Tube amp forethought

Ralph darn it. Don't complicate things. I'm trying to get him to buy your amps and you are spending all his money on Sound Lab's speakers.
kg, just in case you are interested the Quad equivalent Sound Lab would be the 545:)

I've said it before but don't mind saying it again: Tubes are more fun. These days I use an original version Schiit Freya into a Dennis Had Inspire "Firebottle HO" (12wpc more or less depending on tubes) with 99db efficient speakers. The detail this rig digs out of recordings, the physical beauty of the tubes themselves (no user biasing with these components, but my previous amp, a great sounding Jolida 502p, had user biasing and I liked doing that), tube rolling (unlike transistor rolling which isn't a thing for most people) to change things a little sometimes...all fun...with a couple hundred watts of (2) REL subs to assist. There are no tube subs (or ARE there?), but RELs do use the tube amp signal so there's that. Having said all this I am planning to get either a Pass XA25 or a much less pricey Schiit Aegir to see if I'm imagining all of this so called "fun." The Aegir got a great review in Stereophile recently so that got my attention.

@wolf_garcia 

Having said all this I am planning to get either a Pass XA25 or a much less pricey Schiit Aegir to see if I'm imagining all of this so called "fun."

I think the XA25 may surprise you. I'm a tube guy myself but wow, the Pass Class A stuff is amazing and digs pretty deep into the sound.  To me it's like tubes on steroids but not overcooked or unbalanced.  Just more of a good thing.

I hope the OP will consider Ralph's (Atma Sphere) amps. They are really wonderful pieces of equipment that in general need only to be biased (very easy) and then just work as they should. (Though if anything does happen, you are only a phone call away from assistance- though in my many cases, it was something I did- But, Ralph seems to always nail down the problem quickly.

Re: Pass amps
To add fat to the fire...
I also use an Ayre MX-R, and have to say they really are a nice compliment to my MA-1's. Smooth, detailed- mmm-Good.

Bob

I recently watched the Guttenberg "audiophilliac" interviews with Nelson Pass and really enjoyed 'em. Pass, Atma Sphere Ralph, the Schiit guys, Dennis Had...all refreshing and hip as...well...you know...