Tube Amp for GR Research LS-6

My speakers are GR Research LS-6s. They are a 14 driver per side, two way, line source.

Each speaker houses 6 BG Neo 8 planars, and 8 peerless india 6.5 inch woofers.

My current preamp is a custom Response Audio BellaMax "Ultramax."

Right now I am using an Emotiva XPA-5 (Yuck), because there was a compatability issue with my Odyssey Stratos Mono Extremes Glass Ceilings (largely why I am having to search out for something else.)

here is some info regarding your speakers

http://www.gr-research.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=126

for those that dont want to read the whole thing, this is said ( and might be useful information ):

Sensitivity level of these speakers is high, but the 1 watt/1 meter level can be misleading. They are 93db with 1 watt/1 meter, but a line source does not lose sensitivity with doubling of distance like a typical point source. With a 1 watt input at 2 meters they are equal to a point source that is 96db at 1 meter. At 4 meters with a 1 watt input they are equal to a point source that is 99db at 1 meter/1 watt

These speakers are easy to drive and can be driven with low powered SET amps, but an amp with a high dampening factor and good driver control is recommended.

Kingdeezie,

I am sorry I did not read the title to your post.

The reason I mention specs is that when I owned Reynaud Trente speakers I was able to drive them with 18 wpc easily to loud levels, they were easy to drive despite an average rating.

good luck with your search.

Liquidity can be found in the MFA products. The M-200 monoblocks should do very well. They also are easy maintenance in case of an output tube failure as they just blow an easy to change plate fuse. The AR VT-200 could do well, but with Audio Research a tube failure can require resistor replacement or even trace repair on the boards. The Rogue Zeus may be a best bet in the $4k budget too. With any tube amp, trying some NOS tubes in the front end can pay big benefits in dialing in just what you are seeking. I recently tried that on my AR VTM-200's and was amazed. If, low maintenance is a top priority, by all means try some lush tube preamps first (MFA Luminesence, Thor, Tube Research. AR Reference 2) and see if all the blame is really your SS amps. Even your cabling can play a role, so if you just need a slight change, that may do enough if you like the basic characteristics of your current set-up. JAY

Hi There, I ran across your old thread here on Audiogon and I just finished an LS-6 kit last week and want a new amp. Did you find a nice amp pairing? I am looking at a Digital Amplifier Company Cherry amp which is considered to be a highly regarded tube sounding Class D amp, a Butler Audio Tube/SS hybrid, and Emotiva XP-2 or Monoblocks. Would be interested to hear what you ended up with.

Todd