New monoblocs for Maxx II, which ones

Mike; glad you are enjoying the MAXX II's.

the ASR is similar to the darTZeel (hard to say which is better without direct comparison.....and they may simply be different). you already have 'big' SS......so, if you want a change of pace.....my opinion is that i agree with Ralph; some tubes with a good deal of bloom would take you to another place.

i would recommend the Lamm ML2.1 as something that will be a counterpoint to where you have been. another consideration would be the Joule OTL's. both of these tube amps have very nice bloom and mid-range richness that would be like a great Single-Malt.....just right at times. but neither of these amps are rolled off or dead sounding.

my opinion is that both of those amps have their own signatures; so they are not ideal for my tastes even though i like them both.

the big tube amps like the Audio Research, VTL and others are going to be more like your ASR and 33H than different.

it's like having a Filet instead of a NY Steak......instead of having Wild Alaska King Salmon. if you are looking to go down a new path do it.

A friend of mine is using the big MBL amps and loves them. He can get almost anything and has tried a lot. I use the VTL MB750s. I agree that they have a similar sound to solid state amps he listed. I know someone who used the ASR as well and loved it. In that regard, large tube amps without excess bloom are not a bad choice. They sound accurate, realistic and powerful. Not the fastest out there. I would love to try the MBLs one day. I think the new Halcros are excellent as well. I have heard them sound amazing and also not. Setup and cables are critical.

I heard the Pass Labs XA-160s with the Watt/Puppy 7s and agree with Crna39...a blissful synergy! I ended up buying the Audio Physic Avanti IIIs..not the same Bass responce as the W.Ps but much less $$$ and I feel the speaker had an overall natural sound that escapes the W.P.s. The XA-160s were a great match for them as well.
Regards,
Greg

When doing my own research on a new amp, I ran across this review of the Kronzilla by Brad Morrical: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue28/kronzilla.htm
He was quite impressed with the Kronzilla paired with Wilson X1. Anyway, something to consider.

I do not have the Maxx II's but have heard them at a local dealer being driven by VTL S-400 tube amps and the sound was terrific. I have Watt Puppy 7's and previously owned a pair of Sophias. Since there is what I would term a Wilson "house sound", I believe my experiences would apply to some degree to the Maxx II's. It is my understanding that Wilson uses Audio Research tube equipment to voice their speakers and I had great results using an ARC VT-100 Mark III tube amp on my Sophias. I also liked a Conrad-Johnson Premier 140 on these speakers. I did not think using a 15 wpc SET tube amp drove the speakers well enough and they were dynamically compressed. The WP7's are a more difficult load for amplifiers, but tube amps gave a big soundstage with a liquid, detailed midrange and good bass. That being said, if you really want to hear what the Wilsons can do dynamically and basswise, which IMO is what they do best, nothing beats a solid-state amp. The trick is to find a SS amp that doesn't sound flat dimensionally. I tried BAT and Classe SS amps that just didn't do it for me as the soundstage depth was curtailed. Finally I tried Essence SS amps and they are hands-down the best amps I have ever heard with the Wilsons. The Wilsons will definitely let you know what electronics are upstream, so it is worthwhile trying different products.