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Sacrilege Going from Tubes back to Solid State

Hello gang,

Well the time may have come. I am getting way over the fuse blowing, bias adjusting and general baybying my Tube Monos are putting me through. I love the sound of my VTL MB 300s that I had VTL upgrade to the new 450 status a few years ago. I love the depth, stage, sweetness and punch they give my Meadowlark Hot Rod Herons. I love the front to rear layering and detail they reveal.
Can anybody recommend a solid state amp or monos that MIGHT give me some of what I love? I am in the $4000.00 range and looking primarily at used product. I use JPS labs Super 2 Speaker and ICs and a modded VTL 2.5 pre with an Ayre CX-7e Digital front end with a Rega P-25 sporting a Dynavector Karat 17 mk II driving a plinius Jarrah Phono stage.
My frustration may be getting the best of me here but I am tired of crossing my fingers when I turn on my stereo!
I have heard good things from Older levinson gear, perhaps newer McIntosh? How about Accuphase? or ARGGGGGGGGGGHH a little help please! Thanks in advance.
128x128meadowman

Showing 2 responses by aball

aball
2,016 posts
 
I second the MC402 suggestion. If you love tubes, you'll love this amp.
aball
2,016 posts
 
I think there needs to be some distinctions made here. "Tubes" and "SS" cover a very large range of amps and some are very similar and some are not. In my experience thus far, SET tube amps have a special quality that I have not found in any SS amps yet. Not sure what to call it but you guys know. At least Tvad does.

And then there are some SS amps that are very good at coming close to tube sound. It is all relative and I find that the speaker being used plays a big role with how the amp will sound. Some push-pull tube amps are not that distant from the average SS. Much closer than the SET crowd gets for instance, but even within push-pulls there are big differences.

At one point, I was using a CJ MV55 tube amp. Nearly everyone will tell you it is the quintessential tube sound. Well, I have yet to find another tube amp that sounded like it! In my system, matched up with my Audio Aero Prima and my Triangle Cometes, it had a clinical resolution, well damped bass and a slightly dry character, with a lack of developed timbral color. Putting in my MC240 gave me smooth resolution and coherence, somewhat soft bass, a liquid midrange, and much improved timbral accuracy.

And yet, my McIntosh MC202 gave me pretty much what my MC240 gives me but with slightly better transparency and tighter bass. The CJ was not like either of them! You will just have to experiement with your own system and see what you find out.
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