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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
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hiend2's avatar
hiend2
376 posts
 
Krell ksa 250. very tube like but has solidstate grip on the lows. Ive owned the vtl 300's. very powerful, excellent soundstage layering, grest bass,highs were the weak point.
That krell is very close Ksa 250. Actualy the krell imaged better more control Cenetr of the earth lowend Smooth mids And very detailed highs WITHOUT typical Solid state hashey highs.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Meadowman...The CI amps use a module (UcD) that is similar in concept to the ICE module, but with some topography changes that address what is perceived as a weakness of the ICE nodules: HF response variation with load impedance. As you know, loudspeaker impedance varies greatly over the audio frequency range, and this has been blamed for less than ideal HF sound from these amps.

Check it out at www.Hypex.nl
jkaway
93 posts
 
I heard that Moscode hybrid that Tvad mentioned in LA at the HE show and thought it Best of show teamed with Joseph speakers of several varieties.If I had that kind of dough or if Moscode made an integrated I'd be on it quick.Second place IMO went to CI paired with von Schweikert.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
my most enjoyable experiences using ss amps with quad 63s included the aragon 2002 and the b&k st 140.

to my ears those amps exhibited minimal objectionable characteristics of solid state amps.

i find that the current production ss amps are lacking something. the only word i would use to describe their presentation is clinical.

i had a conversation with viktor, the designer of bat electronics.

when he introduced his first ss amp, back in the 90's, i heard a prototype at CES. he said that he tried to "tune" the ss amp to sound like his tube amps, but admitted to me that the differences between them were clearly audible.

there certainly are virtues to ss amps, but they are so unforgiving of recordings, that it is often a challenge to listen to them unless one has high quality recordings.

i'll stay with tubes.
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