Tube preamp topologies and music

@ghdprentice 

I would have thought your comment on a SET amp being a poor choice for for a head banger about as safe and uncontroversial as possible… hmm, I guess everything can be challenged. 

thinking about it, I am pretty sure I was using the term "metal-head" in that discussion I alluded to in which I was corrected, not "head banger."  I better correct my misquote that I made in case there is an important distinction between the two.  Regardless, I was told (in no uncertain terms) that 4 wpc of SET can make the right speakers scream.  I have no experience whatsoever with ANY watts of SET, so on that subject I can only relate what I was told.  

If you're saying you have Heresy 4's, you have a lot of options.  The Airtight amps would be a good bet.  Personally I would choose the ATM1.  You don't need more power than that, and IMO the EL34 is a very sweet tube.  Really, 15-30 wpc would be PLENTY of power.  

@dogearedaudio  thanks. I run a pair of subs off the speaker taps which I assume I could still do. I’m a fan of high efficiency speakers and would like some La Scalas at some point. I am trying to wrap my head around tubes to see where I may land. I have only run solid state so far with zero complaints. In fact I was looking to upgrade to the Coda S5.5 until again researching tubes.

@jasonbourne71 -- You have provided some very good information.  I would like to pick your brain a bit.  A couple of years ago, I acquired a beautiful Dennis Had Inspire 45 amp and a Dennis Had LP 3.1 preamp.  The seller included a set of brand new, in the box, 45 tubes from Emission Labs.  My plans are to use the Had gear with a pair of Klipsch Forte II's that I've had for years.  Do you think this will be an amp that can handle driving the Forte's without any issues?  The Had gear could not drive a set of Monitor Audio Bronze speakers or a set of Polk Audio Model 10 speakers -- not enough power.  I hope the higher efficiency Forte's won't have the same problems.  What speakers would you pair with the Had amp and preamp if you owned them?  Thanks.

Some details:  I mainly listen to 1968 -- 2024 Progressive Rock, Prog Metal, Classic Rock, Shoegaze, Math Rock, and good old Heavy Metal.  No Country, Rap, Hip Hop, Opera, or Classical.  If I'm really jamming, I listen not at ear splitting levels, but loud enough that you can't easily carry on a conversation with someone at a normal speaking level.  After all, I'm there to listen to music, not catch up on gossip.  The Forte's are in my Man Cave, which also includes my home theater system, but the 2 Channel system is separate from the HT.  Thanks.

@allenf1963  , here is the thread I alluded to a few posts ago.  This thread turned into an argument about what the definition of the term "musical" is, but near the end of page 5 I made the comment that a SET amp might not be "musical" to a metal-head because it wouldn't play loud enough.  @atmasphere  (and @newfzx7  on page 6) weighed in, and basically told me that SET would work with the right speakers, based on their experience.  If you start reading on page 5, you may or may not find some of it helpful.