switching from Tubes to SS

I drive Proac Response 2.5s with a Pass X-150 and I use a First Sound tube line stage as you do (some of the time, I switch off with a Placette). Great combination. You may want more power than the 150, but maybe not.

As I said above, I use a Pass X-150 with my Proacs, sometimes with a First Sound and sometimes with a Placette. I also have a CJ 11a amp that I play with from time to time. It has wonderful bloom and a huge sound stage, but I always return to the Pass. Ultimately, the CJ sounds rolled on top, slightly muddy (cloudy might be a better word) and the Pass gives me focus and clarity and resolution, which is what I hear in live music. It's a bit "buttoned down" compared to the CJ, but I can live with that. For the life of me, based on what I've tried in my system, I can't understand all the unbridled enthusiasm everyone has for tube amps.

Hmmm...interesting. I'll try to get my hands on a more exotic tube amp one of these days and see if, for me, it does a better job of creating the illusion of a musical event. -dan

Brulee, what is in your system, if I may ask?