Amp for Apogee Stage's

I have had Stages for fifteen years and have tried most of the variations. I think the arc welding amp thing got started because Jason Bloom was friends with the makers of Krell, and these were some of the first amps that sounded decent with Apogees. He tended to recommend them without reservation, even when I asked him personally at a demo, but he conceded that tube amps could do fine.
Right brained (i.e. scieintific) audiophiles like the arc welders because they measure well. The systems I have heard with arc welders are either tizzy, glaring, or sound like laser beams are sawing off the top of your head. The right brainers would call this "accurate."
I would stick with good quality 200w tube amps with the Stages, or with the current crop of "digital" amps such as Bel Canto Evo or the H2O types. The digital amps seem to preserve and project spatial information better than traditional solid state types.
If you really want your Stages to sound optimal, you need to upgrade the inferior and bright sounding internal crossover with a North Creek alternative or an external upgraded passive crossover.

I have heard Stages on a couple of occasions with Classe amps. While the sound was not bad, it did not really allow the potential of the Stages to present space and the Classes had greying, glaring, congestion and soundstage uncertainties that solid state seems to suffer from. I heard the Grands with Krells in a demo, and they sounded impressivey huge and dynamic, but also seemed to glare when I heard them. I used Melos Triode 200 high current hybrid tube amps on my Stages at the time, and I was impressed that they sounded better, but they did suffer from some softness by comparison. The Triode 200's, however, were superior in spatial presentation and timbre, and were easier to listen to.
When I use my Bel Canto Evo 200.2's full range through the passive crossover, they have the traditional virtues of solid state in lower midrange and bass control/damping. However, they are better than other sold state amps in attack, tone, and spatial addressing and separation, like tubes. The Bel Canto's seem to be somewhat musty as they go into the upper midrange, however. The H2O amps seem to have a better reputation in this regard.
The case for high current with the Apogees seems to be grossly overstated. I am currently using an active crossover with ASL 805 SET amps on the high ribbon. These are the most pathetic, current starved horrible measuring amps around and the sound is glorious and is vastly better than either the VTL 450 Sig monoblocks, Bel Canto Evo's, or the high current amps in my Yamaha RX Z9. No, I don't believe that I am in love with the distortion products, the amps are too simple in construction to pull any kind of elaborate tricks. A European audio critic that posts on the Apogee forum uses a 20 watt SET amp with the inefficient Calipers, and he says the sound is outstanding. At this point, I wouldn't trade the 805's for all of the Krells, Thresholds, Classes and Levinsons in the world. The 805's also drive the Stages full range through the passive crossover with aplomb and high volume levels, and the sound is not he least bit soft or impaired in the high frequencies. Rather, they tend to lack body in the lower midrange and bass, although the overall effect is charming.
Allen Wright is even working on a modest powered tube amp to use with the dreaded Scintillas, and if he manages it, I bet they will sound great.

There wouldn't be amplifiers at all if it weren't for rigorous scientific types making observations about materials and circuits. They certainly make a greater contribution than the mincing aesthetes.
However, there is a point where the mono maniacal pursuit of concepts such as "accuracy" merely become alternate superstitions. I wouldn't claim any stereo system is "accurate", whether tubed or solid state, whether the input and ouput waveforms looked like each other or not. "Accuracy" is such a limiting concept when applied to audio.
However, when a tubed amplifier allows me to distinctly hear and follow four voices in a vocal harmony with ease and a solid state amplifier makes it sound like one voice, I know which one I want to listen to.
The point is that Apogees do not absolutely require the high current amp refrain that has been passed around for years. There are alternatives and everybody needs to let their own ears be their guides, as usual.

Morbius,

I got the impression somewhere that you work in the area where I live in the East Bay. You might want to listen to my psuedo mini grand system with gutless amps, and I could listen to your system with Krells. Maybe you will sell me and I will change my system and my impressions, I am always open to a broadening of my horizons. Since the speakers are largely the same, it would be an interesting comparison. E-mail me if you are interested. I could run through 1. pseudo high current solid state cascode JFET class AB (Yamaha RX Z9) about 300 to 400 watts @ 3 ohms/passive crossover 2. Bel Canto 200.2 digital amp about 200 watts @ 3 ohms/ passive crossover 3. ASL Explorer 805 SET (50watts)/ passive crossover and 4. Active crossover with 805 SET on MRT and Bel Canto 200.2 on the bass ribbons.
My listening impressions favor 4,3,2 and 1 in that order although the Yamaha would probably qualify as the most accurate.