SS amp or receiver that sounds like Tube Amp

Another vote for checking out a Hybrid.  I have a hybrid preamp using 12au7’sand mono blocks using 6922’s so I can tube roll and get the sound I like.  Oh and MOSFET output transistors sound less SS and more tube like.

All the best.

"This post is going nowhere. I will just buy a vintage tube amp and rebuild it."

@jimbennet

What an oddly clueless thing to say. You’ve right from the get go are receiving terrific advice and options from a lot of experienced guys here. Perhaps reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit...

FirstWatt, from Nelson Pass, sells two current solid-state amplifiers based on static induction transistors: the stereo SIT-4 (10W into 8Ω, 5W into 4Ω; note reduced output into lower impedance) and the SIT-5 monoblocks (35W into 8Ω, 60W into 4Ω). Both are class A and dissipate a lot of heat, but provide an extraordinary tube-like sound. To quote Nelson, they're:

emulating the characteristic of a Triode, but operating at voltage and currents directly needed by loudspeakers, eliminating the output transformer. ... As with Triodes, the characteristic curves of the SIT allow operation on Class A “load lines" that can determine the relative values of second and third order harmonics and have little in the way of higher order distortion. It is a now a common observation that the most appealing sound tends to come from a dominant second order harmonic character followed by a lesser values of higher order harmonics.

You can read more about SITs here, and check out the glowing reviews like this one (SIT-4) and this one (SIT-5).

You might very well get the sound signature you prefer by buying one of the current class D with a tube buffer on the input, giving you a modern solution to the problem. If you prefer vintage electronics, might I suggest a Hafler DH-200. This particular model uses Mosfets in the output stage and there are still many of these left in the used marketplace. Further there a few different resources for 'upgrade kits' that are said to increase sound quality quite a bit. Given how good they are right out of the box, improving on the basic performance would put it in rarified company. 

OP

good for you. your Onkyo TX-2500 MKII has performed admirably to your liking with a "wow" moment. I know the feeling as I was comparing my audio note clone 845 power amp with my Pass Xa-25. very close indeed at average listening level.