Any tube rec's on Vandersteen 5's

I am successfully using Atma-Sphere MA-1 amps with the Vandy 5A's and it is a wonderful combination. It has a rich midrange with tons of detail and texture, airy highs which float and decay a spooky realistic way, and bass that has authority, depth, and definition. All of this while producing a sound stage that is very deep and wide.

Putting all that praise aside, the most important aspect to me is that the Atma-Sphere/Vandersteen combination does an incredible job of drawing me into the music and allowing me to make an emotional connection to the music that other amps simply can't do. This translates into me wanting to listen more often and for longer periods of time.

I have tried amps from McCormack, Pass, Meridian, Sunfire, Moscode, Jeff Rowland, VAC, Cary, Rogue, Dodd, and many others and none have given me the level of enjoyment that the Atma-Sphere amps do - highly recommended.

George

I had v4 with my 5a it was a great match and low maintenance unless you are willing to invest about twice the money the v4 are a great match to the speakers and hard to beat. I could of got other amps on several occasions but the v4 are one of the amps I have had forever and outlasted almost everything else in my system. I have sevens comming so I upgraded my amps but I should have my v4 on audio gone in a couple of weeks keep an eye out they where just serviced last year as well and have upgraded triggers. Might be a little high for your budget though but anything lower is a pretty severe compromise.

Another big plus for the V-4's is they can run KT-88's, 6550's, EL-34's or 6L6's!!!!! Also there is some wiggle room with bias settings for even more versatility!!!!!! All that equals a lot of possibilities for you to taylor the sound to what you like, without having to sell your amps to try different tubes!

I've heard the the Vandy 5's sound sublime with Audio Research, albeit more expensive ones than your budget might allow. Still, less expensive AR's might carry over well.