Best amp under $6k, in your opinion?

Ck,
I owned the VTL TL7.5, considered one of the best, and ran it with the Spectron MIIISE, had top Purist PCs and Evolution Acoustics SCs, Im looking for something that can blow this combo.

Perrew,

That sounds like a sweet setup. I have not heard a Spectron vs a NuForce direct comparison. A good friend of mine with good ears has auditioned some Spectron products but came away unimpressed FWIW.

If you contact NuForce they offer a free demo if you do not have a dealer near you. Something to consider.

Power cords and vibration control are very helpful with the amps.

Ck, I agree that tube amps certainly do not control the bass like an SS (maybe a CAT JL2)but no matter how much I try to enjoy SS, it never sounds real to me compared with tubes. I recently had the Pass XA30.5 and it does sound great on its own terms and is surely one of the best SS amps available. I then switch to Music Reference or Atma-sphere tube amp and well I no longer have the Pass - tubes just sound better in almost every way, at least with my easy to drive Merlins. So I wonder if you conclude the Nuforce are better than tube amps under 10k, and your familiar with them, or you are basically oriented to SS and tight bass control. If the Nuforce competed with tubes I would certainly try it, but it would be a first.

I think so to. I've tried, but SS just doesn't do it for me; although I realize that some speakers just can't sound there best with tubes and demand the use of SS, with the exception of a few high powered, high current tubes amps - which isn't necessarily the best approach to appreciating what tubes can do.