Powerful Tube Amp for SF Strads?

Thanks Kejser and Rawawjakaj. At the moment, Gryphon, Wavac are high on my list. So are Lamm and Berning. I need to find a place in London, UK that actually carries Lamm. Should be auditioning this month! thanks again and happy new year.

Lloyd

"SF Strads (4ohms, 92db sensitivity though impedence does dip to 2.5ohms)"

FWIW, I think a tube amp on a speaker with a dip to 2.5 ohms will have some shortcomings. Personally, I would want at least 300 watts of power, with the ability to double into higher impedences.

Not saying that you might find a worthy tube amp. It's going to be a challenge, though.

Have lived with the Strads for more than 2yrs. During which time amps used were alternating between my Jadis JA200, ARC REF600mkIII and FM Acoustics 611 (with either ARC REF3 or VTL REF7.5).

Did not post sooner because because you initially seem to be going for tube varieties as tittle of thread suggest, and whereas best result I got was with the SS FMA.

Now that you have opened up to SS (ie.Gryphon), I would heartily recommend you put FMAs in your 'must' audition list too. And if by any chance you ended up investing your money in them, I believe most likely they will also be the last amp you will ever want to own--SS or tubes.

However a thing of concern is that your CJ ACTII has not got any balanced out--am I right? The FMA amps got only balanced-in unfortunately.

Hi Rtn1 and Bvdiman,

Thanks. As you can see, my thinking has evolved towards Class A sound SS while still including some high powered tubes. i have heard great things about FM Acoustics, in large part due to the many A'philes who have praised them on this site. Yes, the CJ is RCA only...Gryphon provides their own adaptors into their balanced inputs. I will try to find a place to hear FMA's if i can...expensive, but so is Gryphon, Lamm, Wavac... perhaps second-hand/demo which is what this website is all about.

Given how many tubes one needs to have (and to replace!) for 300watt tubes, and given that i have a tube DAC and tube pre, i am starting to lean towards SS. i just have to audition carefully myself and decide. thanks for the advice!

Lloydelee21,
Another thing, try to avoid mixing and matching (pre-amp/amp) from various brands whenever possible. As I have found from lengthy trial, REF3 to best compliment the REF600mkIII, and so does the FMA to fully come into their own only when mated with their respective pre-amp (and cabling too!).

Somehow by doing this, I found the sound of each to be more rightly balanced (coherent and linear) top to bottom (synergy?). Thus, if you like your current sound, I would rather you look into upgrading from one of CJ's own stable. Unless of course you have a longer term plan of switching the pre as well eventually. Just my two cents.. Good luck.