Moving away from tubes. Is this a good idea?

I strongly suggest you keep your tube amplifier for a long while. Any transition is going to be dramatic. I don't mean that in a positive or negative way but more in a matter of taste. I still insert my tube amp from time to time, it's an old friend and tuff for me to let go. Unfortunately, I get board with is lack of resolution and bandwidth in comparison to my current amps. It's also a reference point, if a different design can best it then your on to something.

Reading thru all of the responses, I concur with Tvad on trying the recommended Cayin or Prima Luna integrateds. These amps all have exceptionally solid "bang for the buck" reputations. Rogue Cronus is also a noteworthy suggestion.

Aball's suggestion about adding a subwoofer is also hard to dismiss. I added a REL Storm III ($1,000 used) to my Dynaudio C2's and it really made a significant positive impact to the overall sound.

And don't fear biasing, especially for amps like the Cronus that come with built-in meters. Flip a switch, read the gauge, turn a screw, then onto the next tube. Takes lass than a minute and is deeply satisfying .

Djh -
You've already received a lot of good input...I only risk boring you with my experience because it might help allay some of your concerns. I went to an integrated tube amp several years ago and haven't looked back. I didn't have all that much opportunity to audition live. Researched a lot on line and came across a TNT Audio review of the JoLida 502B. It was in my price range and carried by Community Audio in Phila. John the owner there spent several hours with me and my wife listening to music using a JoLida to drive a pair of Totem Hawks. I loved the sound. To my ear, more detail, better imaging and mid range presence - all in all, just a more satisfying listening experience than the solid state receiver I'd been using (Yamaha R-1000 bought in the early '80s. Carver electronics, current switching, 100W/channel and well-reviewed at the time). You can say I didn't have a good basis for comparison given that I was coming from an admittedly NOT high end starting point, none the less, let me also note that a good friend who had a succession of solid state amps including (finally) a Krell (sorry don't recall model except that it weighed a ton and had output current sufficent to perform electrocutions) is now running an Audio Research tube amp. To make a long story short, the owner let me audition the JoLida at home with my own speakers. Ultimately, I bought the 502B from him. It isn't auto bias but if you can read directions you can bias this amp. I bought an inexpensive multimeter from Sears and after some initial anxiety found that it is easy. I'm not so much trying to tell you JoLida is the way for you to go - though I'd at least recommend you read the TNT Audio review - more that I think you will really enjoy "tube sound". By the way, the 502B is rated at only 60 or 65 watts and I'm using it with Totem Forests that are rated at 87 db efficiency. Sound levels are adequate. Given my budget and based on feedback to an inquiry I posted on A'gon, more "loud" is going to take a move to more efficient speakers (but I really love the Forests) or going to a hybrid (tube pre, ss power - as I understand it). The JoLida is staying for now. Good luck in your decision.

Kinda funny in reading this that you always hear advocates of SS amps complain about the inaccurate over done even harmonics of tubes, then follow up by saying that the really good SS amps sound so tube-like...

I've owned many examples of both tubes and SS. Tubes are more fun and you can tailor the sound by rolling different tube types as well. On some levels tubes may indeed be less accurate, but how come then that they sound so much more correct?

Have fun Djh-