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Sacrilege Going from Tubes back to Solid State

Hello gang,

Well the time may have come. I am getting way over the fuse blowing, bias adjusting and general baybying my Tube Monos are putting me through. I love the sound of my VTL MB 300s that I had VTL upgrade to the new 450 status a few years ago. I love the depth, stage, sweetness and punch they give my Meadowlark Hot Rod Herons. I love the front to rear layering and detail they reveal.
Can anybody recommend a solid state amp or monos that MIGHT give me some of what I love? I am in the $4000.00 range and looking primarily at used product. I use JPS labs Super 2 Speaker and ICs and a modded VTL 2.5 pre with an Ayre CX-7e Digital front end with a Rega P-25 sporting a Dynavector Karat 17 mk II driving a plinius Jarrah Phono stage.
My frustration may be getting the best of me here but I am tired of crossing my fingers when I turn on my stereo!
I have heard good things from Older levinson gear, perhaps newer McIntosh? How about Accuphase? or ARGGGGGGGGGGHH a little help please! Thanks in advance.
128x128meadowman
meadowman's avatar
meadowman OP
141 posts
 
Hey All,

Thanks for the responses so far. I will try to drag home a McIntosh MC402 at some point as I have heard great things about it. I have not heard the hybrid Butler piece but will do some research. I could not in good conscience buy a _Digital_ amp as I have heard plenty of the upper end hash from the likes of bel Canto and even the ice modules have left me cold (pun intended) . Not a shot at the CI models but I have not heard them so it really would be tough to claim an opinion unless I do. Darn , another thing to research and then hear.

Perhaps I should just calm down and do some listening to detirmine how much I want to get rid of tubes !
Post removed 
velo62
255 posts
 
Original Mcintosh MC275 with vintage tubes will give you everything you've asked for and easily drive the Meadowlark. Ive gone full circle with Mcintosh and high quality SS designs and nothing beats the mac for smoothness, layering and a holographic presentation. Deck it out with telefunken input tubes and Gold lion kt88's with a Cary slp98 or Joule la100 and be prepared to grin with no thoughts of upgrading. I am a fan of mac but the mc275 original really makes the mc402 unlistenable once set up properly. Good luck
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,223 posts
 
Look into Levinson and Pass Labs amps. if you can check out x.5 series of Pass amps(there are few currently available here used at decent prices), you may like what you hear. McIntosh MC402 is very nice too, as mentioned above, but if the speakers are laid back sounding, this may not be the most neutral amplifier, although I heard it with the B&W Nautilus and liked it a lot. But Meadowlarks are warm sounding, if memory serves me right, so, you have to try.
jeff_jones
418 posts
 
Haven't heard the more recent Bat SS's, but before buying I would.
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