You can run Mcintosh valve amps in series or parallel. Normally one after the other they can't handle low impedance. Paralleled they can half the impedance, to 2 ohms. They sound like crap, but you can do it and that is what Mcintosh recomends..
Using a 4 ohm tap on a SS will give you the highest output with the least amount of dampening and cone control. The lower the impedance the higher the distortion and much lower if any dampening. IF they are using a passive XO only ONE type offers any dampening at all. 6db first order, BUT I guarantee when the impedance goes HIGH the speakers will go out of phase.
Plate amps and Active XOs DON'T..
As I said 8 ohms offers better cone control and can offer a lower octave without a strain. It's a sub it dosn't need watts it just needs controlled movement. Nothing else to compete with so to speak.. WHY a million watts?
I could do it with 100 watt plate amps with cone control.. BUT 1000 watts will blow stuff up if it's not controlled some how.. Just saying.. :-)