Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there


I recently sold my Cary S120MKll Amp in 2 days. It was 60wpc triode.
Filling in with Pass Lab, baby DIY Class A Mono blocks. Maxing at 7 wpc.
My speakers are rated 94 Sensitivity older FSMs by Tannoy.

I have sampled so far in order of preference:

-Pass Labs XA25 -Disneyland color the way I like it. $4,900 new
-Leben 300 Int. 12 wpc. EL 84s by Golden Lion-Like an Upscale call girl. Seductive. $4,000 new-Not in the running-

-Lejonklou Boazu Int.-40wpc S.S. Class a/b-Totally Pure. Almost hurts to hear a guitar slide. $4,000 new
-Sugden Masterclass IA 4 Class A to 33wpc. Very smooth but surprisingly not a great match with my Tannoys. $6,000?

What else would you think might be worth a listen?
I want to go Solid State this time. I enjoy the Class A resolution.
Yes the Leben is an outlier someone offered and I said "Sure"! Done with hum otherwise.


I listen from a low of 60 db to high of 75 db.
Room is irregular and medium sized in terms of cubic
feet. Treated as needed.

I want an amp that is satisfying enough to keep for the long run.
Someday I may add the others for a different sound or with less efficient planars, etc.

Price range $5k max.
Used preferred.
Willing to wait.

Brands I am have not heard but read positive comments about:
Ayre, Naim, Linn

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.
Please do not feel compelled to respond if you
have not been here in the last few years.





chorus
I would try First Watt SIT-3.  I think you might really enjoy it.  Almost tube like in sound and simply beautiful.  Reno HiFi allows in home demos.  
@chorus,
What did you not like about the 120S you sold? Can you describe what was missing for you? Much has to do with speakers too, of course.

I have to ask, and know a few who bounced back and forth between that 120 amp and SS and back to tube later, not having bought the right SS amp. You’ve already demo’d the Pass XA-25, and with "94db" sensitivity speakers, that should be a really good benchmark reference, pending a good preamp and good speaker matching.
@chorus, I recommend trying to get a listen to the Bakoon 13R class A SS amplifier. It works extremely well with Cube Audio Nenuphar’s. Suggest reading Srajan’s review on Six Moons. It’s extremely compact, a work of art. It has its own volume control and two sets of rca inputs. It also has a BNC input reserved for use with a Bakoon dac. If you were in the U.K. we could lend you one to try.
That speaker is very tube friendly. We have a good number of Tannoy customers using our M-60s (60 watts class A) with them.