Tube AMP or SS

Not quite sure about what you are looking to do...

The best, and cheapest way for you to enjoy music with a tubes is to get an integrated amp for music, then switch to the receiver for movies/TV. Your speakers are fairly easy to drive at 89dB/6 ohm.

Look for used Jolida in the 60-100wpc range. There's a 60wpc Jolida 502brc. Or, for more power, the 100wpc Jolida JD1000RC. Also the Jolida JD505

The 40wpc Primaluna Prologue Two has a little lower power, but might be a step up in sonic quality

Try one out, see if you like the sound with your speakers. There are better integrateds out there for more money, but for the price you can check it out and resell them with little or no loss.

No Danny, watts are watts, and they are calculated exactly the same way, whether by tube or transistor.

It's just that some people have really, really, efficient speakers (100+ dB@1W), so they only need single digit power to run them. And that camp believes that everything is in the first watt. Get that right, and not much need for anything else. Get that wrong, and 100 more watts won't help a bit.

You can find tube amps that put out 800wpc. They are expensive, big, heavy, and put out an insane amount of heat. But, they are there for the having.

11-15-11: Xti16
With tubes in a push/pull configuration they generally have more current available. I had a Bryston B100sst rated at 180w @4ohms. I now have an Octave V70SE tube integrated rated at 70w @4ohms. The Octave just destroys the Bryston in terms of 'control'. My speakers are Dyn C1 signatures rated at 85db. For solid state the Naim line has great current capabilities for the low watt rating.

Tubes are generally better at voltage drive while SS is better at current.

A lower output power amplifier outperforming one with higher output could many factors besides whether they are tube or solid state. Power supply and output device operating point are big factors.

11-15-11: Pubul57
Darkmobius, when you say "outperforming" do you mean quality, or apparent loudness? Certainly the factors you mention have alot to do with one amp outperforming another amp qualitatively, having little to do with watts

Sorry, I probably wasn't clear in what I was saying. I was simply referencing Orpheus's comment that

For reasons unknown to me, that apparently can not be explained; "tube watts" are bigger stronger and tougher

, not how watts are calculated.