Tantra, since you already have 225WPC/8, and since you listen to rock and probably use every bit of those 225WPC farly often, I suggest Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes. They use 4 pairs of commonly available KT88 output tubes per amp for their 200 Watts which means the tubes are not driven very hard, and they're easily biasable with a built-in meter. Each uses a trio of commonly available 6SN7s for frontend tubes.
Aside from all that, they sound GREAT and have been chosen by reviewers as disparate as Harry Pearson of 'The Absolute Sound' and Arthur Salvatore of 'high-endaudio.com' as among the very best-sounding amplifiers available. Another benefit of the 'Cane is that each amp has a T(riode)/P(entode) switch which allows the output section to operate in triode and not pentode* mode. Some of us believe triodes are better at retaining the tonal purity of music than pentodes, which generally will sound punchier. (The amps will generate about 120 Watts in triode, and I use mine that way.)
They retail currently for $5K per pair, and there's a pair available now http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1147572645 for $3K. I'd be sure they were current models with the T/P switch. If not, I'd wait and be willing to pay a little more for a pair that does.
I've had both Quicksilver V4s and the 'Canes driving the MR/treble ends of my rather insensitive Eminent Technology 8s. I kept the 'Canes as they sounded tonally a little more attractive and also a little more at ease driving the 84dB-sensitive panels. See my system for some pics, and e-mail me for more; I love mine, have lots of pics, and LOVE to talk about them. :-)
* Output tubes such as KT88s, 6550s, EL34s, EL84s, etc. are pentodes or beam tetrodes, and are more efficient than triodes at turning input power into output power. Wired as triodes, they sound a little warmer and more tonally attractive, at least to many of us.
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Aside from all that, they sound GREAT and have been chosen by reviewers as disparate as Harry Pearson of 'The Absolute Sound' and Arthur Salvatore of 'high-endaudio.com' as among the very best-sounding amplifiers available. Another benefit of the 'Cane is that each amp has a T(riode)/P(entode) switch which allows the output section to operate in triode and not pentode* mode. Some of us believe triodes are better at retaining the tonal purity of music than pentodes, which generally will sound punchier. (The amps will generate about 120 Watts in triode, and I use mine that way.)
They retail currently for $5K per pair, and there's a pair available now http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1147572645 for $3K. I'd be sure they were current models with the T/P switch. If not, I'd wait and be willing to pay a little more for a pair that does.
I've had both Quicksilver V4s and the 'Canes driving the MR/treble ends of my rather insensitive Eminent Technology 8s. I kept the 'Canes as they sounded tonally a little more attractive and also a little more at ease driving the 84dB-sensitive panels. See my system for some pics, and e-mail me for more; I love mine, have lots of pics, and LOVE to talk about them. :-)
* Output tubes such as KT88s, 6550s, EL34s, EL84s, etc. are pentodes or beam tetrodes, and are more efficient than triodes at turning input power into output power. Wired as triodes, they sound a little warmer and more tonally attractive, at least to many of us.
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