Gone are the days of the great audition.

Nostaliga and inability to flex with changing conditions blinds people to opportunities which exist today. :(

Jma, definitely keep a look out for Capital Audio Fest nest year. Tube gear and various speakers that go with them have been prominent at that show.

I saw Prima Luna gear, perhaps the amp you have at Soundscape in Baltimore recently. You might contact them and see what they recommend with that amp. Unfortunately I do not recall what speakers they were using with the PL amps.

The best tube amp/conventional tower speaker combo I have heard in your general range (used perhaps) was Rogue tube amp and PSB Synchrony towers at Listening Room in Pikesville, MD. That's a very small shop and a drive from DC though so I would call there in advance if interested in what the owner there could offer. I've never heard anything sound BAD there! I think Gramophone in Baltimore is carrying the PSBs these days and LR had moved back towards Sonus Faber of late. Magnepan is always a staple line there running off tube amps.

With the modest power rating of your PL amp, something high efficiency would seem to be in order. In you price range, Zu might be an option. I heard some larger Zus last year at Capital Audiofest running of a flea power SET amp and they were quite serviceable for much music that way, though something with more power like your PL would probably fit the bill better with those for rock/pop music as well.

Another line, though hard to find in the US these days, I would consider if I were you is Triangle. I have Traingle monitors (bought from Listening ROom in Pikesville years ago) that work quite well with tube amps. I suspect some of their tower designs in your price range might be just what the doctor ordered.

Jmacinnis,

the D.C. area is loaded w/ dealers/retailers. You have access to D.C. proper, Maryland & Virginia.

I had the pleasure of visiting Baltimore last year on business. Check out Soundscape- ask for Ed.
Additionally, check out The Listening Room (weekends only) ask for Don. Both great home-grown places, w/ different speaker lines.

Happy Listening!

Herr Schroeder,"ability to flex with changing conditions' translated from rightwing political sloganology., means bending over deeper when you job goes to China.

For a $2K range floorstander friendly with a tube amp, you have GOT to audition the GoldenEar Triton 2 and Triton 3. Triton 3's come in right at $2K/pair. There are two authorized dealers in the DC area:

IQ Home Entertainment
7101 Democracy Blvd
Westfield Montgomery Mall (Upstairs - Macy's Home Wing)
Bethesda, MD 20817
703-218-9855

IQ Home Entertainment
10890 Fairfax Blvd
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-218-9855

Sandy Gross, founder of GoldenEar and previously co-founder of Polk Audio adn Definitive Audio, powers his personal pair of Triton 2's with a low-powered SET tube amp. These speakers come with a Heil-style motion transformer folded ribbon tweeter, midrange drivers with response of to 20K for a good blend with the tweeters, and internally powered, passive radiator augmented woofers. I heard the Triton 2's in a factory demo a couple years ago. Very impressive.

One caution: the GoldenEars are low enough in cost that many dealers pair them with mass market receivers for demos, in which case you will be underwhelmed as the Tritons will amply reveal the receiver's shortcomings. The GoldenEars deserve excellent amplification. You might want to call ahead to see what IQ's setup is, and if they can't provide a quality amp, see if you can bring in your PrimaLuna.