Transitioning from Tubes back to SS

Seadweller,
You should also keep in mind that eficiency ratings are only taken at 1kHz frequency.
Bass and speed is what you won't get from Cary.
As to 2...5 Watts even onto sub-100db/w/m efficient speakers the amp will only 'see' normally vocal frequencies.
As you've mentioned 250w/ch onto 99dB can only increase speed and bass and wouldn't do anything wrong.

There is nothing wrong with going back to solid state. We all eventually settle into what works. For myself and the various types of music I listen to, solid state does it for me, I need the slam & impact it provides but yet I still seek the suttle details, transparency, and 3D sound that tubes seem to excel in. The good news is there are solid state products that come ridiculously close but with the added benefits found in a well designed solid state product.

PHD, which ones come close? examples? I have noticed the same thing, but it also depends on speaker choices and what is front of them. I have heard some solid state gear sound dry and bright and that same gear can sound airy and open and even just the right touch of warmth with different stuff in front or different speakers. I agree that tube preamp is a good practice with solid state amps. There is also hybrid integrated too.

I think the Pass and Ayre gear will give you some of what you are looking for from SS.

Kclone, your right, the speakers you choose coupled with your taste in music will dictate the type of gear & power requirements you will need and hopefully those particular speakers will lay the foundation for a musically satisfing system. My speakers are large but very efficient and can reveal the most suttle details. On the other hand they can sound excellent with both lower and higher powered amps for more impact. To be honest most all the solid state amps I have thrown at em sound pretty darn good, although a few have excelled in the areas of what most audiophiles seek & want.

One of those ss amps that come to mind and really stood out was the McCormack DNA-1 with a Revision B. This amp is very powerful & transparent but yet refined. It easily trumped the Odyssey Stratos in all areas which is by no means chopped liver either. Another relatively inexpensive ss amp I have been playing with is the Hafler DH500 (mine is the PRO500, same thing). One of the amps it (the DH500) compares to is the stock DNA-1 but with more depth & is slightly more refined than the stock McCormack. Upon insertion I was amazed how this old timer expanded the soundstage both in width and height. I think with a few minor upgrades it can compare to some the best ss amps out there but it definately is not a piece of audiophile jewelery. Got more cash to spend, the Gamut and some of Conrad Johnson solid state amps are excellent. There is not enough time to talk about each individual amp I have tried nor do I have the will.

On preamps, YS Audios remote controlled V2R tube preamp is an amazing sounding preamp even coupled to an ss amp. Unfortunately I sold it and the guy that purchased it told me he had no idea that such a relatively inexpensive tube preamp could sound better than most expensive tube preamps he has tried. Another, the VTL 2.5 offers a big but full sound however it is not tube rectified and depending on the amp it is connected to can be a slight bit grainy on the top end but considering how much it gets right, it represents a killer bargain. B&K PT3 preamp is another major bargain and thought it sounded as good as a stock McCormacks RLD-1 pre at several hundreds of dollars less but a RLD-1 with revision would kill it. I just mentioned a few good bargains.