I would second the recommendation of your friend regarding the Alephs being SS amps that are closest to tubes. They are "single ended transistor" designs. But to sound their best, your speakers need a nominal (not just recommended) impedance of better than 4 Ohms. And for HT, you would likely need close to 100W for a large to medium room. I’ve been using the Aleph 2 monos since the mid 90s. Used them for 2.1 audio and for HT and other setups. No harshness and there is a sweet midrange. They do get hot. But so do tubes.