Hi All,
FWIW, as an update, I've had my Forte iv's about nine months now and have been enjoying them with a First Watt F7.
I recently retubed my CJ LP66S amp with Gold Lion 6992's and Electro Harmonix 6990's and reinserted it into my system. Big improvement over the old tubes as the tube treble is cleaner and the overall tone is improved.
The tubes have a better "presence" or live sound compared to the F7, which seems almost a bit polite in comparison. Also, for me, the 60wpc adds a body to the Fortes that is ultimately missing with the F7 and its 25wpc.
Of course, what I think sounds better may change in another six months!😊 Probably as much about making a change versus one amp is truly better than the other...!?
Thanks for listening,
Dsper