Affordable SS that sound like Tubes

Some Marantz, some Sansui, some Luxman, and some others with the right synergy coupling may not be too far from tubes fluidity and holographic details... + many more other advantages over tubes amplification...

if what i wrote is false , except for my own personal ezxperience, why are they became mythical loved vintage ?

Because they sound as S.S. not well designed ?

Or the opposite ?

😊

To beat them it takes contemporary top design as the atma sphere class D amplification for example... I dont doubt thay they will better my Sansui alpha...But the last top acclaimed tube amplification for headphone i just bought and returned after one hour did not... 😁

I say that for people with no big budget who dream about audiophile experience... The others will probably mock my claim pretending that the Alpha is obsolete... But for some wallet there exist a ratio S.Q./price ... I am not envious of any system and mine all pieces together  cost me 700 bucks...It did not lack on any acoustic factor either... Synergy and optimization of the components are mandatory for sure...

I picked up a used Jolida 1000brc tube amp for $1200 and it sounds like a tube amp- just replaced the EL34’s the other day.

I think I have zeroed in on the Pass Lab 1st Watt. Now to decipher the differences in models, although I have read the actual tube sound of the SET may not actually be a tube sound, maybe just a similarity. I think I will decide on one of these models and compare it to my QS's and then decide.

There are just too many options out there, I need to plant my feet.

Ive started a new thread specifically on the 1st Watt series.

Thank you for all the suggestions.

T

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650001546-musical-fidelity-m5si-integrated-amplifier-black-faceplate-nib/

Many years ago I A/B’d a highly regarded pair of Paoli M70 mono blocks against a B&K EX442 Sonata and was completely blown away with how identical in sound these two amps were and how utterly tubelike the B&K actually was.

The Paoli’s were a highly modified pair of Dyna MkIII’s using 8417 output tubes and the B&K a 200 wpc dual mono SS amp. B&K’s always had a solid reputation of sounding very tubelike and the EX442 didn’t disappoint. One could be had in the under $500 range.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find something as reasonably priced and as tubelike.