PrimaLuna EVO 400 v Cary SLI-100

Many of the other suggestions have an edge over the PrimaLuna in particular. If VAC or VTL do an integrated I would definitely add them to the auditioning list.

Conrad Johnson?

My buddy uses the Prima Luna Evo integrated amp with his(my old) Forte IV’s and it sounds pretty damn good.  I changed the stock tubes out for NOS Mullard EL34 XF2’s and the sound improved nicely.  I am not a fan of the Cary amps that I have tried or heard in other systems.

IMO, the EVO 400 is overkill with the Klipsch. The EVO 300 a much better choice. Half the power tubes at replacement time, more than enough power, etc..

I wanted to buy the 300 but chose a Rogue Cronos III instead (for Forte 4s).

The Rogue is a fantastic bargain (nice fit-and-finish, headphone jack, phono preamp, Triode switch) but it doesn't accommodate EL34 tubes. EL34s are the preferred tubes for low-to-mid power amps, for many people. The EVO 300 was $1500 more than the Rogue.

I second dweller’s suggestion that the Evo 400 has more power than you’ll need for the Heresy speakers. The Evo 300 with a nice quad of KT-88s would offer plenty of power and save you the additional cost of the 400 and running cost of 8 power tubes.

Since this is your first tube amp, the PrimaLuna offers ease of ownership with auto-bias, bad tube indicator, and varied tube compatibility. It’s a painless transition from solid state. The bad tube indicator is especially handy given the state of current production tubes.

In contrast, The Audio Research I50 amp mentioned earlier is a fine looking unit, but tube bias has to be set by a technician (internally) and not exactly user friendly.

For what it’s worth, I’ve had great luck with the Apos Ray Select KT-88 tubes.