"warm" solid state integrated amplifier

i purposefully did not include the luxman on my short list of top notch warm sounding integrateds, as in my recent experience (a borrowed 590x class a/b unit, for about 6 weeks) the sound was very nice, quite sophisticated, extended but not to my ears 'warm'... so my word of caution on luxman is that their different integrated models can have notably different sound signatures, as some are lower powered models running class a only (e.g., 550, 590ax) - which likely have a warmer tone - vs the one i experienced which did not...

mcintosh

luxman class A

sugden

parasound hint

rogue audio pharaoh

I own the Circle Labs A200 and find the tonality you desire resides in spades in this unit. It’s has so much to offer beyond proper tonal warmth. Realism and inner detail nuance is quite special. Worth a listen and a special unit. It does have a tube preamp section. However, the tubes are low cost and last 10,000 hours. Only two small signal tubes. 

Agree with jjss49, Luxman is not warm, especially class AB.  Quite neutral, smooth, a bit sweet, but not warm.  I would say McIntosh (w/autoformers), Pass, maybe Hegel H390/590 and Accuphase.  Haven't heard Ayre and new Krell, but those are often described as on the warm side.

Boulder 866 is a stunner but way over budget unless a used analog version can be found at a great price.

jjss49

3,802 posts

11-16-2021 1:05am

my recent experience (a borrowed 590x class a/b unit, for about 6 weeks)

I presume it's not 590X but 509X? FWIW although the 590AXII Class A has a slightly warm tone, it doesn't sound overly warm. From what I read, the Pass Labs  INT25, 60 or 260 has a fuller and warmer midrange but the clarity and detail are lacking in comparison to the Luxman.