Tube integrated amps

My Ear 40 watt 834 is great.Know the sound of tubes.6550's are decent and cheap but EL34's will give better mnids.KT88's will give more articulate dynamics and bass but cost when you have to replace them.You can choose anything from a Jolida on up and tweak the sound with NOS be they expensive German telefuken 12AX7's (or other model) or cheaper Mazda's etc.Your output tubes will be too pricey to get New Old Sock but you can have fun with longer lasting cheaper driver tubes.Your speakers should be at least 89 db though generally you can double the power of tube rating versus solid state because thy don't clip as hard i.e distortion comes on slower.And of course more you can spend more options you'll have.
Chazz

Hi Chazz, your EARs are great, let me know when you want to sell them, but I don't think it will drive his speakers optimally.

Thanks again for everyone's input. Heard back from Dynaudio. He suggested Ayre AX7e, Naim NAIT 5i, Simaudio i5.3 (which is what they use in their office).

As for tubes, he says, "As far as tube (or hybrid) integrateds go, I could recommend looking at the VTL I-85, the PrimaLuna, BAT, Conrad-Johnson, Cary and McIntosh integrateds as a start since I have had excellent listening experiences with all of the above (though I forget some of the model names) in various systems with Dynaudio models. As far as power ratings are concerned, don’t be too worried about that. Dynaudio designs are very linear in impedance (meaning they are easy loads for any amplifier) and they have a steep efficiency curve. They really do not need high power, just their high peak input power handling capacity enables them to convert power into sound pressure without distortion, making them excellent mates to such amplifier designs. But they also will mate to more conservatively rated electronics, as current delivery and overall sound quality are the most important factors to be concerned with. I hope this makes sense."

So given what many have said here and the guy at Dynaudio, sounds like solid state is my best route.

Now if anyone has any experience w/ Ayre AX7e, Naim NAIT 5i, Simaudio i5.3, I'm listening.

Many thanks again.

Three excellent choices, good luck.

just a small 2 cents, most of you know much more than I.

I drove an 86db speaker to comfortable levels (in a small room) with a 10 watt Baby Sophia. The sound was wonderful.

I now have a Rogue that would drive the cones right out of the boxes if I'd let it and it's only 55 watts. But......love it as I do, the small room gets hot, hot, hot and it's wintertime now.

FWIW