Tannoy Westminster amp matching question.

I've heard the Solista in a number of systems, including with Avantgarde Duos and a custom horn system (105 db/w efficient), and thought that it sounds pretty good. The Solista is not that far off from the sound of a 45 tube amp, so it should be to your liking. If you can get that anywhere near the price range you specified, that would be quite a miracle, given how expensive these amps are.

Keep in mind that the replacement tubes for that amp will not be cheap. In addition to the 845 output tube, that amp uses 211s or 845s as rectifiers. In that application, the tube might last a long time, but, if that is not the case, the cost of replacing the rectifiers would be pretty high.

I also agree that you should, if possible, hear a good OTL amp. The immediacy and "jump" factor with an OTL is pretty exciting and hard to duplicate with other types of amps. One can get similar results with the low powered SET amps (e.g., a 2a3 amp), but, usually that involves very efficient speakers and quite expensive amps.

Borg,

An amp with a 600 ohm input is designed to be used with a preamp with a transformer output (like professional gear in the old days). Without a matching transformer-output linestage, you can have severe problems with bass response. The amp was probably designed to be used with a specific linestage because transformer coupled gear is not that common these days.

I have a capacitor coupled amp that can drive 600 ohms too reasonably well, but, it also is fairly high in gain (18 db) and has a massive 30 uf coupling cap. My friend said that the huge cap is what makes this linestage suitable.

I don't know about "theory," but, I do know that I like the sound of a number of transformer coupled gear. That is what I am currently running. The "problem" is the limited compatibility of the amp with the transformer input. From experience, I know that if a capacigtor coupled tube linestage is used, it must have a BIG output cap and a pretty robust output (my Emotive Audio Epifania fits that bill, certain Audionote linestages also work at a local dealership which sells transformer coupled amps). Most tube linestages have something like a 2 uf coupling cap and sound thin and totally dead with such amps. Atmasphere says that his directly coupled linestage will work, so you have another fine alternative.

I have not tried solid state linestages which have very low output impedances that could easily meet the supposed at least 10 to 1 impedance ratio that is often bandied about.