Is there life after a KXR? Help

Rufipennis- There's more to it than that but suffice it to say $10k is my top and that would probably have to include a phono stage. I appreciate the comments but the idea of this post is to get equipment suggestions not financial advice.

Pinkus-

I just sold a used KXR, the first one ever available used. I don't think one could be had for less than $12,000. Mine sold considerably higher than that. I still have the MXRs which are the amps. I would have kept the KXR and sold the amps if that opportunity had arisen instead. However an additional consideration is that my speakers match best with SS and it's hard to think I would have found another SS amp I liked remotely as much as the MXRs. I used to have a K-1xe. Liked it. It;s definitely a steal. I know I won't be satisfied there again after the KXR. You've hit on some other choices on my list though.

There have been a lot of comments about BAT options. I read through a number of posts on past forums that suggest they don't mate well with SS amps. I also saw a number of comments that the ARC 3 has some hiss issues which is a pet peeve of mine. Can anyone comment on that?

Tom- I assume you mean Charles Hansen. Any idea on where I could find that thread? I doubt Mr. Hansen will take my call. He's not happy that I sold the KXR.

Thanks Tom.

Bar81-

I struggled with that decision. In the end I decided the MXRs mate perfectly with my speakers and should therefore be kept together. They are both fabulous and I would have been disappointed to get rid of either of them.

Bryceeboy-

On some level I agree with your comments about Mr. Hansens response to someone re-selling his gear, but on the other hand I appreciate their concern and care for their stuff. I think they take great pride in their work and should be commended for it.

I like the Atma Sphere idea but I'm not sure the current used offering is priced correctly and I need to find something sooner than later. I'm just beginning to explore the BAT option.

As to the rest of your post I value your opinion but I take issue with the last part.just because they didn't jive with your sound labs doesn't mean they are "way over priced". I have compared a lot of gear over the years and in the right system they are as good as it gets (IMHO). I'm obviously not the only one who thinks that.

Cheers!

No Pinkus I have not but I'd like to. In fact I have not owned a tubed amp before, although I've heard quite a few in dealers showrooms. I subscribe to the theory that speakers usually sound best with one or the other depending on what the speaker designer intended them to be used with. The big tube amps can overcome that to a point but there is still an inherent design compromise that cannot be undone. Frankly I don't think my speakers would pair as well with tubes as they do SS. I'd like to move down that path but for now I'm enjoying the MXRs and I'm not looking forward to changing speakers.

Mark-

I'm sorry I thought we were talking about a tube version.

Happy New Year everyone!

I sure wish people could stay on subject and offer suggestions for potential replacements. I guess I offerred too much information.

Curriemt- You seem to be questioning something without actually expressing your point. Not sure what that's all about. I hate to offer such a mundane explanation to your conspiracy theory but.... yes it is a fact I did have my MXR's listed for sale too. Believe it or not the KXR did not sell right away. As I managed to get a bit overextended (hence the sale(s)) I decided to list the MXRs too and see what sold first. If they had I would have kept the KXR instead. Thanks for the reminder.

Sonofjim- Yeah I know the feeling. I bought my MXRs last summer. I thought I could swing them both but the stock market collapse changed that. I like your system. I plan to try 5as some day. Thanks for the BAT confirmation. I'd love to hear how it turns out fro you. The VK52 is intriguing as it's has an upgrade path to the top of the line model.

Mtdking- I think comparing both amps without considering associated equipment is short sighted. I'd suspect the speakers you're playing them into would have an effect. For instance on my Aerial 20ts I suspect the MXRs would sound better, and on a pair of 5as the Lamms might do a better job since they don't have to drive the bass. At the end of the day they're both at the top of their respective classes and system matching would determine which option is "the best".

Mtdking-

I have great respect for the amount of good gear you have listened too. With all due respect though constantly changing speakers will make your general amp comparisons less applicable for the rest of us. In the case of the Lamms both the Vandersteen 5as and Kharma Midi are much more tube friendly speakers than mine. I've heard the current argument before. I'm no expert and no where near as knowledgeable as you are but the explanation of "tube friendly" and "SS friendly" speaker designs as explained by Ralph at Atma Sphere makes a lot of sense to me. In that explanation he describes the characteristics of tubes and SS as they relate to 4, 8, 16, etc. loads. Both the Kharma and 5as are 8 ohm loads and are generally efficient speaker. I don't doubt your empirical results but I would still say matching the right amp to the right speaker is more important than trying to find the "ultimate" amp. I'm sure the big Krells would sound great on my 20ts as would Levinson, Boulder, Classe, or just about any other great SS amp. However I've heard all of the ones mentioned and while they are all good they are also different. From there it comes down to taste. The big Krells are a bit bright for my taste. I think the Arye MXRs are better at capturing the emotion and space of the performance. I agree the Boulders would be exceptional but they're just too darn big! Thanks for chiming in.