Quality standmount speakers plus quality tube preamp/amp and quality sub float my boat.
I used to have a pair of Wilson Cubs (60Hz to 25kHz)on sand filled Sound Anchor stands driven by a 110 wpc Sonic Frontiers tube amp and matching tube hybrid pre. Frequencies below 60Hz handled by the original model Sunfire True Sub. The sound was to die for @ a relatively modest price of $18,000.
One night the amp caught fire (probably my fault for not dusting the tubes frequently enough). While the amp was being repaired, I replaced it with a SS B&K 200wpc amp. The sound degraded by about 30% (like everywhere: clarity, soundstage, speed, you name it).
IMHO, bi-amping should only be done w/ monos designed for that purpose. So that's like 4 amps! One would have to be immune from the Recession to do that.
I'd rather go with a true full range towers (like down below 30Hz)and either SS or tube 2 channel amp or something like my Cub/Sonic Frontiers system.
I used to have a pair of Wilson Cubs (60Hz to 25kHz)on sand filled Sound Anchor stands driven by a 110 wpc Sonic Frontiers tube amp and matching tube hybrid pre. Frequencies below 60Hz handled by the original model Sunfire True Sub. The sound was to die for @ a relatively modest price of $18,000.
One night the amp caught fire (probably my fault for not dusting the tubes frequently enough). While the amp was being repaired, I replaced it with a SS B&K 200wpc amp. The sound degraded by about 30% (like everywhere: clarity, soundstage, speed, you name it).
IMHO, bi-amping should only be done w/ monos designed for that purpose. So that's like 4 amps! One would have to be immune from the Recession to do that.
I'd rather go with a true full range towers (like down below 30Hz)and either SS or tube 2 channel amp or something like my Cub/Sonic Frontiers system.