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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
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,891 posts
 
One amp you might consider is the Red Wine Audio Signature 30. Its SLA battery powered and has the sound of a great tube amp without the haze and glare. You can hear so deep into the recording and the highs are sweet and extended. From the mids on down its full bodied but there is no bloat. Everything is tight and articulate. Plus, you're off the grid so there's no power cords or conditioners to fret with: just clean, clear power. If 30 watts aren't enough, Vinnie is coming out with 70 watt mono blocks based on the same technology. I have mine with the Hornshoppe Horns and couldn't be happier.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Much to my disbelief I have no tubes in my system. I kind of evolve into this, first with the solid state H-Cat P12 line stage, but then I moved to the Esoteric X-01 Limited sacd player, and finally the LSA/Exemplar Statement amp. This is all providing extraordinarily good sound reproduction, so I would have to say ss has gotten much better. I have never been committed to tubes after returning to them over 30 years ago. I still remember the ARC banner saying, "That for the audiophile the era of tubes has come." Times change once again.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
It is not sacrelige going to solid state. In fact it has certain advantages just as tubes do.

Buy and use what sounds good to you, not what some salesman or forum post recommends.
Post removed 
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Tvad, yes the amp is still integrated but it also allows bypassing the line stage. Briefly I used the line stage. While it is okay, it is not state-of-the-art. I must say that I was surprised by this. It may suggest how superior the H-Cat is.

At the RMAF I heard the Statement amp driven by the Exemplar cd player and the Exemplar external power supply linestage. The speakers were the LSA Model 10s. All I can say is wow, but the speakers are beyond my means.
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