2. amps-preamps
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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
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.
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,221 posts
 
Mrtennis, "resolution" is an unfamiliar term to you, obviously.

The year is 2006. You are still in the 1960s or 70s with your vintage tube gear sonic memories. You are dissatisfied with the sound of modern tube equipment. You hate solid state components. What exactly are you recommending here?
phd
1,320 posts
 
I have no problem with grit and grain with solid state and I have horn loaded speakers! It probably helps to start with a ss amp known to have a grain-free treble like the Odyssey Stratos. I also like its warmish & transparent sound which makes it an excellent candidate to match to a tube or ss preamp. I'm sure because of its small price tag it will sometimes get overlooked by some audiophiles who think you have to spend money hand over fist but it shouldn't. Besides, its sound & build quality far exceeds its price tag. I love audio bargains which frees more money up for other things like music purchases, home improvements, & of course family.

Meadowman, it is not sacrilege to go from tubes to solid state, I have done it without any reservations or regrets. If you want the best of both worlds match a tube preamp to a ss power amp. I suggested the Odyssey only because I like it a great deal better than the newer ss Mcintosh amps I have tried.
flyski
40 posts
 
Well, the Odyssey Stratos sounds nothing like McIntosh or tubes for that matter so for a guy who is used to listening to tubes would be a completely wrong advise. Here is a quote for TAS review on Stratos: "The sonic character of the Stratos kept reminding me of the SimAudio Moon designs of Jean Poulin: coolish clarity and transparency; airy, unbleached highs that have a touch of mid-treble silvering. And the sense of transient speed helped to distinguish it from the B&K Reference more than any other attribute. It's not particularly warm-sounding, certainly not tube-like. The Stratos, like the Marsh Sound Design A200s stereo amp (review, Issue 123) won't enrich a lean voice or add bloom or bloat to the lower mids or mid-bass.
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