Good Suggestions for Tube Amps under 6k

decooney and russbutton:

Well guys, both the Don Sachs and the Quicksilver amps look like good paths to take.  And neither kill a budget.  You've given me a lot to think about.  I do agree.  I will probably give up the PL, as is, before going down an uncharted rabbit hole of tube rolling.  I do think the PL is a great amp for some setups. And it does knock the socks off of visitors who don't analyze the finer nuances of music (as some of us do). I think I will move to a different amp solution up ahead.  I must say that I lean toward integrated (in whatever brand) for simplicity but assembling some components isn't out of the question.

just send you gear to me for upgrades. The DAC can be set-up to achieve a much higher level as well as the Prima gear. You'll get much improved sound than buying one component.

Happy Listening

It's amazing we got 2 pages of replies without someone recommending either a Lab12, Line Magnetic, or Leben.

The Lab12 Integre4 MK2 is as good as the review says and is my next amp purchase. IMO probably is the best amp purchase below $10K and even beyond. Very musical with no compromise in PRAT. 

Leben CS600 is a stalwart and gives a perhaps a more romantic presentation. The waiting list for this is very long though unless you can get it used. 

OP

If you haven't rolled some different tubes, especially in the Atlantic, you should.  There's so much more waiting for you when changing out the stock supplied tubes.  As for the PrimaLuna, I have no experience in tube rolling with that but almost invariably you have a whole lot of positive change going to some NOS compared to current production stock supplied tubes.

gkr7007

Thanks for the thoughts.  I think the issue is not having a clue what tubes would add a significant improvement. If tubes were, say, $10 each, I could burn through all kinds of configurations and have fun exploring the sound variations.  I did read a blurb by the Lampi designer stating that many tubes sounded great in the Atlantic--a very all-encompassing but noncommitted statement. In forums, others have said they couldn't find any tubes radically better than those chosen to be issued from factory. But I haven't found anything that has expressed replacing "a" with exactly "b" will render a whole new world of music.  In reviews by mag writers, several noted that they changed out the tubes but returned to the originals and found them more balanced. So it doesn't inspire confidence to tube roll. If anything, particularly in the PL case, it makes one want to a/b the entire unit with others... I'll end this by saying it does make a lot of sense as the tube influences the sound so much.