different league than what you may have heard from Bel Canto in the past. It is $14,990 USD ($19,500 CAD...we're in Canada). I don't know where you're located, but hopefully you have a Bel Canto dealer nearby and can get a chance to hear one.

If Bel Canto Black is too much money, consider also that Hegel does shows with KEF speakers (often Blade). The H360 integrated amp is well within your budget and comes with a great quality built-in DAC as well. Also, depending on timing, their monster H590 integrated is coming out later this year.

Before I went with separates I had a McIntosh MA8000, the older 9000, and it was pretty great. I had an opportunity to in home demo a Hegel H360 with my own equipment and after two weeks sold my MA8000 and went with the Hegel. It might be worth the wait for the Hegel H590 or you could possibly look at one of their smaller integrateds. I know sound taste is subjective, so your mileage may vary, but I’m pretty sold on Hegel. I’ve since swapped out to Hegel separates