VAC PHI 70. They have enough power for 95% of the music anyone would want to listen to.
I have tried all these over the last 7 years:
Levinson 333 (sucks allround)
VT200 (metallic, sucks allround)
VT130 (acceptable only with Auricap mod and KT88)
Classic 120 (acceptable only with extensive mods)
Classic 150 (lacks extreme high and extreme low)
VAC Vintage 100 (Triode mode sounds good but may break up / distort when playing piano @ loud volumes)
Canary 309 (no juice)
and the latest Counterpoint NPM with basic Altavista mod.
(great all round, has bass, but not as transparent as Phi 70)
Nothing, absolutely nothing, comes close to the transparency, mid-high dynamic contrast (note mid-high only), and most of all, musicality, of the PHI70s.
BTW dont bother experimenting with tubes, the stock ones are the best tuned for the PHi 70.
I have tried all these over the last 7 years:
Levinson 333 (sucks allround)
VT200 (metallic, sucks allround)
VT130 (acceptable only with Auricap mod and KT88)
Classic 120 (acceptable only with extensive mods)
Classic 150 (lacks extreme high and extreme low)
VAC Vintage 100 (Triode mode sounds good but may break up / distort when playing piano @ loud volumes)
Canary 309 (no juice)
and the latest Counterpoint NPM with basic Altavista mod.
(great all round, has bass, but not as transparent as Phi 70)
Nothing, absolutely nothing, comes close to the transparency, mid-high dynamic contrast (note mid-high only), and most of all, musicality, of the PHI70s.
BTW dont bother experimenting with tubes, the stock ones are the best tuned for the PHi 70.