Does anyone have any experience of hybrid valve and solid state power amps?


Hi guys

I ask this question because I recently had a listen to a JE Audio Dyad S400 power amp. I was very impressed by its performance, but, correct me if I'm wrong there don't seem to be many hybrids around, or are there?


What are your thoughts on how they compare to other designs?

bazb

Most hybrid amps have a valve input stage and solid state output. Roger Modjeski instead went with a bipolar input stage and valve driver and outputs stages in his Music Reference RM-200 amp. It’s a great amp (100w/ch, from only a pair of KT88 or 6550 tubes per!), residing in Stereophile’s Class A/Tube category for many years, where it is by a wide margin the lowest priced amp. Unique for a valve output-stage amp, it puts out more power at 4 ohms than at 8 (1, 2, 4, and 8 ohms taps provide. 1 and 2 ohms in a tube amp?!)) and has an unusually low output impedance for a valve amp, resulting in a more even frequency response than typical.

A well-kept secret (it’s not expensive or fashionable enough?), Music Reference having few dealers, doing no advertising, and infrequently reviewed (just like Eminent Technology products, designed by the great designer/engineer Bruce Thigpen). Modjeski (and Thigpen) has no interest in playing the frequent model-revision (one change to the amp in twenty years, now in Mk.2 guise), endless-update marketing game. His amps are keepers, rarely coming up for sale used. Buy one and concentrate on your music.

"A well-kept secret (it’s not expensive or fashionable enough?),"

Perhaps a well-kept secret but at $8,000 it's certainly not considered inexpensive. And there are a ton of other options out there at that price point. 
Vincent makes various hybrid amps and I assume they all work, and I've listened extensively to my friend's SV236 integrated and it's very clean and musical.
Van Alstine (AVA) has three hybrid amps in their line up.  The Fet Valve 600 R (300 wpc), 400 R (200 wpc), and the DVA 850 monoblocs (850 wpc).  I have no personal experience but have read multiple rave reviews.

Based on all these responses there are more hybrids offered than might be imagined.